Tue | May 5, 2026

Ralston Brown, winning bartender

Published:Thursday | May 15, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Pause
Ralston Brown pouring his winning drink, Lemon Basil Paradise.
Judge Adam Hugh takes a sip of the winning cocktail, Lemon Basil Paradise.
Judge Debra Taylor, from Select Brands, takes a sip of the third-place cocktail, Caribbean Dreams.
Couples Resorts bartender Pasanga Ricketts poses with his signature cocktail, Passionate Delight.
Grand Lido's bartender Cleon Haye pours out his signature cocktail, Jamberry, at the Stoli Most Original Bartending Competition. - Photos by Karrie Williams
1
2
3
4
5

Karrie Williams, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

The judges have spoken, and they have declared Jamaica Pegasus bartender Ralston Brown the 2014 winner of the Stoli Most Original Bartending Competition.

Held on Monday at the Seahorse Grill in Montego Bay, the judges said they were impressed with Brown's signature cocktail - Lemon Basil Paradise. It scored top marks in creativity and presentation, which were the main criteria used for judging the contest.

Effectively using the five minutes he was allotted, Brown finished in record time, incorporating Stolichnaya vodka, simple syrup, basil, mint and lime juice. Expressing complete satisfaction at his victory over 11 other contestants, Brown revealed that it was his first time entering a professional bartending competition.

"I feel wonderful!" he beamed. "This is my first time entering a bartending competition, and it's overwhelming to know that at my first try I have made it to the top and have been given the chance to represent my country doing something that I love."

REGIONAL COMPETITION

For his win, Brown will represent Jamaica at the Stolichnaya regional bartending finals, to be held in Barbados July 12-14. He promises another great signature drink that will be even better than his winning creation, adding that for the other contestants, "it will be a day of reckoning".

Joel Becker of Hedonism II earned second place for his sugar-free cocktail, Holy Stoli Shake. Becker was commended by the judges for his use of the indigenous ingredient, hymenaea courbaril, more popularly known as 'stinking toe'.

Golden Eye's Tahera Ricketts, the lone female contestant, placed third. Her Caribbean Dreams cocktail also earned praises from the judging table for creativity, as it featured bell peppers and onions, which the judges contended "are not easy to represent in a drink".

Both Becker and Ricketts received cash prizes, a bottle of Stolichnaya vodka, and certificates for their wins.

Stolichnaya vodka is distributed in Jamaica by Select Brands. Chief judge of the contest and brand manager, Dominic Beckford, ensured that the remaining nine contestants did not go home empty-handed. They were each given a gift bag, courtesy of Select Brands.

Fellow judge Debra Taylor, also of Select Brands, said though she was pleased with this year's support, there was still a lot of potential for the local bartending profession.

"There is a lot of potential left to be unleashed. We didn't get a whole lot of creativity and, to me, that means that the profession can be developed further. I look forward to seeing that. I am looking forward to next year when people are going to realise the potential and capitalise on it."