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The Gra'it Challenge - 7 Top US Bartenders to Travel to Italy

The 7 winners

A care Affair by Giorgia Crea

Franky Marshall creating her Gra'it cocktail: Full Circle

World's first barteding competition to feature a grappa brand, Gra'it grappa, announces the 7 winners. They will travel to Italy for 10 days

MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA, June 30, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- (MIAMI, FLORIDA) JUNE 30, 2017 - The winners of The Gra'it Challenge, the world's first bartending competition to feature a grappa brand, Gra'it Grappa, have been announced. They are Hector Acevedo (Cocktail Cartel – FL), Giorgia Crea (Zucca – Coral Gables – FL), Ms. Franky Marshall – Le Boudoir – New York - NY), Meredith Barry (Vol. 39 – Chicago – IL), Will Benedetto (Blind Barber – Brooklyn – NY), Ryan Wainwright (The Ponte – Los Angeles – CA), David Bonatesta (The Nomad Bar – New York – NY). They competed against 8 other finalists to win a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Italy as the guests of Gra'it's producer, Distillerie Bonollo Umberto Spa.

The Grand Finale of the Gra’it Challenge was held on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at Byblos Miami (FL). All finalists prepared original Gra'it Grappa cocktails live in front of five world class judges: Julie Reiner, Ben Potts, Camper English, Fabio Raffaelli and Cesar Diaz.

Julie Reiner, partner of the famous Leyenda cocktail bar in Brooklyn, NY, stated, "I’ve been involved in The Gra’it Challenge program since its inception last year and judging the Grand Finale was an exciting experience for me; Gra’it is a grappa like no other: the mixability and versatility of the juice are truly extraordinary and I believe the brand and the team behind it are doing something exceptional for the entire category; grappa in the US definitely needed a strong leader like Distillerie Bonollo Umberto to enhance the reputation of the entire category”

Luca Fabris, co-founder of Gra'it Grappa and President & CEO of DBU USA, Inc, the US-based subsidiary of Distillerie Bonollo Umberto Spa, which was opened in Miami in 2015 was extremely pleased with the outcomes of the Gra’it Challenge. He said, "This program was a bold decision and implied a big investment for a small brand like us. Now that is over, I can definitely state that it gave us and the brand incredible visibility and credibility towards all our business partners (distributors, trade, media and bartenders). We’re truly building something unique in an overlooked category!"

Prior to the Grand Finale in Miami, five regional rounds were held, beginning in December 2016 in Miami and then, in 2017, continuing to New York, Los Angeles, Austin and Chicago. Three winners were chosen in each city, resulting in fifteen finalists. Of the fifteen, seven winners were chosen to take part in the trip to Italy.

Gra'it is the first Italian grappa brand to be distilled specifically with mixed drinks use in mind. and the focus of The Gra'it Challenge was to both introduce Gra'it Grappa as a cocktail ingredient to the national bar and restaurant trade and, through pre-event master classes, to educate them about this traditional Italian spirit. Grappa has not heretofore been known as a liquor used in mixed drinks and, in this respect, Gra'it is both redefining and reinventing the category within the U.S. market.

For more information, please visit www.grait.it or follow Gra’it on social media @GraitGrappa

Luca Fabris
DBU USA Inc
+13059277169
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