Boozy cocktails and great coffee at National Barista and Mixology Competition 2023

WHAT better way to get the party started at the 2023 National Barista and Mixology competitions, held recently at the Borrowdale Brooke Golf Club, than with a 200ml chilled bottle of Da Luca Prosecco?

It was late afternoon, and finalists from bartenders and baristas sourced from across the country by Drop Beverage Solutions , had been highlighting their creative skills throughout the day.

Ingredients for Vanessa Muzangaza’s maputi cocktail

Five finalists from each category remained; they would either break fresh ground over what is possible with coffee, or present the judges with the most innovative and exciting cocktail. Drinks in hand, we settled in to watch the final rounds of an exciting event, organised by Cathy Divaris, director of Drop Imports, and set up by Liesel Pretorious, food service and beverage consultant par excellence.

Winner of The National Barista Competition 2023

It’s safe to say that tea hobvu, or even black tea, was once the favourite beverage to sip with a slice of chimhodo for breakfast or afternoon tea. But alongside water and tea, coffee has become one of the most popular beverages in the world, and judging by the flood of new cafes opening up in Harare, a fragrant cappuccino or well-brewed filter coffee has become an essential start to the day.

Espresso-based coffee drinks need to be prepared and decorated by coffee professionals, creating a requirement for qualified baristas. Training courses for this exciting profession, with continuous assessment and monitoring by Drop Beverage Solutions, have opened up career paths for baristas nationwide.

Being a top notch barista is by no means a walk in the park. Among other processes he must understand the science of coffee making, know how dark and light roast of beans affect flavour, be practiced in steaming and pouring milk and regularly clean and maintain the coffee machine.

Equilibrium, winning cocktail by Ronaldo Robinson of Upstate by Pariah State

The competition was fierce, but judges Cathy Divaris and Daniel Marini of Garfunkels Grill in Borrowdale, both professionals in coffee tasting, eventually awarded first place to Tinotenda Muza of Cafe Pistachio. Close behind, in second place, was Tinashe Mbewe, also a barista at Cafe Pistachio.

Winner of The National Mixology Competition 2023

Tino, who has completed basic and advanced barista training courses, stressed the importance of levelness and pressure when tamping down the coffee grounds to remove air pockets. Milk should be steamed to a temperature between 60-65 degrees before blending and balancing with the coffee. Tino also said that while making good espresso is an art within itself, skill in latte art (patterns made in the foam topping) is essential, since the perfect cappuccino should look as good as it tastes. A super-confident contestant, Tino’s espresso and cappuccino entries impressed, but it was Endgame, his signature drink combining passion fruit and lemonade syrup with espresso, garnished with a dash of strawberry syrup, that tipped the scales in his favour, catapulting him into first place.

The sun was setting when the mixologists rose to the challenge, impressing the judges with their in-depth knowledge of ingredients and techniques and their ability to create and serve cocktails.

Competition was fierce in the battle of the mixologists, with Ronaldo Robinson of Upstate by Pariah State in Highland Park emerging as the winner. He was closely followed by Vanessa Muzangaza of The Jam Tree in Mount Pleasant, who took second place with a popcorn flavoured cocktail, inspired by her love of maputi (Zimbabwean popcorn).

Originally from Bulawayo, Ronaldo is fully immersed in the art of mixology, having begun his career at the age of 17. Training
courses and work experience in top end hotels in Zambia and in The United Arab Emirates have given him the skills and techniques required to make the perfect cocktail.

With temperatures rising, the demand for tall, fruity summer cocktails (shaken, not stirred) will be high, but Ronaldo’s preference is for spirit-forward cocktails. Smaller in size, these boozy cocktails pack a punch, and are designed to be sipped slowly. Equilibrium, Ronaldo’s winning cocktail at the competition, is created from locally distilled Seesu gin, Zimbabwean botanicals and fruits, and Kumusha Cabernet Sauvignon, blended by winemaker Tinashe Nyamudoka.

Coffee professionals Daniel Marini and Cathy Divaris assess the baristas

Seesu Gin, handcrafted in Zimbabwe, relies on juniper berries for its unique pine-like flavour and aroma, essential in the making of gin. Although there is a lone juniper berry tree growing on a rocky outcrop amid the historic ruins of Nyahokwe village in northern Nyanga, it doesn’t produce berries.

While grapedfruit, another important component of the winning entry is sourced locally from the Mazowe citrus estates, the kicker comes from Kumusha Cabernet Sauvignon, a red wine created by ex-sommelier turned wine maker, homeboy Tinashe Nyamudoka. Full-bodied, with notes of wild berries, dark roast coffee and freshly cut herbs, Kumusha Cab Sauv speaks of Nyamudoka’s roots in Harare, where he was born and raised, and of his skills and talent as a winemaker.

Using his knowledge of mixology and his passion in exploring flavour profiles and tasting notes, Ronaldo Robinson wowed the judges with the creation of Equilibrium, the winning cocktail in 2023.

The last national barista and mixology competition organised by Drop Beverage Solutions was held in 2019, and judging by the response from bartenders, baristas and the general public at this year’s competition, the demand for knowledge of good coffee and exciting cocktails continues to grow. With Drop Beverage Solutions on hand to provide equipment, products, training, quality control and continuous assessment, the hospitality industry can only flourish.  A Matter of Taste with Charlotte Malakoff