Cocktail Connoisseur, a bartender competition by Suntory was held at Hugo’s Lounge last night with Adam Bastow of Black Coffee Lyrics in Queensland taking out the title.
L-R: Monnie Place (3rd), Adam Bastow (1st), Jason Williams (2nd)
Five bartenders competed for the win with members of the public and invited guests tasting and voting for their favourite cocktail. Jason Williams of The Rook NSW came in second place with Monnie Place of Cushdy in South Australia in the third spot.
Adam Bastow takes home a prize package which includes a trip to Japan with $1,000 spending money and return airfares to visit the best bars and distilleries throughout the country. Jason Williams and Monnie Place won a prize of $500 and $250 respectively.
Other competitors were Dan Monk of Joe Taylor in Victoria and Tom Kearney of the Mechanics Institute in Western Australia.
Adam Bastow with Islay High Tea
Adam Bastow prepared the Islay High Tea using Bowmore Legend single malt, Pavan Liqueur with guava nectar, a fruity and floral cocktail with a smoky finish served in a teacup.
Jason Williams with Florabotanica
Jason Williams’ Florabotanica was an adaptation of a classic gin sour with a perfect balance of Gin Mare, Cointreau, Yuzu, fragrant rose syrup and bitters.
Monnie Place with Golden Peacock
Elegant and floral, Golden Peacock by Monnie Place was a mix of Pavan Liqueur, Midori with pineapple juice and passionfruit – an aperitif style cocktail that makes for easy sipping.
Dan Monk with Fukashima Flip
Dan Monk’s Fukashima Flip was a creative after-dinner style of cocktail made with Remy Martin VSOP, Green Chartreuse, Mozart chocolate liqueur, cacao syrup and vanilla served in a ceramic miso bowl with unsalted nori as a garnish.
Tom Kearney with Silver Monk
Tom Kearney’s Silver Monk took inspiration from Tiki drinks with Yellow Chartreuse and Mount Gay Silver rum, a combination of sweet and sour flavours that finish with a mild nuttiness.
Cocktail Connoisseur was held on Wednesday 20 November, 2013 at Hugo’s Lounge in Kings Cross.
Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
