Okku's John Leese stirs up Bartender of the Year

Kicking off the evening’s Caterer Middle East Awards 2015 celebrations, held at the Atlantis The Palm on June 10 2015, taking the title of Bartender of the Year was Okku Dubai head bartender John Leese.

As always, the category received a high calibre of entries from across the Middle East, making it one of the hardest to decide for the judges. However, Leese impressed all with his tireless work ethic to improve quality while reducing cocktail costings.

The head bartender, who began his career in the late 90s was also commended for his efforts in training and overseeing his team’s own cocktail and spirit development through personally conducting intensive trainings and one-on-one sessions.

Commenting on the recognition Leese said: “I am not big on mixology competitions. My goal is to try and challenge the industry and the way people perceive the industry. I want the staff to have the knowledge and the understanding that this is not just a job, it is a career. To be rewarded like this it’s just showing that my work has paid off, so I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Roberto’s Krishna Singh was highly commended, who was described as an innovative bartender, and who reached the regional finals of World Class 2014.

Other shortlisted nominees included Frankie Rodrigues, Skyline Lounge, Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City; Joseph Denzel Fortuin, Claw BBQ, Crabshack & Grill; Manoj Kumar Malla, The Ivy Dubai; and Srimanta Kumar Jena, Zanzi Bar, Kempinski Hotel Ajman.

The full list of shortlisted entries can be found here.

The Bartender of the Year Award was sponsored by MMI and presented by the company’s commercial director George Harding.