BENGALURU: For Matthew Wakeford, his favourite breakfast in Bengaluru is the masala dosa. The 2019 Bacardi Legacy Global Top 3 contestant was in the city to conduct a masterclass at Sheraton Grand Hotel, Rajajinagar, hours before the competition took place.
Wakeford represented the United Arab Emirates last year at BLCC Finals in Amsterdam with his cocktail, El Meu Avi, which is a blend of Bacardi Carta Blanca, St Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Lemon Sherbet, Fresh Basil and Celery bitters. “It’s the name of a song. My wife is from the north of Spain. A few years back, a lot of people from there went to Cuba, made some money and came back. My concept was to focus on what people bring back to their communities after staying somewhere for some time,” he says.
About the competition, Wakeford says there is always someone who forgets to put rum in their cocktail. “Making drinks in front of 200 peers is a challenge. So my advice is, always put your base spirit in before you are done,” he laughs.
Wakeford feels that the location plays a big factor while serving cocktails. “Surely, a drink in London would be different than what will be served in Dubai,” he says, adding that nowadays, people are sticking to classic cocktails and also low-APV and non-alcoholic cocktails. “A lot of people have stopped drinking but still want to be involved in the cocktail culture. Also, they want to have a drink at any part of the day, so non-alcoholic drinks work best for them,” says Wakeford, who opened Makar, a Scottish bar at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Waterfront in 2018.