With a variety of cocktail competitions on offer for bartenders to participate in, focusing on technique, speed and theatrics, Franklin & Sons’ Flavour in Motion offers a refreshing alternative – a celebration of storytelling and personal evolution behind the bar.
Now in its second year, this competition has swiftly cemented itself as a standout occasion in the UK hospitality calendar, not only for the innovative drinks created, but for the stories they tell.
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Flavour in Motion challenges bartenders to revisit the first cocktail they ever mastered, and reimagine the serve using the skills, ingredients, and experiences they’ve gathered since. It’s a format that brings emotion and narrative to the glass, empowering bartenders to reflect on how far they’ve come.
Launched in 2024, the competition returned this year with even more ambition and creativity on display. Over 40 bartenders entered the 2025 edition, with four regional heats held across the UK in June. Ten finalists were chosen to compete at the grand final at Equal Parts in Hackney on 15 July in front of a panel of respected industry judges.
Alessandro Todini of London’s Three Sheets was crowned as the 2025 winner and recipient of a £2,500 prize fund towards his career development and exemplified everything this competition stands for. His winning serve, Strawberries & Cream, is a sophisticated twist on the Aperol Spritz, the very first cocktail he learned to make during his earliest bartending job in Covent Garden.
Judges were captivated not only by the drink’s balance and texture, but by Alessandro’s storytelling. “Being Italian, everyone assumed I could make an Aperol Spritz from day one,” Alessandro laughed after the event. “The idea was to make the Aperol more recognisable and refreshing by pairing it with Franklin & Sons Rhubarb Lemonade, and to bring in that Wimbledon-inspired strawberries and cream flavour.”
To complete the drinking experience, the cocktail was accompanied by an inventive strawberries and cream ice cream made from surplus ingredients. “Sustainability is really important to me,” Alessandro commented. “I loved being able to turn leftover ingredients into a delicious ice cream.”
Flavour in Motion aims to showcase bartenders not just as mixologists, but as evolving professionals with rich personal narratives. For many, it becomes a full-circle moment, revisiting the drinks that marked the start of their careers with the refinement that only experience can bring.
Elyse Von Ruinn, bartender and winner of Flavour in Motion 2024 returned this year as a judge. Her perspective, as someone who had gone through the emotional and technical challenges of the competition, added depth to the judging panel.
“Judging this year was such a humbling experience,” Elyse said. “This competition isn’t just about cocktails, it’s about people and how far they’ve come. Watching the finalists step it up and own their stories was so affirming, not just for them, but for me too as a bartender.”
Founded in 1886, Franklin & Sons has a long-standing reputation for crafting premium sodas, tonics, and mixers using only natural ingredients and bold, balanced flavours. But beyond its product range, the brand has been steadily building a reputation as a champion of the on-trade and bartending talent.
“Bartenders are constantly evolving,” said Pete Thornton, Senior Brand Manager at Franklin & Sons. “They pick up new techniques, refine their palates, and develop their own unique perspectives on flavour. We wanted to create a platform that reflected that progression, and more importantly, celebrated it.”
The competition runners-up were Scott Stevenson from Ga Ga Kitchen & Bar in Glasgow and Meg de Bell from Below Stairs in Leeds, who received £500 and £250 respectively to support their continued development in the trade.
Flavour in Motion also aims to foster a sense of community, with many bartenders moving from venue to venue, the competition aims to remind them of their personal journeys.
