Licor 43 moves to Madrid for Bartenders & Baristas Challenge 2023

For the 2023 edition of its annual Bartenders & Baristas Challenge, Spanish liqueur brand Licor 43 will be taking place in the country’s capital, Madrid.

For its 7th edition, Licor 43 calls on cocktail and coffee professionals around the world to showcase their expertise and imagination in pairing Licor 43 and coffee.  

Julian Fernandez, Zamora Company’s global marketing and innovation director for spirits, said: “Madrid is one of the, if not the, most important cities in Spain for mixology, plus gastronomy, art and entertainment. Our three years in Gran Canaria have been fabulous and extremely educational with our visits to coffee plantations, but now we are going to take entrants to Madrid  for a full immersion in the Spanish culture which is so intrinsic to Licor 43 as the liqueur brand of Spain.”

Returning to the judging panel this year is International Barista Champion Merijn Gijsbers, who has worked with the competition since 2019, joining will be last year’s champion Yeferson Ávila who won with cocktail Armonía.

Nine key Licor 43 markets around the world will take part in the 2023 competition: Germany, Mexico, USA, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Estonia, Peru and Costa Rica.  Each will set up local judging teams to find a winner to put forward to the grand final.  

The 2023 global winner will receive a bursary to put towards professional equipment and career development courses, will take their place on next year’s judging panel and will become the Licor 43 Coffee Master for 2024, appearing with the brand at key international shows.

Entries for competitors are now open, and the grand final will take place in Madrid from 16 to 19 October 2023.