Experts choose the best bartender in the region
As part of the Raise the Bar conference, which will be held from March 25 to 27 in Zagreb’s Lauba, a competition will be held in which bartenders from Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete, and the winner will win, in addition to the title of best bartender in the region, 10,000 euros and a trip to Rome for the Roma Bar Show 2026.
Entries to the competition
You can apply for the competition until Monday, March 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. via the form available at the link. Anyone with at least one year of work experience in the hospitality industry, who has an active status in the Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Slovenia and who speaks English can apply.
In addition to filling out the application form, it is necessary to design and send the cocktail recipe and your own photo with the bottle and cocktail as well as the photo of the cocktail itself. The recipes must contain the name of the cocktail, ingredients written in the full name, norms, type of glass, decoration and a detailed method of preparing the cocktail.
Detailed information on applying for the Raise the Bar Competition can be found in the Terms and Conditions of the Competition.
An expert jury will recreate the submitted cocktails and select up to 20 bartenders to compete in the Raise the Bar Competition in Lauba.
Competition
The first round of the competition, in which the finalists will be selected, will take place on Thursday, March 26th at Lauba. Bartenders will try their hand at challenges designed to demonstrate a set of knowledge and skills essential for top bartenders: teamwork, creativity, managing a short time frame, making classic cocktails, accurate pouring, blind tasting, and presentation skills.
he superfinal, which will take place on Friday, March 27, will be attended by two competitors who, according to the expert jury, best complete the challenges and demonstrate the highest level of expertise. Detailed information on the conditions of participation in the Raise the Bar Competition can be found in Terms and Conditions of the Competition.
Expert jury
Rémy Savage is an award winning bartender, co-owner of several iconic bars (A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Bar Nouveau, Abstract) known for bringing art and minimalism to the world of cocktails. He is considered one of the most influential and creative voices in the modern bar scene.
Danil has more than 15 years of experience gained in 14 countries and is the second most influential person in the industry according to the Bar World 100. He is the founder of the Indie Bartender platform that supports independent bartenders around the world. He was named the best international mentor at Tales of the Cocktail 2024.
Dominik is the keynote speaker of the Raise the Bar Academy and co-owner of Zagreb’s Peaches & Cream Bar. He is also a brand ambassador for Brown-Forman and the winner of the Raise the Bar award Bartender’s Choice 2022. Dominik has been involved in the bartending profession for many years, and his rich career path includes Dubravkin put, Barbieri’s and Glow bar, among others.
Mišel has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 12 years. He has ample experience gained at the best Italian bartending school. He also gained experience in bars, clubs and restaurants in Italy and Croatia, where he worked as a bartender and manager. Today, he is part of Monin’s global team as Advocacy Brand Manager.
Anteo is the co-owner and founder of Bar Sistema, a Split-based craft cocktail bar that is considered one of the best in the region. Anteo gained his extensive experience in bars in Croatia, New York, and even New Zealand.
Kevin is a bartender from Maribor, one of the top 100 most influential bartenders in the world and the first Slovenian bartender on that list. In his 18 years in the hospitality industry, he won several bartending competitions. He is the founder of the online educational platform Cocktail time with Kevin Kos, which offers content aimed at the bartending community – from education, recipes for craft cocktails to general content on mixology and bartending.
Denis dedicated his time and creativity to the bar industry. He is one of the most prominent bartenders and experts in the food and beverage sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is a judge in numerous regional competitions. He is the founder and lecturer at the MD Academy.