The event, which is the third edition, serves as the first official activity on the road to the main awards, brought together a dynamic group of bartenders, mixologists, and beverage enthusiasts to sharpen their professional skills.

In her opening remarks, Emma Wenani, the Chief Director of Global Media Alliance, the brain behind the Ghana Beverage Awards, shared with attendees that the journey of the Ghana Beverage Awards has been nothing short of improvement, excellence and growth. She reiterated that the existence of the Ghana Beverage Awards is to recognize celebrate and promote excellence  an industry that has been neglected for years.

“It is amazing that we are actually on year 10. It is also wonderful to see how we have grown as an award scheme. Some of these activities have been growing in scale over the years. The Ghana Beverage Awards was created for three reasons; One, we wanted to recognize an industry that we felt was neglected for a long time though it is an industry that actually keeps us company throughout the day. Secondly, we wanted to be able to have ensure that there was a standard of excellent being advocated for in the industry. We do know that the beverage industry is doing a lot and therefore we want to put a spotlight to certain companies that we believe are doing so much for the industry. Thirdly, we want to position Ghana as a hub in the West African Market for beverages to reach the rest of the world”.

According to her, the addition of the Bartenders Masterclass as part of the roadmap to the main Ghana Beverage Awards night is to empower bartenders to position themselves and create a name and brand for themselves in an industry that has a lot of value chain. She further urged both upcoming and the expert bartenders to equip themselves with the knowledge that was shared during the event and be relevant in the ever-competitive beverage industry.

“What we want to do with this Masterclass is to equip the bartenders with how they can position themselves in an industry that is so competitive. There are so many bartenders, both experts and upcoming and want to create a name for themselves. This is an opportunity for us to come together to learn and have the expert skills on our CVs as both upcoming and expert Bartenders”

Leading the Masterclass Eli Yong, a renowned Brand Ambassador and Mixologist with Jack Daniels and Marina Distribution, guided participants through practical and experiential sessions focused on enhancing both technical and interpersonal competencies behind the bar. He took participants through series of topics on behind the bar conversations, professional growth and customer loyalty.

Through live demonstrations, storytelling, and interactive discussions, participants gained valuable insights into how bartending extends beyond drink preparation to becoming a central element of hospitality experience design.

The collaboration between the Ghana Beverage Awards, Ghana Bartenders Guild, Jack Daniel’s, and No. 19 Restaurant and Bar reflects a shared commitment to elevating service standards and empowering industry practitioners with globally relevant skills.

The Bartenders Masterclass forms part of the Ghana Beverage Awards’ wider agenda to support knowledge exchange, professional training, and industry dialogue ahead of the main awards activities.

By creating platforms that promote learning, networking, and innovation, the GBA continues to position itself as a catalyst for growth within Ghana’s beverage and hospitality sectors.