Mica Rousseau of Fifty Mils at Four Seasons Hotel Mexico, DF, Recognised as Best Bartender at 2016 World Class Mexico Competition

Mica Rousseau, head bartender at Fifty Mils at Four Seasons Hotel Mexico, DF, continues to gain accolades, most recently at 2016 World Class Mexico, where he won first prize.

In a process that began last November with 70 Mexican bartenders competing, the country final of the Diageo bartending competition in May saw five finalists presenting their concept for a bar in a pop-up space at the event. The esteemed jury judged each  for its interior design and unique style.  The jury included Mafer Tejada, winner of 2015 World Class; Marian Beke and Martina Breznanova, both renowned mixologists; and Rebecca Quiñonez, worldwide ambassador of Ron Zacapa.

In the second part of the competition, each finalist offer two original cocktails – one featuring 18 year old Buchanan’s Scotch whisky, plus a punch prepared with any of the distilled beverages in Diageo’s catalogue.

Rousseau offered his signature Selfie cocktail, and then surprised everyone as his Not Tea Time punch was poured from a coffee pot made of chocolate that he fashioned himself.

After a hard-fought deliberation, the jury decided unanimously that Rousseau was the new winner of this prestigious competition, which makes him the country's most influential mixologist and the new representative of World Class Mexico.