Ten of Australia’s best bartenders are set to compete in the regional round of the Nikka Perfect Serve competition on 4 August.
The event will be held in the upstairs cocktail lounge of the Black Pearl in Melbourne’s Fitzroy.
The competition focuses on the Japanese Philosophy ‘ichi-go, ichi-e’ which translates to one moment, one encounter.
This year’s entrants include Emma Cookson (The Whisky List, VIC), Alex Boon (Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oysters, VIC) and Grace Rawlins (Memphis Slims House of Blues, SA) who were all on the Top 25 Bartenders list.
Each contestant will be expertly judged on the full bartending experience and need to provide judges with the perfect guest exchange as well as the perfect drink.
Competing this year is Emma Cookson (The Whisky List, VIC), Alex Boon (Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oysters, VIC) and Grace Rawlins (Memphis Slims House of Blues, SA) who were all on the Top 25 Bartenders list.
Other entrants include Alex Woodmass and Aiden Rodriquez from Eau de Vie in Melbourne, Michael Morgan (The Baxter Inn, Sydney), Miriam Wahlhutter (The Ugly Duckling, Melbourne) and Wen Yu Wang (Maybe Sammy, Sydney) along with James Coppe and Nicholas Oswald from Anchovy Bandit in Adelaide.
The judging panel consists of Chef Jo Barret as the flavour expert, Above Board Bartender Hayden Lambert as the bartending expert and Oz Whisky Review Editor Luke McCarthy as the whisky expert.
Bartenders will be provided with an extensive selection of Nikka products and an array of ingredients which will be used to make whisky-based cocktails.