The winner of this year’s Franklin & Sons Flavour in Motion competition is Alessandro Todini from Three Sheets in London’s Soho.
The finals, held Equal Parts in London, saw ten finalists from across the UK compete for the grand prize of a fund towards their career development.
Now in its second year, Flavour in Motion calls on bartenders to cast their minds back to the very first cocktail they learned to make, and recreate it using all of the skills they’ve acquired since. The result is a competition full of industry stories, with bartenders showcasing the full extent of their knowledge and creativity.
In Todini’s case, the story began ten years ago in a small restaurant in Covent Garden. “People there were like, you're Italian, so you know how to make an Aperol Spritz, right?” he remembers. “But no – I’d never made a cocktail in my life.”
Initial inspiration for his winning drink, Strawberry & Cream, came from another early bartending experience, during Wimbledon season, when the venue he worked at had a Strawberry Spritz on the menu. Applying skills he’s acquired over the years, he created a strawberry cordial, combined that with Aperol, and fat washed this with double cream. In addition, a strawberry tea tincture was made from a strawberries-and-cream black loose leaf tea infused in vodka. And to emphasise the rhubarb notes in Aperol, he chose Franklin & Sons Spring Rhubarb Lemonade.
“I knew the Spring Rhubarb Lemonade from the Franklin and Sons family would be the best for this, because it’s juicy, it’s bright, and it's made with Yorkshire rhubarb,” he says.
For the garnish, he showcased the commitment to sustainability that he shares with the tonic, soda and soft drink brand, and gained some new skills in the process too. “When I was doing the fat washing, there was a lot of leftover strawberry that was going to go in the bin. And I’ve always wanted to learn how to make ice cream…”
Entries for the competition initially opened at the end of April, resulting in a shortlist of 40 bartenders who competed in four regional heats around the UK. In each of these, two winners and two wildcards were selected to compete in the final, where they presented their serves to four judges: last year’s winner Elyse Von Ruinn, David Robinson of Franklin & Sons, Mixology Group’s Myles Cunliffe and drinks journalist Clinton Cawood. Finalists were judged not only on the drink they created, and the concept behind it, but on their storytelling and presentation too.
In second place was Scott Stevenson of Ga Ga Kitchen & Bar in Glasgow, while Meg de Bell of Below Stairs in Leeds took third place. Todini earned himself the winning prize fund of £2,500 towards his career development, with 2nd and 3rd place being awarded £500 and £250 respectively.
“I think the concept of the competition is very original – it’s like a time machine,” says Todini. “You need to use a cocktail that really means something for you, and you need to deliver that passion and that emotion to the judges.”
Todini has worked at Three Sheets for the past year. “Before the semi final, I asked some of my colleagues to taste the drink, and I explained the concept to them too. I had brainstorming sessions with them, and the two owners helped me a lot during the process too. I’m lucky to have a lot of people around me that helped me through the process – it's not something I could have done by myself.”