Vincentian Sylvanus Johnson will compete in the June finals of Caribbean Week New York’s Mixologist of the Year.
This is the second year in a row when mixologist Johnson will participate in the event.
A battle of six mixologists took place at Roof at Park South Hotel on May 15, at that time finalist Dani DeLuna won and will compete with Johnson at Caribbean Week’s Rum Rumble on Thursday, June 8.
Last year Sylvanus Johnson won in the semi-finals and finished second overall. Sylvanus Johnson was born in St. Vincent and The Grenadines, hailing from the town of Biabou and immigrated when he was six.
He grew up in Brooklyn and has lived in New York for 22 years. What’s his connection to rum?
“I have a love for rum above all other spirits,” he said. “I also enjoy the flavours of the burnt sugar cane that give rum notes of vanilla, nuts, pineapple, and spice,” he added with a knowledgeable flourish.
Bartending for nine years, how did he get into bartending? He was “mentored by a family friend who got me a bar back job when I was nineteen,” he said. “I tried to learn as much as I could about spirits, bartending, and food from the people I worked with and became a bartender.”
