Sydney bar Vasco’s head bartender, Luke Ashton, took out the Diageo World Class competition last week and doing so secured $100k towards the opening of his own bar.
Ashton beat competitors from all over the country in the multi-round competition, inlcuding second place’s Evan Stanley (The Black Pearl), and Rinna Kato (Bacchus) who finished in third.
From three rounds of competition and nine state finals did ten bartenders – strong of nerve and sure of skill – emerge to take on the World Class Australian final.
Last night saw the culmination of Reserve’s year long World Class program on Australian shores. And taking out top honours after three long days of fierce competition was Tim Philips from ivy’s Level 6 in Sydney. Runners-up in this epic bartending battle were Phil Gandevia of Sydney’s Eau De Vie and and Marco Nunes from Brisbane’s Canvas.
With the completion of the third and final component of the Australian leg of Reserve’s year long World Class program 10 finalists have been announced to compete for a spot to take on 24 of the world’s best bartenders. The final is set to be held next Tuesday in Sydney.
The World Class Vodka Martini Award winners have been chosen, with Pierre Fajloun taking out first place in the award. The creation which scored him the number one spot, “The Whale”, was named after the windmill that adorns the Nolet family’s distillery in Holland. Pierre and a colleague will be rewarded on a Ketel One trip to Singapore in April with 18 other industry members.
The World Class bartending competition is well under way once more with The Ketel One Vodka Awards having recently closed entries. Judging is in progress to find out who the next three Australian World Class National Finalists will be to join Jason Williams from Melbourne’s Galley Room who secured his place in the Australian Final on the Reserve World Class stand at Sydney BarShow in September.
World Class 2010 kicks off with the World Class Vodka Martini Awards category. Throughout the month of November…
If you want to stay abreast of all the action at the World Class Finals…
All the pics from the epic day of competition to find Australia’s World Class representative.
World Class February 09 – July 09 Multiple Locations, Australia. Finals in London. www.weareworldclass.com Bartenders from…