Sunil Jhamnani has been awarded Grosvenor Casino’s Bartender of the Year with his cocktail, Sun Maria.

He had previously come second in last year’s competition but returned this year to claim the crown.

The Bartender of the Year Award is an annual event hosted by Grosvenor, where the company’s bartenders will travel to try to impress judges with their original creations.

Brand Beverage Development Manager at Grosvenor Casinos, David Beaumont, said: “Sunil really impressed the judging panel with his Sun Maria creation.

“It was the perfect mix of sweet and spice with ingredients like the orange triple-sec and mango complementing the kick from the jalapeños.“

At Grosvenor Casinos, we place a lot of emphasis on supporting our employees’ passions and this includes our Bartender of the Year competition - we hope that Sunil’s win will inspire future bartenders to give mixology a go – it really is a lot of fun!”

The competition was attended by professional bartender, Merlin Griffiths, known for his place on the First Dates show.

Griffiths said: “The competition has been so enjoyable in so many ways – you can see the talent coming through in each cocktail and it’s been exciting to witness.

“It has been a joy to taste each cocktail!”

Jhamnani’s creation, the Sun Maria, was created with mango purée, agave syrup, Aperol, Cointreau to balance the flavours, Jimador tequila and finished with a jalapeño garnish.

On his win, Jhamnani said: “It has been wonderful to be recognised by my company at Grosvenor Casinos.

“To win Bartender of the Year has been a bit of a dream for someone like me who is passionate about mixology.

“Sun Maria was inspired by the spices I love from India and the sweetness that you find in the UK, coming together to make a delicious cocktail with a kick.”