The May issue of Australian Bartender is out now, packed with competition news, profiles, industry insight, and a look at one of whisky’s biggest global cocktail comps as Nikka Perfect Serve returns for 2026.
With entries now closed for the Bar Awards and planning for Sydney Bar Week already ramping up, nominations for Australian Bartender of the Year are officially open. Another major industry event is also on the horizon, with nominations for the bi-annual Top 100 Most Influential List opening on 25 May.
On this month’s cover is Nikka Whisky as its global competition, Nikka Perfect Serve, returns for 2026. Built on the Japanese philosophy of Ichi-go, Ichi-e – meaning “one moment, one encounter” – the competition celebrates precision, hospitality, and memorable drinking experiences. The full cover story starts on page 18, while this month’s Rail cocktail on page 8 spotlights last year’s winning serve from Sydney bartender Takashi Matsumoto.
Elsewhere in the issue, reigning Bartender of the Year Tanguy Chabonnet explores the role of tea and coffee in cocktails on page 24, while Baxter Inn’s London Purvis takes readers through the often-overlooked history of women in the whisky industry from page 20 following her International Women’s Day talk on the subject.
There are also profiles on Bellicose Distilling Co-founder Trish Brew on page 38, Amber Beverage Australia managing director Uliana Linenko on page 42, and Tigerfish’s Brendan Scott Grey, who shares a postcard from Tokyo and his favourite district in the city on page 36.
The issue also includes The Classic focusing on the Godfather on page 28, three different takes on the Martini from Frisk. Small Bar on page 30, Claudio Bedini’s latest Bitter Tales on page 34, Business of Bars by Alessandro Nardini on page 44, plus the latest edition of The Bar Exam on page 50 for anyone preparing to enter Bartender of the Year.