The Giffard West Cup 2026 U.S. Cocktail Competition

The Giffard West Cup competition began 29 years ago in 1997 as a local event on the west coast of France, which gave the competition its name. Since then, the competition has grown internationally, and every two years, Giffard Liqueurs hosts bartenders around the globe to compete at the Giffard West Cup in France’s Loire Valley.

In 2024, 30 countries organized local selections, and more than 1,000 bartenders registered. For the international final, 18 participants from 17 countries took part.
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History

It all began in 1885. Emile Giffard was a pharmacist with an inventive, curious nature and the palate of a gourmand. In the scorching summer, in the small Loire Valley town of Angers, France, he was studying the digestive and cooling properties of mint. Giffard’s research resulted in the invention of a clear mint liqueur, steam-distilled from the Mitcham variety of peppermint. As delicious as it was refreshing, the liqueur was immediately received with enthusiasm from the townspeople of Angers. Emile called his elixir Menthe Pastille after the mint candies that were famout at the time.

Giffard parlayed the success of Menthe Pastille into a company and began creating liqueurs and syrups from the rich bounty of local fruits and botanicals as well as the exotic spices and herbs that were brought in by ship on the Loire River from ports around the world. Five generations later, Giffard is still owned and operated by the same family who maintain tradition and quality for all of its products.