A WORLD-CLASS bartender from Wales says it is a “very huge achievement” to finish in the top 10 at an international cocktail-making contest.

Laura Brady, from Adfa, was the only female bartender to reach the top 10 at the World Class Global Bartender of the Year finals where she represented the Netherlands, her home for the past four years.

The 26-year-old was among 50 finalists competing at the first-ever virtual version of the finals last week but missed out on the top spot to James Grant from Canada.

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Speaking after the competition, Laura said: “I was the only female bartender to make the top 10 so that makes me the World Class Best Female Bartender in the world 2021.”

She added: “So a very huge achievement!”

Rather than making cocktails in person, finalists presented their cocktails remotely to a panel of judges based in London, with the help of ‘avatar’ assistants who will mix the drinks on their behalf on site.

Laura impressed the judges with lip balms tinted with pigments from rhubarb that she used to flavour some of her cocktails.

Aside from her bar role at The Duchess in Amsterdam, Laura is working hard with her start-up company called Groovy Fluids Lab which she co-owns.