Bartenders from across Belgium – and around the world – gathered at the weekend in Anderlecht, Brussels for the National Cocktail Championships.
Claude Remacle-Laborie, from Genval and freelance bartender at Plaisirs Symples claimed the prestigious title of Best Bartender of Belgium.
Held at the Horeca Forma BePro training centre and organised by the Union of Belgium’s Bartenders (founded in 1961), the event celebrated the skill, passion, and creativity of a new generation of mixologists. This year’s theme was coffee, chosen in preparation for Belgium’s participation in the World Cocktail Championships taking place this November in Colombia.
Claude will now represent Belgium in Colombia.
The finalists – all based in Belgium but with diverse roots (Italy, Nepal, Ecuador, Syria, Greece, USA) – impressed the juries with their technical precision, storytelling, and bold cocktail creations.
Taking their place on the 2025 podium were:
- 1st Place: Claude Remacle-Laborie – Freelance Bartender, Plaisirs Symples, Genval;
- 2nd Place: Larry Godefroid – Chemistry & Botanic’s, Brussels;
- 3rd Place: Daniel Papageorgiou – Chemistry & Botanic’s, Brussels
Special awards went to:
- Best Technique: Rabath Saliba, Chemistry & Botanic’s, Brussels;
- Best Decoration: Fernando Bravo Vega – Hotel The Dominican, Brussels;
- Rookie Mention: Alex Soler – Student, EFPME, Brussels.
The jury comprised two panels of professionals who evaluated the finalists.
The technical jury was: Xavier Dellenbach – Double Cocktail Champion of Luxembourg, Clément Elie – President, Association Luxembourgeoise des Barmen (ALB), Maxime Fels – Secretary, ALB. Serge Guillou – Vice-President, International Bartenders Association (IBA), Fabrice Tobajas – Horeca Forma BePro. Ulric Nijs – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Bruno Sanfilippo – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (Luxembourg)
The tasting & decoration jury was made up of a panel of journalists and professionals from the hotel, restaurant, spirits, travel, and bar industries.
Claude told this website on Tuesday that her cocktail is a “bold and floral cocktail where the vegetal freshness of green coffee meets the warm, spiced notes of cardamom. Elderflower brings a delicate sweetness, enhanced with vanilla, and balanced by a characterful Belgian gin.
“It is a cocktail of elegance, complexity, and technical finesse.”
The winner is called “Green Pearls” and the ingredients are:
2 cl homemade infusion of cardamom, elderflower, and vanilla extract
3 cl cold brew of Indonesian anaerobic green coffee
1 cl elderflower liqueur (Giffard)
0.5 cl cane sugar syrup (Giffard)
2.5 cl Gin 19 Août (Gervin Distillery)
