Maxime Hoerth, lead bartender at The Bar at Four Seasons Hotel George V for the past three years, has won the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France contest, which aims to acknowledge the best artisans in France.

Created in 1924, Meilleurs Ouvrier de France (MOF) encompasses a broad range of crafts from culinary to fashion, architecture and décor, ceramics and glassworks, floral design and more. This year, the craft of the bartender was included for the first time.

The country’s top bartenders competed in a series of trials, beginning last fall at the School of Hotel and Tourism in Guyancourt, where 25 candidates competed in oral, written and technical evaluations. Only eight candidates moved on to the next phase, which took place this month in Clermont Ferrand.

Hoerth stood out with his original cocktail dubbed "Good Night and Good Luck." Combining vodka, apple, lemonade, lemon and rosemary and served with sliced apple encrusted by strawberries, this creation required all of Hoerth’s formidable skills and imagination. In the end, he is one of just two barmen in all of France now recognized by MOF.

He is delighted to have won this unique contest and brought the colours of Four Seasons Hotel George V to the highest level: "The MOF is a difficult contest, where the pressure is constant; today I am very proud to have won it."

The prize is the latest in Hoerth’s accomplishments as he continues to innovate. Good Night and Good Luck will be available to guests of The Bar and the Marble Courtyard beginning on June 2, 2011.