TOP bartenders showed off their cocktail making skills in the Square for the Bournemouth Food and Drink Festival on Monday evening.

Representing bars from across Bournemouth and Christchurch, the entrants in the Meridian Bartenders League competition were tasked with producing a drink to reflect the character of their venue.

Urban Beach, in Boscombe, scooped first prize with their own take on a pina colada, which used bourbon instead of rum, lime and coconut ice cream and edible sand - made with tapioca, coconut oil and cinnamon.

Assistant manager Mark Chohra said: "We are very proud of winning the contest and want to thank all our customers, without them we wouldn't be what we are.

"This is a great way to showcase our venue, and to bring what we do as bartenders to light."

Other bars represented in the contest were the Larder House and the Library, in Southbourne, Bournemouth's Bar So and the Captain's Club in Christchurch.

Also taking part was a team from Poison Apple, which is due to open in Bournemouth in the near future.

Teams had seven minutes to prepare their cocktail, with the judges considering their presentation as much as the taste.

James Fowler, a competition judge from the Meridian Bartenders League, said: "A lot of hard work goes into bar tending, and we want to promote that and build a community around it.

"This is serious for these guys and we could see that with the drinks they created today, everything from shooters down to a twist on an old classic.

"We want people to excel at bar tending, and today they got a chance to show what they can offer."

The league started off in Bournemouth but now includes bartenders working as far away as Brighton. Now in its third year, it hosts up to 15 competitions a year in addition to its league-table.

The competition, held in the main music tent beside the bar, was sponsored by drinks giant Diageo and each cocktail included one of its branded spirits.