Cocktails competitions took over the Beer & Spirits Show stage for 4 days, while bartenders, beer experts, bar owners and executives of the beverage world presented all the new developments, innovative products and global trends for beer and cocktails.

Greece’s top bartenders met once again at HORECA 2024, the event that sets the trends in the world of beer & cocktails. Leading bartenders, representatives of Greek and foreign brands, bar owners and renowned professionals shared their knowledge and experiences on the stage of Beer & Spirits Show at Hall 1. At the same time, the Panhellenic Competitions of the Hellenic Bartenders Association were held during the event. 

Talented bartenders on the stage!

Today, Beer & Spirits Show dropped the curtain with the 13th Panhellenic Non Alcohol Cocktail Competition, with winners Stavroula Merligka in first place, Maria Kassiani Nadiou in second and Triantafyllos Mamoulian in third place and the 3rd Panhellenic Battle of the bars Competition, with bar Carousello in first place, Villa Di Mare in second place and Bar Lab Chania in third place.

Dynamic contests & beer trends

A very interesting presentation by the beer consultant Paul Emmanuelidis (owner of Beer Deli) had the opportunity to attend the mass catering professionals, on Sunday, 11/2, on the stage of Beer & Spirits Show. The well-known beer expert talked about setting up a proper beer list in restaurants, but also about its importance in terms of offering a complete experience to guests. In particular, he mentioned the main factors that determine the beer card in a business, i.e. the type of restaurant, the types of beer he wants to include, the pricing policy and the age profile of his customers, and then he specifically analyzed the corresponding needs of 3 main categories of businesses (restaurant, snack bar and street food) by completing basic tips to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Afterwards, the oenologist and wine and beer sommelier, Despina Moschaki, catering staff trainer at the Genius in Gastronomy school, took the stage, spoke in detail about beer styles and their ideal combination with food. Ms. Moschaki mentioned the importance of the professional experimenting with different taste profiles of beer, in order to formulate complete proposals and communicate them correctly to his visitor, while she explained that the modern consumer wants to try new culinary combinations, escaping from the trivial. Both presentations were moderated by Eva Touna, Managing Editor of PSITO Magazine.

On the stage of the Beer and Spirits Show followed a very interesting panel on the rise of taprooms in Greece, moderated by Irini Theodoridou, editor-in-chief of PSITO magazine. Antonis Peristeris, brewer and owner of Strange Brew Taproom & Bottleshop and Dimitris Ladopoulos, brewer and owner of Blame the Sun Taproom took the stage.

The two speakers analyzed the elements that characterize a taproom, each presenting their own project. At the same time, they talked about the prevailing trends in beer consumption, stressing that the Greek public shows a willingness to experiment and wants to try new things, but also more special tastes. Among other things, they mentioned the rise experienced by microbreweries in recent years, the flowering of which also favored the development of the concept of taprooms, while they also talked about the community of brewers, which is characterized by very interesting collaborations.

Today, the 28th Panhellenic Classic Cocktail After Dinner Competition took place, with winners with the winners being Efthimis Kousaridas in first place, Christos Voglis in second place and Theodoros Lambousi in third place. Also, a prize was given for the youngest participation to Maria – Kassiani Naidou, for best side garnish to Theodoros Lambousis and for technical training to Konstantinos Saitis.

Cocktail battles are on! 

The 2nd day of the Beer & Spirits Show started with the presentation of Manny Hinojosa, Global Brand Ambassador for Tequila Cazadores and then Luca Turello, Head of agronomy illycaffè S.p.A. analyzed the importance of regenerative agriculture in the coffee sector. 

Today, the 11th Panhellenic Greek Cocktail Competition took place, with the winners being Ruslan Dzgoev in first place, Efthymis Kousaridas in second place and Giorgos Baris in third place. Also, the 1st Ladies Cocktail Competition took place with the winners being Konstantina Nikolitsi in first place, Stavroula Merlinga in second place and Despina Aresti in third place. 

Beer on the spotlight! 

The 1st day of Beer & Spirits Show started with Filippos Kyrkitsos, President of the Ecological Recycling Society presenting the ZERO WASTE HORECA AWARDS.  

The interest of the Beer & Spirits Show audience was gathered by the discussion on: “The right beer list: How to choose labels according to the style of your café” with speakers Nikolas Anastakos, owner of Radar in Ilioupoli and Antonis Synodinos, bar leader of Lot51 and coordinator Eleni Manika, Managing Editor of Snack&Coffee magazine. The invited guests, thanks to their expertise and many years of experience in catering establishments, gave useful ideas, suggestions and advice regarding the formation of the ideal beer list for each catering business, always according to the style and the consumer audience to which addresses. 

Afterwards, Grigoris Helmis and Andreas Diakodimitris, owners of the successful food concept MeZeN, took the stage for the panel “No… another variety: Ideas for original beer food” moderated by Eleni Manika, Managing Editor of Snack&Coffee magazine. The lively discussion included everything. From analysis of successful, and not so, food concepts with alcohol in Greece and abroad to ideas on how to “set up” a small but… tasty menu dedicated to beer. With examples from their extensive experience in the catering industry, plenty of humor and truly innovative suggestions for reshaping the flavors that accompany beer, they captivated the professionals who attended and participated in the interactive discussion with questions and ideas. 

Constantinos Vlassis (Owner & Founder of BarVent) gave an interactive presentation to the audience on the topic: “Beer Cocktails: From theory to practice”, coordinated by Giorgos Mantas, Editor-in-Chief of Snack&Coffee magazine. As a result he created four special and impressive cocktails with beer. It started with the New Style Negroni which included Gin, Campari, Red vermouth, and red beer foam. Followed by the Radler Paloma with tequila, lime, grapefruit and Radler beer. Then the Michelada Fresh with lime, dark beer, spices and tomato and finally the Monaco with red fruit syrup, Lager beer and lemonade. It is worth noting that he was detailed in every stage of the preparations while he did not hesitate to reveal some tips about his creations. 

The Beer & Spirits Show stage was filled with… Beer! The WORLD OF Beer Festival visited HORECA! Mr. Thanasis Panagoulias, President & CEO of FORUM SA presented the new big festival for the refreshing and magical world of beer, from FORUM SA, to journalists and executives from the beer market.

“The WORLD OF Beer Festival was a vision of this company and we think it is the right time to present something new in the world of beer, a festival that will really highlight the product. The name we chose covers the whole world of beer and that’s why we ended up with “The World of Beer”, which includes us all from different angles, but within this world we will come to represent beer”, stated among others Mr. Panagoulias. 

Mr. Peter Ottmann, CEO of the Nurnbergmesse exhibition group of which FORUM SA is a member, addressed the event. As he stated, “ WORLD OF Beer Festival is going to begin from scratch in May and only FORUM can pull it through, and it can only be done with partners who know the business and who share the same vision. It will be a wonderful first experience for everybody..” 

Finally, the President of the Hellenic Union of Brewers, Mr. Sofocles Panagiotou welcomed this initiative and stated regarding the WORLD OF Beer Festival that the event will be a success and leave an era.