Australia’s Top 20 bartenders for 2019 have been selected by Diageo World Class.
The finalists were selected from a roll call of 100 bartenders around Australia.
Now in its 11th year, the World Class Bartender of the Year competition has supported, educated and inspired more than 300,000 bartenders through its training and advocacy program and grown to 60 countries, with more than 10,000 bartenders entering the competition each year.
The 2019 Australian competition saw bartenders create a cocktail using spirits from Diageo’s reserve portfolio - Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray No. 10 Gin and Talisker 10-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky.
The Top 100 were whittled down to the the Top 20 bartenders, after introducing the cocktail to their bar’s menu and judged on quality, presentation, service and how they promoted the cocktail to their clientele. They will now compete in the Australian finals in July, before the winner represents the country in the global finals held in Glasgow later this year.
This year’s Top 20 bartenders demonstrate that talent is emerging right across the country, with strong representation from the hotly-tipped bar scenes of Brisbane and Perth, as well as Adelaide and Hobart. Melbourne and Sydney still prove to be serious breeding grounds for young bartenders, representing eleven places in the shortlist.
The Top 20 list also reflects how food is intrinsically linked to our drinks culture, with several bartenders from esteemed restaurants featured.
Krystal Hart, Australia’s World Class Ambassador, said: “World Class is a phenomenal cocktail competition that each year reaffirms just how impressive our bar industry is. The challenges are designed to not only test how the bartenders use the reserve brands to experiment with flavour and balance, but also how they showcase their personality and story behind their serve. Our Top 20 fought a fierce competition, proving to be inspiring and innovative cocktail leaders, and we cannot wait to see what they have in store for the Australian finals next month”.
Championed by a mentor team of Diageo Reserve Brand Ambassadors, the Australian competition is recognised as one of the best in the world, producing two global champions - Tim Phillips (2012) and Orlando Marzo (2018 - pictured above) - in the past decade.
Diageo WORLD CLASS Top 20 Australian Bartenders for 2019 are:
Alex Boon – Mjølner, Melbourne
Alex Gondzioulis – Bulletin Place, Sydney (pictured main)
Antonello Arzedi – Scout, Sydney
Darren Leaney – Capitano, Melbourne
Dean Buchanan – Long Chim, Perth
Ellery Low – Maker, Brisbane
Elliot Pascoe – Death & Taxes, Brisbane
Evan Stroeve – Bulletin Place, Sydney
Joseph Chisholm – Boom Boom Room, Brisbane
Joshua Reynolds – Scout, Sydney
Jim Sauerbier – Boilermaker House, Melbourne
Kaden Pool – Long Chim, Perth
Kayla Grigoriou – Bar Torino, Adelaide
Lachlan Gunner – Grandma’s, Sydney
Mark White – Mechanics’ Institute, Perth
Nick Tesar – Bar Liberty, Melbourne
Rohan Massie – Rude Boy, Hobart
Samuel Tripet – Death & Taxes, Brisbane
Stefano Canova – Eau de Vie, Melbourne
Wei Christine Lam – Employees Only, Sydney
The Australian Finals will be held July 7-9, 2019, in Sydney.
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