Emporia Brands Announces Ashley Haines as the Winner of the 2024/25 Gabriel Boudier Wizard Award Competition
Emporia Brands is delighted to announce Ashley Haines, bartender at Ojo Rojo in Bournemouth, as the winner of the 2024/2025 Gabriel Boudier Wizard Award. The Grand Final, held at the Gabriel Boudier distillery in Dijon, France, saw five talented UK bartenders present their original liqueurs and serves to a distinguished panel of judges. After an intense and inspiring competition, Ashley’s Sweet Woodruff Liqueur emerged victorious.
Ashley’s creation impressed the judges with its delicate balance of flavours and creative execution, showcased in two exceptional serves—the ‘Ruff Highball’ (30ml Blended Scotch, 20ml Sweet Woodruff Liqueur, 100ml Soda Water, served over cubed ice in a highball glass, and the ‘Woodruff Sour’ (50ml Sweet Woodruff Liqueur, 10ml Triple Sec, 30ml Lemon Juice, 10ml Simple Syrup and 1 egg white. Shake and strain). His innovative approach to using the widely available but little-known plant Sweet Woodruff earned him the prestigious title and a £1,000 prize. Furthermore, his winning liqueur will now be developed for release as part of Gabriel Boudier’s 2025 Bartender Liqueur Range.
Jack Rackham, Managing Director of Emporia Brands and Judge of the Competition: “Ashley’s Sweet Woodruff liqueur stood out not only for its incredibly unique flavour, derived from a widely available yet underappreciated plant, but also for the impressive skill he demonstrated in its creation. His innovation truly captured the spirit of the competition.”
Ashley Haines, Winner of the 2024 Gabriel Boudier Wizard Award: “Inspiring change is far more than just creating trends. I love to bring obscure ingredients that literally grow below our feet and above our heads into my drinks making but by creating the Sweet Woodruff Liqueur, I hope that it not only introduces consumers to something grows around them all over the UK and Europe, but it also opens their eyes to the possibilities with what else is growing around them locally.”
“…HIS INNOVATION TRULY CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF THE COMPETITION”
Emporia Brands would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all five finalists—Ashley Haines (Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth), Ben Jones (Uno Mas, Edinburgh), Cameron Chapman (The Wash House, Manchester), Luca Zani (Dakota Hotel, Leeds), and Henry Woodgate (Flight Club, Cardiff) — whose remarkable dedication and innovation made this year’s Gabriel Boudier Wizard Award an unforgettable event. A special thank you to Gabriel Boudier for hosting us at their iconic distillery and for their ongoing support in celebrating bartending talent and innovation.
We look forward to the next chapter as Ashley’s Sweet Woodruff Liqueur takes shape for its official launch in 2025!
