Here’s the winner of the 2018 Woodford Reserve Cocktail Challenge

Veronica Lam from Toko in Sydney won the 2018 Woodford Reserve Cocktail Challenge with her two drinks, Konomi Re-Fashioned and Draper’s Solace Rye cocktail.

Veronica Lam, from Sydney’s Toko, emerged as the 2018 champion.

She will be representing Australia in Kentucky and will be competing for a position at the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience final in New York City. The talented Veronica will also spend time with Chris Morris and Elizabeth McCall at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Kentucky.

Bartenders from across the country were invited to enter the prestigious competition by producing an original Woodford Reserve Rye cocktail recipe. Round one required entrants to use 30ml minimum of the premium whiskey and a maximum of six ingredients per cocktail.

Those bartenders who qualified for the second round were required to create their ideal version of the classic Old Fashioned using Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select, feature the signature drink on their venue’s cocktail menu, and promote the cocktail on the venue’s social media channels.

This year was the first time in the Woodford Reserve Australia Cocktail Competition’s four-year history that Australian bartenders had the chance to compete for a position at the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience final in New York City.