By Andrew Starke
After an exhaustive search for the nation's finest bartending professionals, Suntory's Ultrapour team have announced the five finalists in its bartending challenge.
Ultrapour's Professionals 2009 finalist, Tim "God Damn" Wastell called the competition: “The most professionally run competition I have ever been involved with. It was a very smooth operation with the ultimate bartender first prize.”
Three months of grueling competition and individual judging and mystery shopper visits for all 32 invited competitors has resulted in five elite finalists vying for ultimate prize: a trip of a lifetime to the finest bars and distilleries in Europe, with $1000 spending money.
Contesting the trophy will be:
Wizey Baleitavuki, Railway Hotel, VIC
Justine Millsom – Glass, QLD
Neilsen Braid – Zeta, NSW
Andy Griffiths – Cookie, VIC
Serena O'Callaghan – 1806, VIC