The London Spirits Competition has worked in the last few years to build up the pedigree of its judges and to ensure they all have direct buying responsibilities and understand the disciplines by which certain spirits are chosen to go on drinks or cocktail lists or not.

Here are the latest announcements at the London Spirits Competition judging:

Diana Aladzic, Head Bartender at Soho House & Co  Joins London Spirits Competition Judging Panel

Diana Aladzic, Head Bartender at Soho House & Co 

Diana Aladzic born in Serbia started her hospitality journey by graduating from Budapest Business School with a BA in Hotel Management.

During her internship in the Canary Islands, she fell in love with bartending.

Searching for the best way to get into the industry, she embarked on a journey to Amsterdam to learn from the best at European Bartender School. From working in the speakeasy, The Butcher to Freddy’s Bar in Hotel De L’Europe, she continued her journey to London, creating memorable experiences and drinks for Soho House & Co.

Michele Lombardi, Head Mixologist at The Ritz London To Judge In London Spirits Competition

Head Mixologist at The Ritz London, Michele Lombardi will be judging in the 2023 London Spirits Competition.

Michele began his career making cocktails in the nightlife industry in his hometown. After some bartending courses, his passion for the job definitely took over. After some experience around the region of Puglia, Italy, he moved to Rome but the dream was London which is “the Mecca” for every bartender who loves this job. Thanks to one of his old friends and colleague Nicola Paterno (Head Bartender in one of the coolest bars in Singapore), he had the opportunity to start as bar supervisor for Dirty Martini. After that, he joined Aqua Shard and City Social, which really took his skill to the next level. Now, Michele creates amazing cocktail concoctions for the Ritz Hotel.

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‘I always take inspiration from classic cocktails, they’re my bible and I’m really a classic cocktail lover. I start from there and I like to play around with merging our contemporary techniques to create something new and unique