India’s World‑Class winner

Karan Dhanelia, head mixologist at Atelier V in Indore, won Bartender of the Year 2026 at Diageo’s World Class regional finals. (thefederal.com) The 12th edition of the competition was held at Le Meridien in Gurgaon on March 27 and 28, and brought together bartenders from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka on one platform for the first time. More than 800 people entered, and 21 bartenders reached the regional final. (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Dhanelia won in only his second year at World Class. He also took the Speed Round and The Singleton 12 Sensory Sessions challenges, while judges said he stood out for originality, charisma, composure and creativity with flavours. (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (thespiritsbusiness.com) One of his standout drinks used roasted tomato, onion clarified soda, spirulina and hot honey in a Don Julio 1942 cocktail. The judges also cited an onion soda with spirulina syrup as one of the serves that helped separate him from the field. (thefederal.com) (thespiritsbusiness.com) The result puts Indore, a Tier-2 Indian city better known nationally for street food than cocktail bars, at the center of a competition long associated with bigger metro markets. This year’s top eight included bartenders from Indore and Jaipur alongside entrants from Gurugram, Goa, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. (thefederal.com) (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) The 2026 final also had the highest female representation yet in the top eight, with three finalists. Diageo and trade coverage both framed the field as a wider spread of Tier-2 and metro cities than in earlier editions. (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (thespiritsbusiness.com) World Class is one of Diageo’s flagship bartending contests, and The Federal described it as a competition that has helped train more than 400,000 bartenders across 60 countries over 12 years. In the regional final, contestants were tested on speed, hospitality, interpretation and concept-led drink building. (thefederal.com) (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Dhanelia will now represent the region at the World Class global final in Dubai later this year. He said the win lets him “put Indore on the cocktail map of India,” which is exactly what his March result has already started to do. (thespiritsbusiness.com) (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com)