COCKTAIL shakers at the ready – bartenders are to battle it out to prove who serves the best drink in town. Six ‘mixologists’ will take part in the Huddersfield Bartender of the Year competition on April 10 at Varsity.

They are: Danny Shaw from Revolution, Sammie Barnes from Yates’, Martin Dixon from The Cotton Factory, Justin Rockett from Flying Circus and bartenders from Varsity and Isaacs.

Customers to the bar will be greeted by exotic fire jugglers and enjoy entertainment from a comedian and live band, sponsored by Creative North.

Then each bartender will be asked to make a cocktail using vodka shot from event sponsor Corky’s. They will each create their own unique recipe and submit it before the event.

Their cocktails will be judged by a four-strong panel who will examine the innovation, flair, taste and personality of each drink.

Each bartender will make 15 of their cocktails to be sold off on a first-come first-served basis to the customers.

The proceeds of the drink sales and a raffle to be held at the event will go to the Laura Crane Trust, a Huddersfield charity which funds research into cancers affecting young people.

The contest has been organised by three students who are in their final year of a marketing degree at Huddersfield University.

Liz Matania, Chris Walker and Alina Nowakowska had to organise an event as part of their course and chose to arrange something which would benefit students as well as a local charity.

Liz said: “Chris works in a bar and Alina and I like going to bars, so we thought we’d do something like this. It’s different, there’s not anything else like it in Huddersfield. We also wanted to do something that would target students.”

There are seven other groups from the business school organising events, all in aid of the Laura Crane Trust. In total, it is hoped £8,000 can be raised for the charity.

The competition starts from 7pm and runs until around 9.30pm.

So if you fancy watching Huddersfield’s best bartenders wage war with their shakers, get down there!