Ed Quatermass of Brisbane’s Cuatro Group (Antico, Dr Gimlette and Death & Taxes) has been crowned the winner of the Moutai Enter the Dragon Three Australian cocktail competition, wowing judges with his Beautiful Punch cocktail.
The top 10 finalists went head-to-head in an intense final held across two days, each demonstrating their use of the iconic Chinese spirit in their own cocktails before a panel of expert judges. The panel included Pasan Wijesena (Earls Juke Joint), Mike Enright (Barrelhouse Group) and Barney Toy (Harbour City Hospitality).
In his winning cocktail, the Beautiful Punch, Ed combined the iconic Australian flavours of Milo with local shiitake mushroom tincture, coffee liqueurs, vanilla and Moutai Prince, with judges praising his use of innovative processes to enhance the flavour of the bajiu.
Quartermass commented: “Taking part in this year’s Moutai Enter The Dragon Three competition has been an unforgettable experience. I am truly thankful to be part of such a close-knit hospitality community and am incredibly proud of being able to represent Brisbane in such a prestigious event.”
Taking out the top spot, Ed leaves the competition with the title of Moutai Master and a $10,000 cash prize, with his winning cocktail also available in-venue for a limited time.
Designed to engage bartenders with one of the world’s most storied spirits, the 2024 Enter The Dragon Moutai cocktail competition attracted a record number of entries, and a high calibre of finalists.
Dan Zhao, Moutai’s Brand and Marketing Manager of Moutai Australia, said: “A huge congratulations is in order for all of our finalists who delivered exceptional creativity, knowledge of Moutai and dedication to their craft in this year’s competition. Our judges were incredibly impressed with their innovation and ability to blend flavours while bringing out the rich complexity of Moutai.”