Cocktail competition season is in full swing, and it’s exciting to see so many B.C. bartenders competing both on the local and world stage.

After Royal Dinette’s Kaitlyn Stewart won Diageo World Class in 2017, all eyes are on the global competition whose winner is considered best bartender in the world. The 2018 round kicked off in January, with regional challenges being held in March and the Canadian finals scheduled for May 7 to 10. Good luck to all who dare enter.

Meanwhile, congrats to the Granville Room’s Bonnie Stewart who won the Speed Rack Vancouver competition on February 25 with a lightning-fast time of 54 seconds, no penalties.

And earlier this year, Vij’s bartender Olivia Povarchook made it to the semi-finals of the prestigious 2018 Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition with her update on the classic Cuba Libre called the Original Sin. While she didn’t make it to the finals—representing Canada on May 1 in Mexico City is Sabrina Mailhot of Montreal—Povarchook’s drink still is cause for celebration.