Article 1 Organiser
The competition is organised by SVS La Martiniquaise (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Organiser’), a simplified joint stock company, registered with the CRETEIL Trade and Companies Register under number 632 003 877 and whose registered office is located at 18 rue de l’Entrepôt – 94220 Charenton-le-Pont and represented by its BLMHD (Bardinet La Martiniquaise Hors Domicile) sales department.
This competition is free, with no obligation to purchase. However, Internet access is required.
Article 2 Participants – Acceptance of the rules
Participants in the competition must be over 18 years of age and must live in mainland France or Corsica. THE BARTENDERS SOCIETY competition is only open to professional bartenders or barmaids in training. Only one entry per person is permitted. Employees and service providers for the SVS La Martiniquaise group are not authorised to take part. This exclusion also extends to the families and friends of members of the Organiser’s staff. In general, any person participating directly or indirectly in the implementation of this competition is excluded from this right to participate.
Participation in this competition implies participants’ unreserved acceptance of the rules in their entirety, as well as any amendments thereto, and their application by the Organiser, who has final authority over any disputes or difficulties of interpretation.
Commitment to availability and travel
By entering the competition, each participant undertakes to be available and to be able to travel to Martinique for the final of the competition, which will take place from 27 April 2025 to 1 May 2025. Participation in this final stage implies the participant’s physical presence throughout this period. Any absence or inability to travel to Martinique during this period may result in disqualification from the competition. Travel and accommodation expenses will be paid by the Organiser.
Article 3 Principle
The Bartenders Society is an international competition that brings together candidates from 18 countries to compete for the title of Best Bartender.
In France, the competition takes place in several stages:
REGISTRATION: Between 03 March and 31 March 2025*.
Digital MASTERCLASS (Demonstration, theme inspiration) : Between 03 March and 31 March 2025*
NATIONAL SELECTION AND ANNOUNCEMENT FINALISTS FRANCE: Beginning of April 2025*
FRANCE FINAL: From 27 April to 01 May 2025* in Martinique
*These dates are subject to change.
Article 4 Theme
Theme 2025: ‘THE ANNIVERSARY: CELEBRATE AN EVENT THAT HAS MARKED YOU OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS’.
Each candidate must propose 2 different cocktail recipes related to this theme.
For each recipe, the candidate will have to explain which festive and positive event has marked him or her over the last 10 years and how he or she has conveyed this through his or her cocktails.
To do this, the candidate can, for example, draw inspiration from :
A personal event: wedding, birth, etc.
A professional event: the opening of a bar, a new career move, etc.
An event linked to their city or country: the 2024 Olympic Games, the reopening of Notre-Dame, etc.
Article 5 – Registration
In order to participate, the applicant must accept these rules as well as the waiver and assignment of intellectual property rights clause. Without this, registration will not be validated.
TIMING
Registrations will be open between Monday 03 March 2025 and Monday 31 March 2025 at midnight*.
Candidates must log on to the www.thebartenderssociety.com website and complete the online registration form.
THEME 2025
Each candidate must propose 2 cocktail recipes inspired by the theme: ‘THE ANNIVERSARY: CELEBRATE AN EVENT THAT HAS MARKED YOU OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS’ (see article 4).
INSTRUCTIONS
2 scenarios are possible for the recipes proposed:
1 cocktail with alcohol + 1 cocktail without alcohol
OR
1 cocktail with alcohol + 1 low-alcohol cocktail
Each candidate must also use products from each of the competition’s partner brands: Marie Brizard, Caraïbos and Saint James.
The list of products that candidates may use is annexed to these rules.
Low alcohol is defined here as the exclusive use of products whose initial alcohol content (before dilution by the candidate) is less than or equal to 20°.
OPTION 1: WITH ALCOHOL AND WITHOUT ALCOHOL – minimum uses :
Cocktail with alcohol: 3cl Saint James rum + 2cl Marie Brizard liqueur or cream (optional: use of Caraïbos juice)
Non-alcoholic cocktail: 6cl Caraïbos juice
OPTION 2: WITH ALCOHOL AND LOW ALCOHOL – minimum uses :
Cocktail with alcohol: 3cl of Saint James rum (optional: use of Marie Brizard liqueur or cream and/or Caraïbos juice)
Low-alcohol cocktail: 3cl Marie Brizard liqueur or cream (optional: use Caraïbos juice)
In addition, 4cl of Caraïbos juice must be used in at least one of the 2 recipes.
Please note:
For each brand, the full range that candidates can use is available here: List of authorised references for The Bartenders Society competition.
The use of several references of the same brand is authorised.
Cocktails must not contain any brand of rum, juice or cream/liquor other than Saint James, Caraïbos and Marie Brizard.
Cocktails that include ‘homemade’ ingredients are accepted if a complete recipe is provided at the time of registration.
The name of the reference used must be clearly specified in the recipe proposed by the participant, as well as the centilitre. Examples: 4cl Saint James Blanc 40°, 3cl Caraïbos strawberry juice and 3cl Caraïbos lime juice, 3cl Marie Brizard Anisette liqueur.
Candidates must accompany each recipe with :
a written description explaining their inspiration and the link with the theme
a photograph highlighting each creation in a high quality environment (between 1 and 5 MB per photo)*.
a personal photograph in portrait format (between 1 and 2 MB). (used to present the finalists on The Bartenders Society’s social networks)
* Candidates must submit only images and recipes that are the result of their own work, avoiding any possible infringement, unfair competition or inappropriate use of a recipe or other.
All participants must comply with law no. 91-32 of 10 January 1991, known as the ‘Evin law’, with regard to the names of cocktails, photos of cocktails and speaking engagements throughout the competition. In the event of non-compliance with the Evin law, the Organising Company reserves the unilateral right to cancel the participant’s application, without the participant having any right of recourse against the Organiser.
After submitting an application, the Organiser will check the compliance of the entry and then send each entrant an e-mail confirming that his/her entry has been accepted for the competition (e-mail address provided in the registration form). Any application that is incomplete or does not comply with the provisions of these rules will be cancelled without the Organiser being held liable.
The Organiser reserves the right to carry out any useful checks on the identity of participants, in particular to verify the accuracy of the information provided in the registration form.
Once the two cocktails have been submitted, candidates must keep their recipes secret until the final in mainland France, failing which they will be disqualified.
Article 6 – Digital Masterclass
A digital masterclass will be organised. During this masterclass, the Organiser will set up a session to explain the theme.
The Saint James, Marie Brizard and Caraïbos brands will also be promoted.
Article 7 – Selection of finalists, FRANCE final
At the end of the registration period, a panel of professionals will draw up a list of ten French finalists.
This selection will take place within two weeks of the closing date for entries. Selection criteria :
30%: Creativity, Compliance with theme and instructions, Explanation of inspiration
30%: Promotion of the Saint James, Caraïbos and Marie Brizard brands
20%: Combination of ingredients, balance of tastes in the cocktail
20%: Visual of the cocktail and setting in scene
Creations with, low or no alcohol will be judged in the same way.
The French finalists will be contacted following this selection. The names of the finalists will be published on social networks.
Article 8 – Coaching of finalists by former winners
As part of the preparation for the final in mainland France, which will take place in Martinique at the end of April, the former winners of the French finals in the 9 previous editions of the competition will visit the 10 finalists during the month of April.
Each finalist will be visited by one of the former winners who is geographically closest to them.
The aim of this meeting is to test the finalists’ two cocktail creations and advise them on how to rectify or improve their recipes before they are presented to the jury at the French final, which will take place in Martinique at the end of April .
The finalists must be available to welcome the former winner from their region and take an active part in this testing and advice session.
The finalists will have to make the bar where they work available for this meeting, to enable the former winners to test their creations in a professional environment.
Transport costs for the visit of the former winners will be covered by the Organiser, so that each finalist can benefit from this support at no extra cost.
This stage is crucial for refining the participants’ creations and optimising their chances of success in the final.
Article 9 – French final and prizes
The 10 finalists selected will take part in the French final, which will be held in Martinique from 27 April to 01 May 2025. The exact venue, programme and details of the competition will be announced at a later date.
During the competition, the finalists will have to recreate their cocktail creations in front of a panel of expert mixology judges. Each finalist will have 5 (five) minutes of set-up time and 8 (eight) minutes of presentation time to prepare 2 (two) glasses of each creation. If the time limit is exceeded, a penalty of 10% (ten per cent) will be applied.
Candidates selected for the Final France phase of the competition must bring their own glasses or containers, of which there will be 2 (two) for each creation.
All the ingredients required to make the cocktail and soft cocktail must be brought by the candidate to the Final in sufficient quantity to make 2 cocktails of each, with the exception of the Caraïbos juices, Rhums Saint James and Marie Brizard liqueurs/creams supplied by the Organiser.
Judging will be based on the following criteria:
20%: Respect for the theme: THE ANNIVERSARY
20%: Taste, balance and creativity
15%: Storytelling, presentation of recipes
20%: Promotion of the Saint James, Caraïbos and Marie Brizard brands
15%: Visual aspect of the cocktail
10%: Respect for timing
The cleanliness of the workstation will be taken into account in the scoring.
The candidate with the highest score will become the WINNER FRANCE.
The French winner and his/her cocktails will be promoted by the Organiser in the French media for 1 (one) year (press, digital, press relations). In exchange, the French winner will become an ambassador for ‘The Bartenders Society’ in France. They undertake to promote their cocktail and will take part in promoting the competition (meeting, Masterclass, etc.) for the next edition. The French winner agrees to lend his or her image to SVS LM.
Furthermore, at the end of the French final, the French winner with the highest score will be selected to take part in the international final, which will take place on 01 July 2025 in Martinique*.
*This date is subject to change.
Article 10 – Living expenses
During the France 2025 Final, the organising company will organise and pay for :
meals (from Sunday evening to Wednesday lunchtime). The candidate must inform the Organiser of any food intolerances/allergies.
Hotel accommodation (from Sunday to Wednesday)
Transport costs. This includes return travel between mainland France and Martinique as well as transport from the candidate’s location to the airport.
Transport costs not advanced by the Organiser may be reimbursed by the Organiser on presentation of supporting documents, up to a maximum of €50 (fifty euros) per candidate. The supporting documents in the form of an invoice must be sent before 01/16/2025 [date to be changed please].
Any extras and/or additional people will be charged to the candidates.
Article 11: INTERNATIONAL FINALS
The international final of The Bartenders Society 2025 will be held in Martinique in July 2025.
*This date is subject to change.
It will bring together the champions of the 18 participating countries:
Metropolitan France
Belgium
Italy
Switzerland
Spain
Greece
Canada
Taiwan
United Kingdom
Germany
United States of America
Japan
Ivory Coast
Portugal
Denmark
Israel
Poland
Martinique (separate competition from mainland France)
*The list of countries is subject to change.
The venue, date of the international final and details of the events will be announced at a later date.
Article 12 – Waiver of intellectual property rights
WAIVER AND ASSIGNMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS TO SVS LA MARTINIQUAISE
All the recipes, names and photographs of the cocktails and soft cocktails created as part of the competition by the candidates remain the property of the Organiser.
The Organiser reserves the right to change the name of the cocktail if it is deemed inappropriate, not in compliance with the Evin law and not in keeping with the image of the SAINT JAMES, MARIE BRIZARD and CARAÏBOS brands. No prior agreement will be requested.
‘I understand that all the photographs of the cocktails I present in the competition, the portrait, the signature, the recipe and the sources of inspiration may be used by the Organiser to produce its creative material and that they may also be used in the targeted media for marketing purposes, all without my prior agreement. This agreement applies to all media, worldwide and for the duration of the intellectual property rights. I hereby waive any rights I may have’.
Article 13 – Intellectual property
In accordance with the provisions of the French Intellectual Property Code, the reproduction, representation or use of all or part of the elements making up this competition or present on the Organiser’s sites (distinctive signs, copyright, drawings and models, etc.) are strictly prohibited and are protected by the rules of the said Code.
Article 14: Liability
The Organiser may not be held responsible for any malfunctions resulting in failures in the administration, security, fairness, integrity or management of this competition. In particular, the Organiser may not be held liable for any errors, omissions, interruptions or loss of any data as a result.
Article 15: Personal data
By adhering to the rules of the contest, the participant agrees that SVS La Martiniquaise, as the controller, has access to his data to take into account his participation. This personal data will be used exclusively by SVS La Martiniquaise for the processing and management of this competition and will be kept for the time necessary to achieve the objective pursued, i.e. for a period of 24 (twenty-four) months, unless otherwise stipulated by law.
Participants have the right to access, modify, oppose and delete their personal data. To exercise these rights, the participant must send a letter specifying his/her request to SVS La Martiniquaise, M. le DPO, 18 rue de l’entrepôt 94220 Charenton-le-Pont or an e-mail to dpo@la-martiniquaise.fr. All requests must be accompanied by proof of identity (identity card, passport or driving licence).
Any participant who provides the Organiser with false or erroneous contact details when registering for this competition will be excluded from the competition with no possibility of recourse whatsoever.
Article 16 : Attribution de compétence
Les participants admettent sans réserve que le simple fait de participer à ce concours les soumet obligatoirement aux lois françaises, notamment pour tout litige qui viendrait à naître du fait du concours objet des présentes ou qui serait directement ou indirectement lié à celui-ci, ce sans préjudice des éventuelles règles de conflits de lois pouvant exister. Les participants sont donc soumis à la réglementation française applicable aux jeux et concours. Tout litige qui ne pourra être réglé à l’amiable, sera soumis à la compétence exclusive du Tribunal de commerce de Créteil, y compris pour les procédures d’urgence ou les procédures conservatoires, en référé ou par requête et ce, même en cas de pluralité de défendeurs, de demande incidente ou d’appel en garantie.