By Rebecca Harris
A Merivale bartender – Pierre Fajloun – has taken out first place in the 2009 Australian Bartenders Guild (ABG) Cocktail Championships held yesterday (Jun 14).
Nearly 50 competitors gathered at The Beresford Hotel in Sydney to compete in either the ‘Classic’ or ‘Flair’ round, with Fajloun taking the top prize in the Classic section.
Bols Gods of Flair finalist Joao Paulo Rodrigues placed first in Flair.
Each competitor in the Classic section had six minutes to make their cocktail, which were then blind-tasted by a team of rotating judges, included The Sun-Herald‘s Amy Cooper and former INXS band-member Kirk Pengilly.
Strict guidelines included the use of a minimum of 15ml of Monin syrup, 15ml of Absolut vodka and an edible garnish.
Both Fajloun and Rodrigues have won all-expenses paid trips to Germany to compete in the International Bartenders Association (IBA) World Cocktail Championships in August, along with $1000 cash.
Formed in 1962, the ABG is a non-union, non-profit organisation that aims is to encourage excellence among bartenders. Yesterday’s competition was run by the new ABG president Ben Davidson.