By Sacha Delfosse – editor bars&clubs
Sydney bartender, Mike Tomasic, has taken out the Global Angostura Cocktail Challenge, held in Trinidad on Sunday March 2.
Tomasic beat ten other bartenders from across the globe to take home the first prize, which includes US$10,000 and the chance to be the global brand ambassador for Angostura for the next two years. [continues below]
Tomasic (top and centre) with his co-competitors
Although contestants had seven minutes to make two signature cocktails, Tomasic finished his presentation with plenty of time to spare. His first cocktail was called the Big Bird and contained Angostura rum, Fernet Branca, citrus, pineapple juice, Crawley’s spiced honey apple syrup and Angostura Bitters.
“[Big Bird] was a more modern twist on a contemporary classic created in Malaysia, called the Jungle Bird,” said Tomasic.
His second cocktail was called the Olympia, in reference to the use of figs as laurels in the ancient Olympics. Apart from fig jam, the drink also contained Hine Cigar reserve cognac, Pedro Ximenez, lemon juice, egg white and Angostura Bitters, and it was served with cigars for the judges to roll in their hands and breathe in as a palate opener.
“[Olympia] was based on a hundred year old recipe from one of the first cocktail books ever created, a twist on a St Charles Punch,” said Tomasic.
Second place went to Nazar Makarov from Russia, and third place went to Mate Csaltlos from the UK.