HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Greater Than Gin has announced the return of Bar Wars, India’s premier bartender-server competition, for its fourth and largest edition to date. With a mission to honour the incredible teamwork between bartenders and servers, Bar Wars is set to take the country by storm, showcasing the best bar duos from bars across India.
NAO Spirits, the visionary disruptors behind the Greater Than and Hapusa gins, are once again at the helm, pushing the boundaries of what a bartending competition can be. After three successful editions, Bar Wars is expanding its reach in 2024, with regional competitions taking place in nine major cities (Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi, Jaipur, Gurgaon) throughout August, leading up to the grand finale in Goa in September 2024.
Bar Wars is more than just a bartending competition; it’s a celebration of the teamwork and talent that make great bars extraordinary. What sets Bar Wars apart is its unique focus on the entire bar team, recognising the crucial role of servers in delivering a full bar experience. In a departure from the norm, this competition puts the judging power in the hands of consumers instead of industry experts, ensuring a fair and transparent process, driven by the opinions of actual patrons.
The journey to Bar Wars begins with bars submitting their entries via Instagram in 60-second videos. Last year, 286 bar teams from across the country submitted their video entries, and this year that number is expected to be close to 400. From these, the top 90 bartender-server duos shall be selected based on their creativity, presentation, and recipe. Each city qualifier will feature 9 teams competing in a 75-minute showdown, where they will pitch their cocktails, demonstrate their skills, and aim to provide top-notch service to a live audience.
The goal is simple yet challenging: provide the most memorable service and sell the highest number of cocktails within the given time. Winners from each city will advance to the national finals in Goa, where the ultimate champions will win a cash prize of INR 2 lakhs and an international bar takeover opportunity in Dubai.
The Delhi NCR Bar Wars event is set to take place at the BeeYoung Brewgarden on August 28th, featuring a stellar lineup of competing bars, including Inja, Library Bar by Leela, MardiGras by Uncover, K3, JW Marriott, Ottimo, ITC Maurya, CosyBox, Olive, Chandigarh, Fola, Chandigarh, and Molecule, Noida.
