Felice Capasso of the bar Nedre Løkka in Oslo, Norway takes home the crown at Diageo World Class 2025 in Toronto, Canada.
Diageo World Class
Bartending competitions are in no short supply these days. But one annual gathering stands tall above the rest. Diageo World Class is the only such event conceived and organized by the world’s largest spirits company. Every year since 2009, it has brought together some of the industry’s best and brightest to a different international drinks destination, whittling down scores of candidates to ultimately arrive at just one: “the World Class Global Bartender of the Year.”
This year that title belongs to Felice Capasso, the man behind the stick at Nedre Løkka in Oslo, Norway. He bested competitors from 51 different nations last week in Toronto, returning home to Scandinavia with the coveted prize. It’s safe to say that his career will never be the same again.
Beyond mere bragging rights, Capasso gets to enjoy a continuing partnership with Diageo, which includes paid travel to key cocktail markets across the world. On his travels he’ll be given the opportunity to guest bartend at venerated venues, lead trainings and host marquee events. He’ll also be tapped to lead mentorships throughout the next 12 months, culminating in a hosted trip to next year’s global finals, taking place in Dubai.
“Winning World Class is not just a dream come true. It is a goal I have worked tirelessly to achieve,” Capasso said in a press release. “By winning I know that I am taking on a responsibility which I plan to take seriously, promoting education in spirits and inspiring other bartenders who want to progress in the industry.”
To earn the honor, the charismatic drinks maker – originally from Naples, Italy – had to show off his bonafides in no less than seven skills tests over a three day period. Each of them focused on one of Diageo’s signature spirit brands. During the Johnnie Walker Black Label challenge, for example, Capasso was tasked with reinventing a classic in a new light. He used the prominent Scotch blend as base for a heftier variant of the French 75.
A multi-sensory challenge involving single malt from The Singleton required the construction of a custom record sleeve inspired by the classic tune, That’s Amore. Judges were impressed by the way in which Capasso simultaneously incorporated his cultural heritage and penchant for warm, engaging hospitality into both sound and taste.
And winning over these judges was no easy task. It included an impressive panel comprised of some of the top bar talent on the planet today. Among them: Ago Perrone, head bartender at the Connaught Bar in London; Eric Van Beek of Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City – the top venue at last year’s World’s 50 Best Bar awards; Moniga Berg, co-owner of Tayēr + Elementary, and Erik Lorincz of Kwānt fame (himself a World Class Winner in 2010).
Some of the world’s best bartenders convened in Toronto in early October 2025 to compete and judge at Diageo World Class
Diageo World Class
Ultimately they were looking for something far greater than the sum of ingredients in a shaker or coupe. Assembling a worthwhile cocktail is just the beginning. These award-winning craftspeople are experts in hospitality, an art form that’s as much about rapport and relationships as it is about flavor and presentation.
“Sure, in a drink I’m always looking for balance–is it tasty,” says Eric Van Beek. “But for someone to win this competition I want a person who exudes authenticity. Are you acting this way because you think I want to see you this way? Or because you are really this way. It is easy to poke through that and get a sense of who they are. With each challenge you have six minutes with each competitor and it is their responsibility to put a smile on your face.”
You have to be able to do all of this in front of boisterous crowd, under significant pressure. A reality that culminated during the competition’s final showdown. Here, at the foot of a Gothic Revival castle overlooking the Toronto skyline, Capasso, along with two other finalists were required to build six cocktails in just six minutes. None had more than sixty seconds of advanced prep-time. They did so on a stage, under spotlight, watched by hundreds of their peers.
And the numerology above was no coincidence. The challenge, titled The Six, referred to the host city’s nickname – as immortalized by Drake, one of its most famous residents. It turns out, very little is left to chance when it comes to preparing and running the world’s largest bartender competition.
“Planning an event like World Class is full time, full year,” explains Kevin Delaney, the global head of World Class. “We actually take more than a year to plan it. We’ve already started working on next year’s [in Dubai]. We work really closely with markets to collect pitches. A lot of cities actually pitch to us and they have to respond to criteria such as what they’re going to do to support it, what does the landscape look like in the city. We’re looking not just for where we can execute the best quality event, but equally, where can we have the biggest impact on cocktail culture.”
Tempting as it might be each year to hold a preeminent event such as this in a place like New York, Singapore or London, Delaney and his team are more interested in the up-and-coming markets.
“I think that’s driven our decision the last few years in places like Sao Paolo, Shanghai and now Toronto,” he adds. “Toronto has unbelievable hospitality and F+B credentials but it has probably suffered from being so close to New York in terms of the global spotlight. So we really wanted to come and shine a light on that. We’re all about giving people a platform, whether that’s the competitors or where the competition goes.”
To date, the World Class program has welcomed some 450,000 bartenders into its ranks. And amidst this crowded field, teeming with talent, there’s no grander stage than the one ascended by Felice Capasso this past Thursday in Toronto.
Felice Capasso presents for judges at one of the challenges at this year’s Diageo World Class
Diageo World Class
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