Giffard West Cup – Sip the Moment

The international final was held on 29 and 30 September 2026 at Giffard's new production site in Saint-Léger-des-Bois, near Angers, France. Following national selections across 31 countries, bartenders representing 21 nations travelled to France for the final.

Founded by Maison Giffard in western France in 1997, the Giffard West Cup is an international cocktail competition bringing together bartenders and baristas from around the world.

Sip the Moments

The theme for the 29th edition was "Sip the Moments", with competitors challenged to present two connected cocktails: one inspired by a morning moment, the other by an evening occasion. Each serve capturing a distinct time of day while forming a cohesive narrative.

The two serves had to connect through flavour, story, or aesthetic, with each containing at least 30ml of a Giffard product. Competitors were judged on creativity, technique, storytelling and the overall coherence of their concept.

Judging panel

The judging panel comprised Raha Shahsavar, founder of Crack Coffee Roastery and UAE Roasting Champion; Taln Rojanavanich, founder of Messenger Bar Service and Bar Us; Daniel Pappa of Svanen; and Émilie Giffard, co-managing director of Giffard.

Giffard West Cup 2026 results

Kimchi Lai, representing Reka:Bar, Malaysia, took first place. Ketut Masdana of Indigo Hotel, Indonesia, finished second, while Liv Rosengren of Kyara, Spain, placed third.

Special awards were also presented to Shelly Chen of Gelato Bar Zeit in Taiwan, Rafal Kiciak of Art Katowice in Poland, Afonso Machado of Red Frog Speakeasy in Portugal, and Mike Dojcsak of Civil Liberties in Canada.

As Giffard West Cup 2026 champion, Lai wins a trip to Antigua, Guatemala, designed as an immersion in the region's coffee and cocktail cultures.

Lai's two winning cocktails were Grain Potential and You'll Be All Rice.

Grain Potential

30 ml Giffard Cassis Imperial Liqueur
60 ml Toasted glutinous rice cordial (homemade)
15 ml Haku Vodka
10 ml Dry Vermouth
120 ml Soda water

You'll Be All Rice

15 ml Giffard Rose Syrup
15 ml Giffard Coconut Syrup
15 ml Cardamom rice milk (homemade)
45 ml Sake
15 ml Vodka

All 19 Finalists

Enora Le Liboux, Shamrock, France
Liv Rosengren, Kyara, Spain
Matt Pangilinan, Triplo, Italy
Yiannis Vlahos, Cocktails Everywhere, Greece
Afonso Machado, Red Frog speakeasy, Portugal
Jure Herceg, Holographik.Space, Croati
Alex Woods, Farrands, England
Neo Zane, The Hoxton Hotel, Ireland
Rafal Kiciak, Art Katowice, Poland
Fabio Kaufmann, Contrast Bar, Germany
Kayla Dowell, Real Charmer, USA
Mike Dojcsak, Civil Liberties, Canada
Joshua Hendricks, Fable, South Africa
Alexander Lucas Lo Sinno, 20Hundra5, Sweden
Mathias Schäffer, Soan, Belgium
Kimchi Lai, Reka:Bar, Malaysia
Ketut Masdana, Indigo Hotel, Indonesia
Shelly Chen, Gelato Bar Zeit, Taïwan
Jaturong Kanteetan, Xim, Thailand