Auckland bartender wins a place at International Cocktail

Auckland bartender wins a place at International Cocktail Event

Auckland Bartender, James Goggin has beaten 236 others from around the world to secure a place at the prestigious international Cocktail Apprenticeship Programme (CAP) to be held in New Orleans on 20 – 24th July. James is one of fifty bartenders selected through a rigorous application process, and will work alongside the biggest names in mixology during the five-day festival of cocktails, cuisine and culture. James is the first New Zealander to be selected to attend this event, based on his cocktail recipe submission and answers to a series of questions indicating his level of experience in the industry.

The Program, run by Tales of the Cocktail® was developed in 2008 to give talented bartenders the opportunity to apprentice with skilled veterans of the cocktail industry and further develop their bartending skills. “Tales of the Cocktail CAP creates challenges that many of these individuals have not had to deal with behind a bar,” said Mike Ryan, a leader of the Cocktail Apprentice Program. “The program requires participants to develop an instantaneous understanding of how to streamline functions both creatively and with complete savvy, simultaneously working with 100% efficiency as a team.”

“This is an incredible opportunity for me” says James, who works at Auckland’s Suite Bar. “I am passionate about my career in hospitality, and I think it goes to show that we can be right up there with our international colleagues and compete on world stage”.

In addition to the unique experiences James will encounter at Tales of the Cocktail, he will also be eligible for the Cocktail Apprentice Scholarship Program, a $25,000 scholarship program developed exclusively for former cocktail apprentices to pursue additional learning opportunities.

James’ employer and owner of Suite Bar, David Hawk is very proud. “At Suite we always strive to raise the bar in creatively serving good food and good beverage with individual personality. We couldn’t be more thrilled for James”.

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