News from Wellington Culinary Events Trust
Wellington can now claim the title of Cocktail Capital, with two Wellingtonian bartenders winning the top spots for the Highball New Zealand Bartender of the Year competition, which saw competitors go shaker to shaker over two intensive days, during Highball, New Zealand’s only cocktail and spirits festival, at the Dominion Museum Building.
Alex Vowels from Tory’s Street’s Hawthorn Lounge took out the cocktail crown, with Dan Felsing from Manners Street’s Crumpet taking second place, and Andrea Marseglia from Piku in Hawkes Bay winning third place.
The national bartending competition, which had been on hiatus since 2008 saw 28 competitors from Auckland to Wanaka partake in a high intensity six-part tournament, where they mixed, blended and shook their way to showcase their skills – all garnished with oodles of bartending flair. Energy and entertainment was high with the rat-a-tat of three shakers being simultaneously slung in on
Wellington can now claim the title of Cocktail Capital, with two Wellingtonian bartenders winning the top spots for the Highball New Zealand Bartender of the Year competition, which saw competitors go shaker to shaker over two intensive days, during Highball .
Alex Vowles, centre, celebrates his victory with organiser Phil Spector, left, and Riki Carter, festival manager, right. Energy and entertainment were high; one participant slung three shakers at once, and another put on a spontaneous lip sync display to Italian opera as he poured multiple cocktails. Bartenders were challenged with a two-hour written exam, a blind whisky tasting, and a cocktail-making round inspired by lockdown, where bartenders made drinks with common ingredients found at home. Twenty competitors were whittled down to eight for the final, where they made five cocktails in five minutes.
KEVIN STENT/STUFF
One aspect of the competition is cocktail-making round inspired by lockdown, where bartenders make drinks with common ingredients found at home.
Press Release – Wellington Culinary Events Trust Wellington can now claim the title of Cocktail Capital, with two Wellingtonian bartenders winning the top spots for the Highball New Zealand Bartender of the Year competition, which saw competitors go shaker to shaker over two intensive days, during Highball …
Wellington can now claim the title of Cocktail Capital, with two Wellingtonian bartenders winning the top spots for the Highball New Zealand Bartender of the Year competition, which saw competitors go shaker to shaker over two intensive days, during Highball, New Zealand’s only cocktail and spirits festival, at the Dominion Museum Building.
Alex Vowels from Tory’s Street’s Hawthorn Lounge took out the cocktail crown, with Dan Felsing from Manners Street’s Crumpet taking second place, and Andrea Marseglia from Piku in Hawkes Bay winning third place.