A bartender from Norwegian Cruise Line will represent the
cruise industry in an annual best-bartender contest sponsored by the Diageo
spirits distributor.
Marc McArthur, head mixologist on the Norwegian Escape, won
a semifinal on Tuesday at Diageo's office in Coral Gables, Fla. Bartenders from
Celebrity Cruises and Seabourn were also semifinalists.
McArthur, 28, from South Africa, will move on to the final
of the World Class Bartender of the Year competition in Mexico City in August.
There will be 55 other finalists, winnowed from a starting
field of 250,000, said Marcos Bibas, commercial director, Diageo Americas.
To win the semifinal, McArthur had to make a drink from a "mystery
box" of ingredients and make a series of drinks against a countdown clock.