Entries have officially closed for the 2018/2019 Bacardí Legacy Global Cocktail Competition in Australia with the first round of the selection process revealing the Top 30 successful bartenders.
Without knowing which bartender behind the creation of which drink, Bacardí brand ambassadors, Loy Catada, Georgie Mann and Peter Hollands, have chosen the 30 best Bacardí cocktails that they believe have potential to become a Legacy. These hopeful bartenders are now one step closer to representing Australia in 2019’s Bacardí Legacy Global Final in Amsterdam.
Now in its sixth chapter, Bacardí Legacy was established to challenge the best contemporary bartenders in the world to create their own cocktail Legacy and join the leagues of Fred Siggins, Alissa Gabriel, Andrew Bennett, Dave Kerr and James Irvine in representing Australia on the international stage.
“The selection of the top 30 ultimately came down to well thought-out recipes and an obvious passion behind the drinks; we could certainly have the next Global Legacy cocktail come out of Australia,” says Cotada.
The Top 30 must now submit a video entry of themselves presenting their original Legacy cocktail at their hometown bar. This will be viewed and judged alongside the taste test conducted by the brand ambassadors where each of the Top 30 cocktails will be evaluated and then whittled down to the country’s Top 8.
The Top 30 bartenders advancing to the next stage of the competition are:
Adam Dow
Alex Brown
Amber Hong
Behzad NazempourVaziri
Cheng I Chang
Christian Leibenatus
Claudia Morgan
Dan Wall
Daniel Hilton
David Nguyen-Luu
David Robinson
Jack Stacey
Jane Zou
Jimmy Burchett
Josh Trovato
Joshua Morgan
Justin Croucher
Lachie Gunner
Laurence Eaton
Leroy Martin-McEwen
Marco Giombarresi
Matthew Zarimis
Michael Keogh
Mikey Braun
Millie Tang
Niall Maurici
Pauric Kennedy
Shenai Jones
Tim Pope
Will Krepop
BACARDÍ LEGACY AUSTRALIA NATIONAL SEMI FINALS
The Top 8 or ‘Ocho’ bartenders will be invited to Brisbane to make and present their original Legacy cocktail and the Bacardí Daiquiri in front of a judging panel of industry legends at the newly opened Boom Boom Room. The competitors will be celebrated that evening at a cocktail party where the Top 3 Most Promising will be announced.
In a new addition to the 2018/2019 competition, 2018 Australian Bartender of the Year Jenna Hemsworth will be introduced as a Wild Card into the Final.
FOUR MOST PROMISING
Mentored by dedicated brand ambassadors, these four competitors will partner with Bacardí to promote their cocktail with a budget of $1,000 plus complimentary stock of the Bacardí rum featured in their cocktail.
During the promotional period Bacardí will help these aspiring bartenders forge their place in the Australian cocktail industry, through financial and developmental support aligned with Bacardí’s marketing and experiential initiatives.
AUSTRALIAN GRAND FINAL
Based on the success of their drink and overall campaign, one of the Four Most Promising will be selected as the 2018 Bacardí Legacy Australian Cocktail Competition Winner at the final held in February 2019 in Sydney.
GLOBAL FINAL
The journey will culminate in Amsterdam where our Australian winner will compete on the international stage for the ultimate title in the Bacardí Legacy Global Cocktail Competition.
Image: David Robinson’s entry