The youngest entrant in the 2023 PATRÓN Perfectionists contest in the UAE – Kaleb Barry – is one of the region’s rising stars. The ROKA Dubai mixologist won the PATRÓN Perfectionists regional heat, going on to compete in the global finals at the start of April. The finals were in Mexico.
For the regional competition, Barry created the Milk of the Desert drink, a sophisticated cocktail using familiar ingredients such as local coffee, cardamom and even laban.
Meanwhile, at the global finals, Barry prepared a special treat for the judges and his fellow competitors as the event coincided with his birthday. The night before the challenge, Kaleb handed out invites to all the judges for his birthday-inspired drink.
He wanted to create a drink that brought back some sort of nostalgia from his childhood – and had named it ‘Strawberry Dreams’.
With an incredible future still in front of him, Barry spoke to Caterer Middle East about what made him fall in love with mixology, his approach to the craft, and how he felt flying into Mexico.
See the video below: