London beat New York, Paris and Singapore to be crowned the winners of 24-hour bar build competition

Winners: Team London were rewarded for their effort with flights to New Orleans

Laura Proto12 October 2015

A team of London cocktail lovers beat rivals in some of the world’s biggest cities to build and design a bar in less than 24 hours.

With New York City, Paris and Singapore each representing a different drinks brand, London flew the flag for Patron Tequila as they embarked on a mission to create a bar that captured the spirit of the capital city.

The creation of the bar, at N&C Showrooms in Shoreditch High Street, culminated London Cocktail Week, which ran from October 5 to 11.

Filling the Mexican-themed bar with Patron-based cocktails, distressed walls and cacti, London was crowned the winner after a tense competition.

The teams were judged on their bar aesthetic, drink quality and invention. Winning team members were rewarded with flights to next year’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans - the world's biggest cocktail festival.

Team leader Richard Woods, who works as head of cocktail development at Duck and Waffle in Liverpool Street, said: “It's amazing and a relief.

“Ultimately we're the best cocktail city in the world - we were given a brief and we delivered. The best bar won.”

During London Cocktail Week, more than 40 venues in Soho and Old Spitalfields Market welcomed cocktail lovers and those wanting to try a new tipple.