Great cocktails start with great stories, and the Better with Black Label Cocktail Competition challenged top bartenders to bring both to life. Across eight cities, competitors were invited to push the boundaries of what a Johnnie Walker Black Label cocktail can be by creating an original cocktail that showcased the versatility of the iconic 12-year-old blended Scotch through inventive flavors, techniques, and cocktail styles.
The competition extended beyond the glass. Rooted in Johnnie Walker’s “Keep Walking” ethos, which celebrates personal journeys of progress, competitors were tasked to share the story behind their cocktail and how it reflected their personal progress journey that shaped their craft. A panel of 21 industry leaders, including Adam Fournier, a Los Angeles-based bar director and former World Class U.S. winner; Kyler Nolan, bar manager at Death & Co. New York; and Calvin Marty, owner of Best Intentions in Chicago, selected winners in each city based not only on the originality and quality of their cocktails, but also on the stories they told. Every competitor received support from Johnnie Walker Ambassadors throughout the program, while nine winners earned a one-on-one mentorship experience with Johnnie Walker Master Blender Dr. Emma Walker.
Without further ado, let’s raise a glass to this year’s winners.
Tia Downey is a renowned bartender at Bowie House in Fort Worth, Texas. She was awarded Best Bartender/Mixologist in Fort Worth, TX by Fort Worth Magazine in 2021.
Winning Recipe: Midnight Mesa
1 ounce Johnnie Walker Black Label
1 ounce cacao liqueur, such as Tempus Fugit Cacao
1 ounce pistachio syrup
1 fresh double espresso
Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
Fine strain into a Martini glass, then garnish with crushed pistachios.
Gordon J. Bellaver has worked in hospitality for over 25 years. He has bartended at iconic Los Angles bars like The Varnish and Thunderbolt and now works at the Michelin-starred restaurant Kato. He’s also a co-owner of Penny Pound Ice.
Winning recipe: Coffee Walk
2 ounces Johnnie Walker Black Label
3/4 ounce coffee liqueur, such as Mr. Black
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce brown sugar syrup
2 1/2 ounces pineapple green tea (see below)
3 ounces coconut milk
6 drops saline solution
In a container, combine Johnnie Walker Black Label, coffee liqueur and saline solution.
In a separate container, combine brown sugar syrup, pineapple green tea and coconut milk.
Slowly add lemon juice to the milk/sugar/tea batch, pouring alongside the walls of the container to minimize agitation.
Slowly add whiskey and coffee liqueur mix to the batch.
Cover and let sit for at least 4 (and up to 12) hours.
Place a slotted hotel pan atop a standard hotel pan and line it with a cheese cloth.
Slowly pour the mix and let the cocktail drip.
Serve over a single large ice cube.
Pineapple Green Tea
Steep 30 grams of tropical green tea in 450 milliliters of boiling water for 5 minutes, then strain and weigh. Combine the tea with equal parts, by weight, of Perfect Puree Caramelized Pineapple.
Jordan Milano started out in this business working for his mother and currently works at Caveau in Boston. “10 years after my first shift, bartending has unlocked doors and taken me places I only dreamed of going,” he says.
Winning recipe: Resolve
1 1/2 ounces Johnnie Walker Black
3/4 ounce Charred Pineapple Drambuie (see Editor’s Note)
1/2 ounce Kiwi Dolin Blanco (see below)
3 dashes rhubarb bitters
2 ounces soda water
Kiwi Strawberry Coconut Foam (see below), to top
Add the first four ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
Strain into a glass, then top with soda water and foam.
Charred Pineapple Drambuie
1 cup Drambuie
2 cups charred pineapple
Combine all ingredients and place in the freezer overnight. Remove from the freezer and bring to room temperature before straining the pineapple out.
Kiwi Dolin Blanc
Combine 1 cup Dolin Blanc with 1 chopped kiwi in a container, then place in the freezer overnight. Remove from the freezer, then bring to room temperature before straining the kiwi out.
Kiwi Strawberry Coconut Foam
Add half of a kiwi, 1/4 cup dried strawberries, 1/4 cup toasted coconut chips, 3 ounces maple syrup and 1 cup of heavy cream to a blender and blend until incorporated. Strain the mixture through a sieve. Add into a whipped cream charge and whip. Chill it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Hannah Spear is a bartender at the Chicago bar Bisous. She describes bartending as a “puzzle,” working to make service efficient and organized.
Winning Recipe: In Bloom
1 1/2 ounces Johnnie Walker Black
1 ounce cranberry juice
1/2 ounces Apologue Aronia
¼ oz Liber & Co gum syrup
2 dashes Angostura
1 1/2 ounces water
Combine all ingredients and force carbonate to serve.
Gonzalo Ramos is a bartender and beverage consultant currently behind the bar at The Portrait Bar at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. He has more than 10 years of hospitality experience, and in 2026, he was named a Top 15 finalist in World Class US.
Winning recipe: I See John
1 orange Wedge
1 grapefruit Wedge
2 blackberries
1/2 ounce Demerara syrup (2:1)
3/4 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces Johnnie Walker Black Label
Garnish: half orange wheels, blackberry, mint Bbuquet
Muddle the fruit, syrup and lemon juice in a rocks glass.
Add the Johnnie Walker Black Label, then fill the glass halfway with pebble ice
and stir briefly to incorporate.
Top with pebble ice, forming a dome above the rim, and garnish.
Kai Lucas is a bartender at The Corner Store and The Eighty Six in New York. He has secured certifications from BAR 5-Day and the Cocktail Apprentice Program and pays that cocktail education forward by contributing to local industry initiatives.
Winning Recipe: DragonBall J
1 1/2 ounce Johnnie Walker Black Label
1/2 ounce Green Cordial (see below)
Garnish: dragonfruit ball
Stir all ingredients together, then force carbonate.
Serve in a highball glass over ice, then garnish.
Method: Stir and Force Carb
Green Cordial
Combine green apple, thyme, kiwi, 2 ounces white dragonfruit juice, 2 dashes coconut water saline solution (1:10, salt to coconut water, by weight.
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