World Class Ukraine 2026

On June 24, Parkovy became the venue for the national final of World Class Ukraine 2026 – an event that brought together the best representatives of the Ukrainian bar industry and determined the bartender who will represent Ukraine on the international stage.

World Class is one of the most well-known international competitions in the bartending industry, where professional mastery is combined with creativity, an individual approach, and cocktail culture. At the Ukrainian final, participants demonstrated their technique, work with combinations of ingredients and flavors, and the creation of their own cocktails, each of which had a separate story behind it.

For the World Class Ukraine 2026 final, the organizers chose the Rest Hall Amphitheater at Parkovy – a venue that allowed them to combine the dynamics of the competition program with the intimate atmosphere of a professional gathering.

The architecture of the amphitheater focused the guests’ attention on the stage and participants, while the tiered seating created a comfortable format for observing every stage of the competition. Separate guest zones and VIP boxes complemented the format of the evening, organically building the event with different formats of interaction.

The main feature for World Class was the stationary bar area of Rest Hall Amphitheater, which was organically integrated into the concept of the final. Here, bar culture became not simply a functional part of the venue, but one of the central elements of the competition program.

The venue’s technical capabilities also complemented the atmosphere of the final: professional lighting, sound, and video systems supported the dynamics of the competition program, helping to convey every moment of the final and create a cohesive impression for the guests.

Competing for the title of the best bartender in Ukraine in the final were Volodymyr Kondratiev (MAD Bars House), Oleksandr Tangelov (Pink Freud), and Daria Khodakivska (Parovoz Speakeasy).

The final part consisted of competition challenges in which not only precision and technique were important, but also the ability to convey meaning, emotion, and one’s own vision through a drink, working in the Modern Classic style.

One of the concepts was Golden Moment. The participants had to create a cocktail that, in their opinion, changed the world for the better. In this way, the competition became an opportunity to tell a personal story through taste and combinations of ingredients, combining professional mastery with their own vision.

After the competition program ended, the evening continued in the second part of Rest Hall, where a cocktail reception a waited the guests. A separate area allowed participants, partners, and guests to communicate in a more relaxed atmosphere, exchange impressions, and continue the evening outside the competition stage.

The winner of World Class Ukraine 2026 was Volodymyr Kondratiev, who presented a cocktail called GG. Behind it is the story of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games – the moment when two athletes decided to share the gold medal instead of continuing the fight for first place.

Now Volodymyr Kondratiev will represent Ukraine at the global World Class final in Scotland, continuing the story of Ukrainian bartending culture already on the international level.

The final of World Class Ukraine 2026 at Parkovy became an example of how a properly chosen venue can strengthen the character of an event. The Rest Hall Amphitheater organically combined the stage, audience seating, and bar area into a single whole, where the competition program unfolded directly in front of the guests, and the participants’ mastery became the central part of the evening.

It is especially symbolic that professional mastery, creativity, and the art of telling stories through taste came together here. After all, World Class is not only about the technique of preparing cocktails, but also about the idea, emotion, and individual vision that a bartender can convey to a guest through a single drink.

Thank you to World Class Ukraine for your trust and for the opportunity to become part of this evening. May the story that began at Parkovy continue already on the global stage!

See you again soon!