50 finalists will compete in the global competition from 4-9 July. The Azamara Club Cruise’s ship, Azamara Journey will sail along the French Riviera in Nice and Monte Carlo and stopovers include St Tropez and Ibiza, before ending in Barcelona.

Judges include Dale DeGroff, Salvatore Calabrese, Peter Dorelli, Hidetsugo Ueno and Gary Regan and the trip is to welcome a total of 600 attendees.

Rudy Paoli, managing director Diageo Reserve, said: “The World Class Global Final is a landmark event in the luxury industry which has become an internationally recognised platform and mark of distinction for mixology. World Class elevates the craft of the bartender, discovers new talent and previews the latest trends and must-have fine drinking experiences to the world. Given the strong growth of the Diageo Reserve business within Europe, the Mediterranean was a clear choice for the 2013 Global Final.”

Launched in 2009, World Class trains 15,000 bartenders around the world each year. In 2012, the World Class TV Show was broadcast in more than 110 countries.