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Mirror Hospitality Expo 2023 is taking place in Bratislava & this weekend will bring the best bartenders and great food
From Friday, May 19, Bratislava and its surroundings will host the unique gastronomic festival Mirror Hospitality Expo 2023, which will present world-class names in bartending, cooking and sommelier art. Experienced professionals, who represent us abroad, will come to Slovakia and at the same time, world experts will present their skills and prepare unforgettable experiences for our guests.
Taste dishes from fantastic chefs
The programme will start in the morning on Friday, May 19. High school students will have the opportunity to learn more about bartending, cooking and sommelier experiences. They will also have the chance to see ten best students from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Austria, who will compete in front of professionals at the first ever international bartending competition in our country. "This way, we want to increase interest and attractiveness of work in the sector, which nowadays suffers from a lack of quality people," says Peter Marcina from the Mirror bar of the Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, which organizes the event.
From midday, visitors can enjoy a live cooking show, during which top Slovak and foreign chefs will present their skills. One of the most famous Slovak chefs, Martin Záhumenský, who is a co-organizer of the event, will star in the cooking show. In 2015, Martin won the prestigious UK Game Chef of the Year award, making his mark on the London gastro scene as the only foreigner in history. He also studied at the University of West London, where he gained a lot of knowledge and experience, which he further improved especially in Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant and in Michelin-starred restaurants. Marco Pierre White, the world-famous chef, who at the age of 33 became the first British chef with three Michelin stars, will perform with Martin in the cooking show as well.
Moreover, other chefs will present their skills during this part of the programme. Thanks to Martin Novák and Peter Brach, visitors will taste Austro-Hungarian cuisine, and thanks to Daniel Tilinger and Jozef Brez, they will have the opportunity to taste the innovations of Slovak cuisine. Our modern kitchen will be demonstrated by Lukáš Hesko and Peter Slačka. The duo Gabriel Kocák and Michal Konrád will experiment and show what fusion Slovak dishes look like.
World-famous Slovaks and foreign guests behind the bar
The most famous world names will visit Bratislava's bars during five days of the gastronomic festival Mirror Hospitality Expo 2023. Among them will be also Ismael Martínez "Pollo", a Mexican bartender who is currently the head bartender at Hanky Panky. The Hanky Panky bar is currently in 13th place in the ranking of the best bars in the world. Along with Ismael, his right-hand man, David Negrete Lopez, also from Mexico, will perform at the festival. Another world-famous name will be Joe Schofield from Manchester, who have been awarded one of the most prestigious awards an individual can receive in this industry - International Bartender at the Tales of The Cocktail Spirited Awards competition. Shortly after, he received the equally prestigious title, Bartender's Bartender at The World's 50 Best Bars 2018. He is the first person in history to win both awards. Visitors can also enjoy drinks prepared by Cesár Montilla. He was born in Venezuela, but his professional career began in Europe. Now he works as a manager in the beautiful Catalan bar Dr. Stravinsky. Cesár also participated in the project Dr. Bartender that focuses on those who want to become real professionals in the world of bartending.
Vítězslav Cirok, a successful bartender, will come from the neighboring Czech Republic. He has worked his way up to the Czech bartending elite with his talent, hard work and perseverance. Another guest from Hungary is Zoltán Nagy from Budapest's Boutiq`Bar, which he founded in 2008. Zoltán is a member of various competitions, such as the Tales of Cocktail Committee, and a member of the World's 50 Best Bars jury. He is also the co-author of two cocktail books in Hungary and runs several seminars and master classes around the world. Poland will be represented by Alicja Baczyk, who manages a bar in Krakow recently ranked among the 50 best bars in the world. Last year, she even won the Polish round of the Diageo World Class competition as the first female bartender.
We cannot forget about our Slovak guests, who work at home or are successful abroad. A legend among Slovak bars is the Záhir bar in Nitra, which is run by Ľuboš Rácz, one of the leading personalities of the Slovak bartending industry. In the past, establishments under his leadership won several awards, and Ľuboš also received an award for lifelong contribution to the development of bartending culture in Slovakia. Today he runs his own bartending school. Our next guest Maroš Potůček, who works in London at the Termini bar, also worked under his leadership. Martin Hudák will come from Australia, where he works in Sydney. Thanks to the Maybe Sammy concept, he received the Best New International Cocktail Bar 2019 award and the best Australian bar award. Three years ago, his bar won the 11th place among the 50 best bars in the world.
Rich programme for our visitors
During the whole weekend, everyone who buys a ticket can participate in a series of educational lectures, masterclasses, and guest shifts in more than 15 participating bars and restaurants in Bratislava and its wider surroundings. Their list can be found on the gastronomic map, which is part of the festival. Special guests will prepare unforgettable experiences for the visitors and involve them directly in the action on the spot. There will be tastings and interactive experiences. On Sunday, May 21, they can listen to the stories of successful Slovaks on the live talk show Slovaks abroad.
"I am very excited that my podcast Slovaks abroad will be live, and that Slovak bartending personalities from Sydney, Oslo, London and Berlin will meet on one stage in this "hospitality edition". I know their work very well. They all represent Slovakia at the highest level with humbleness and hard work. I believe that they will be an inspiration not only for the professional public, but also for all the visitors," says Oli Džupinková from Radio Expres, who will host the talk show.
The Mirror Hospitality Expo will culminate on Tuesday evening, when the Slovak round of the world-famous Diageo World Class bartending competition will take place. World Class is the recognized beverage industry authority that consumers turn to for information on the latest drinks, trends, cocktail recipes and industry insights. The winner of the Slovak round will represent us at the world finals. During the evening, Adrián Michalčík, the current holder of the title of the best bartender in the world, will also perform.
You get so much more with a ticket
The Mirror Hospitality Expo 2023 festival has two parts. In front of the Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel on Hviezdoslav Square, visitors can use the offer of gastronomic establishments for free. They can also visit cooperating bars and restaurant throughout the city. However, anyone who purchases a ticket for either a single day or the entire event will receive several benefits.
"In addition to a special menu under favourable conditions in partner bars and restaurants, ticket holders can participate in seminars, masterclasses and talk shows. As these activities will take place in closed spaces with limited capacity, we recommend registering for the events via the website," recommends Peter Marcina. Visitors can find the full programme with reservation forms, as well as information for individual guests and the possibility to purchase tickets on the official website or on the event profile on the Instagram social network.
