MIAMI, June 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Dominic Laverty of Princess Cruises has been crowned best bartender at the DIAGEO AMERICAS GLOBAL TRAVEL TEAM (GTME) WORLD CLASS final held last night in Miami.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130607/618763-a )

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130607/618763-b )

Following the creation of a new Diageo GTME cruise line partnership for 2013, the GTME final featured the best bartending talent from Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line. Dominic and his fellow competitors were tested on their bartending knowledge, skill and showmanship. Dominic truly impressed judges with his signature cocktail.

Dominic will go on to compete against the world's best bartenders from over 50 countries at the Global Final on 4^th-9^th July.  The final will be held aboard a boutique cruise ship^[1] in the Mediterranean, where Dominic will be vying for the title of Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year.

Dominic Laverty commented: "I'm excited to have been selected to take part in the grand final of one of the world's most prestigious mixology competitions. WORLD CLASS is taking on-board bartending to a whole new level and to represent the cruise line sector and Diageo GTME at the grand final is a dream."

Peter Tobler, Vice President, Food and Beverage Operations, Princess Cruises noted: "We are really proud that a key member of our beverage team, Dominic, has been selected and will be representing Princess Cruises in such a prestigious mixology competition and we wish him the best of luck in the final competition this July." He continued: "Thanks to our WORLD CLASS partnership with Diageo GTME we are pleased that we will be able to delight our cruise guests with a winning blend of the world's finest luxury spirits and the latest cocktail trends in order to enhance their fine drinking experience on-board."

If Dominic is successful at the final it will set him on a life-changing journey. Previous winners have travelled the globe as ambassadors, opened bars, to critical acclaim and acted as consultants for luxury brands including Cartier and films such as the James Bond movie, Skyfall.

The cocktails created during the competition used the finest spirits from the Diageo Reserve collection including CÎROC® vodka, TANQUERAY® No. TEN™ gin, ZACAPA® rum and JOHNNIE WALKER® BLUE LABEL™ Blended Scotch Whisky.

^[1]Azamara Club Cruise Ship, Azamara Journey

For Diageo's global resource that promotes responsible drinking visit http://www.DRINKiQ.com

SOURCE Diageo GTME Americas