Monday night saw the NSW round of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge kick off at Miss Peaches, with Luke Redington of Hello Sailor taking out the honours.
Six of Sydney’s finest bartenders battled it out on stage, but it was Redington’s drinks, The King of Chutney and Punching Above Your Weight, that impressed the judges most (along with some entertaining banter, too).
“We chose Luke because his cocktails were perfectly balanced, tasted delicious and he showed an excellent understanding of how the flavours and aromas mix. Luke managed to do all this as well as keeping us thoroughly entertained,” said Auriane Bourdin, the brand manager for Angostura.
Second place on the night was Mike Tomasic of Surry Hills’ Wild Rover, and The Rook’s bar manager, the fabled Cristiano Beretta, came in third.
The state heats will keep rolling on, as the Angostura team moves on to Adelaide next Monday night to find out who the winner of the SA round will be. The SA heat will take place at Casablabla at 7pm this Monday the 19th of August. If you want to get down and cheer on the competitors and get into some rum, RSVP to Brittany Page at bpage@island2island.com.au.