Want to experience Australian bartending’s most Unusual Minds? Here’s how you can

Photo: Billy Zammit

Hendrick’s Cultivate the Unusual Mind finals are rapidly approaching. Now is your chance to experience the most unusual minds of Australian bartending!

Entries from almost one hundred bartenders across the country made for fierce competition as the judging team at Hendrick’s Gin sought to find the most unusual and creative experience ideas to progress to the finals. The successful teams are below.

VIC/TAS/WA:
Alex Boon (Mjolner Melbourne) and Pez Collier (Lagotto)
Teandra Tuhkunen (Gin Palace) and Jess Clayfield (Gin Palace)
Alex Brown (Union Electric) and Lachlan Hunter (Bomba)

QLD/SA/NT
Sam Trippet (Death & Taxes) and Elliot Pascoe (Death & Taxes)
Matt O’Malley (Cloakroom) and Tiana Thorburn (Cloakroom)
Jamie Fleming (Alba Bar & Deli) and Shaun Van Riel (Alba Bar and Deli)

NSW/ACT:
Alissa Gabriel (Mjolner Sydney) and Jay Cozma (Shady Pines Saloon)
Daniel Hilton (Lobo Plantation) and Lachlan Gunner (Grandma’s Bar)
Alec McDougall (Raku Dining) and Jason Churches (Raku Dining)

Listed in no particular order, the above teams wowed judges with an eclectic mix of experiences that you now have the opportunity to experience yourself. Get ready for cleansing rituals, escape rooms, multi-sensory technology, art classes and of course, a healthy amount of gin. You’ll be able to experience firsthand just what will be needed to win a trip to the incredible Hendrick’s Gin Palace distillery, and see which team on the night is lucky enough to win such a prize!

Each of the events will be open to the bartending community to attend, with complementary drinks and food and an ability to journey through each of the competitor experiences alongside the judges. “Only the first fifty attendees will be able to experience this though,” says Hendrick’s Brand Ambassador Morgan Flanagan, “So arrive on time! There’s more than one unusual surprise planned for these delightful evenings.”

If previous Hendrick’s events are anything to measure it by, there’s sure to be something peculiar and nothing less than spectacular to occur. Event details are below;

Melbourne:
29th July
6pm – 11pm
Paradise Alley, 25 Easey Street Collingwood.
Experiences start at 630pm sharp.

Brisbane:
5th August
6pm – 11pm
The Walrus Club, 543A Coronation Drive, Toowong.
Experiences start at 630pm sharp.

Sydney:
12th August
6pm – 11pm
Marble Bar, Level B1, 488 George Street, Sydney
Experiences start at 630pm sharp.