By Andy Young
The Australian finalists for the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge have all been named.
The final five will now face off in the Australian final which will be hosted by island2island in Sydney on Monday 31 August.
The national finalists are:
- NSW Jimmy Irvine, Baxter Inn
- WA Joe Sinagra, Bobeche
- SA Roman Tazhdynov, The Bibliotheca Bar
- VIC Paul Ramsay, Dutchess
- QLD Alex Boon, Jahh Tiger
The winner of the National Final will not only score themselves AU$10,000 in cash but will also win the job of Angostura Australian Brand Ambassador for a year.
In addition, they will go on to represent Australia in the Global Final held during Carnival in Trinidad early next year. Here they will be competing for a further US$10,000 and the chance to become the Angostura Global Brand Ambassador.
Brittany Page, island2island brand manager, said: “We’ve met some incredibly passionate and talented bartenders on this whirlwind tour of the country. We’ve been impressed by the creativity and the skills of everyone who has competed in the state heats.
“At this stage of the competition, they will have to be more innovative and demonstrate their capacity to create well-balanced cocktails to stand out from other finalists. They will need to think about the fact we are also looking for someone to represent Angostura as an ambassador, so professionalism and presentation is key. We are looking to send the very best to Trinidad to compete.”
Last year the Australian winner Mike Tomasic went on to take out the global title. He said: “As a result, once you win the Australian leg, you go to the Globals well prepared and in with a great chance of taking out the top gong. I wish all the finalists the best of luck. It’s an awesome gig.”