By Rebecca Harris
The 42 Below Cocktail World Cup is about to kick off, with bartenders from across the world flying into Queenstown, New Zealand, for the grand opening tomorrow (September 9).
Forty-two bartenders, including six Australians, will compete in what has become one of the most creative cocktail competitions in the world.
Over five days, contestants will compete in a series of extreme challenges, including the ‘Extreme Kiwi Bungy and Free Pour Accuracy’ challenge that sees each team member make a Cosmopolitan while bungy jumping off the Kawarau Bungy Bridge and then complete a series of measuring sequences in the free-pour accuracy component.
The Australians will be divided into two teams of three and will battle it out against 14 other teams, country versus country, to see who will take home the coveted title of 42 Below Cocktail World Cup Champions for 2008.
The six Australian finalists are:
Luke Redington (Hugos Bar & Pizza, Sydney)
Blake Head (Lotus, Sydney)
Kerin Golley (Little Jumbo, Brisbane)
Sebastien Derbomez (Byblos, Brisbane)
Gerard McAlpine (Ginger, Melbourne)
Greg Sanderson (Black Pearl, Melbourne)