Volume 6

In this intermittent edition of the Garnish, we will be sharing with you an opportunity that was presented to us to learn more about a group called World Class Australia, their competition, the winning bartenders and their cocktails. Read on to learn more…


Recently an email arrived in our inbox inviting us to learn about an international cocktail competition called World Class, which takes place in 26 countries. We were offered the chance to sample some of the winning cocktails from the Victorian division while learning about the inspiration behind these creations. Naturally we accepted.

World Class is a cocktail competition run by Diageo Reserve Brands: a company that owns spirits such as Smirnoff, Tanqueray, Bundaberg, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Pimms, Bushmills, Guiness and many more.  Participants compete at state level in 3 different rounds and then at a national level to determine the best Australia has to offer. The winner then represents Australia in the international competition. This all sounds pretty complicated (and it was a little for us) – which made us start to wonder how tasting cocktails would enter into the equation.

We soon found out that the cocktails we would be sampling were the contenders for ‘Best Seasonal Cocktail’. Bartenders were set the challenge of using fresh produce and seasonal ingredients to capture the taste and essence of the Australian summer, while also incorporating either Tanqueray 10 Gin, Ketel One Vodka or Ketel One Citrus Vodka (note that they are all brands owned by Diageo). Being lovers of gin, we liked the sound of this.



So, on to the cocktails. We were first taken to the Black Pearl, a cocktail bar with a great feel and even better cocktails. It came as no surprise that one of the bartenders there, Chris Hysted, had created the winning cocktail for that round. Called the Bloomsbury Cooler it was a very refreshing cocktail that made up of Tanqueray 10, Elderflower Cordial, Maraschino Liquer and green tea infused with Pineapple and Coconut. Described as ‘something you could smash at the races all day’, we found it had a very interesting mix of both dry and sweet flavours that always had you going back for a second sip.

The second cocktail was created by Rob Libecans, also from the Black Pearl. ‘Very Hush Hush and on the QT’ was a peach tea sorbet and gin based cocktail, also delicious. As each of these were being made, they ran us through their thought process in coming up with the concept behind the drink. We also had the opportunity to have a general chat with the bartenders, the other guests and the brand ambassador.

Next we were ferried to Golden Monkey, another bar that we have enjoyed on occasion (especially when not too busy). Here we were provided with some food from the kitchen (one must drink responsibly), which like the rest of the venue was of Asian influence; dumplings, soft shell crab etc. But the food while very tasty, was not the reason why we were there.

We were introduced to our host Kash Wall, who made us her winning cocktail ‘Time Flies When You’re Having Plum’. The inspiration for the cocktail coming to her in a dream, it was Ketel One Citrus Vodka based and contained some very nice smelling sherry and of all things, IXL Plum Jam (apparently the fancy stuff just didn’t taste as good). Served in a fancy glass (which was just from Target), this humble concoction tasted anything but.

No sooner had we finished her creation; Kash started describing the next cocktail to be sampled. Created by Joey Tai (who unfortunately was not able to make the event), this drink was called ‘Summer Tan Tan Fancy’ and contained among other things: Tanqueray 10 Gin, Kumqrut Marmalade and half & half. Taking a bit longer to prepare due to the marmalade, it gave us an opportunity to chat to the Golden Monkey bartenders and network with the other guests of the event. Again, a very tasty cocktail. However, if we had to pick a winner for the night, we would definitely choose Chris Hysted’s creation from the Black Pearl as our favourite.

Overall, we found the event to be a great opportunity to hear about a cocktail from the perspective of its creator. As customers who have tried many different cocktails at many different bars, we have often had a great (or terrible) cocktail and wondered how the person who originally created it came up with the idea. The bartenders we met each had a different approach to creating cocktails and all came up with something very enjoyable and original. Probably the best thing about World Class and their cocktail competition is the promotion of quality bartending in Australia, which to a cocktail drinker means more top level bartending and which means more cocktail bars that will be serving unique and delicious creations.

With the recent rise of people looking for higher quality food and drink, having a competition that encourages bartenders to be creative about their cocktails can only be a good thing.

Below, the cocktail recipes:

‘Bloomsbury Cooler’

60ml Tanqueray No. TEN

15ml Greenbottle Elderflower Cordial

10ml Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

Top w/ 90ml Carbonated Pineapple & Coconut Infused Green Tea

‘Very Hush Hush and on the QT’

50ml Tanqueray No. TEN

10ml Apricot brandy

1 scoop of Peach Tea sorbet

10ml Lemon juice

Atomized grapefruit bitters on top

Served with a peach tea botanical iced lolly

‘Time Flies When You’re Having Plum’

45ml Ketel One Citroen

10ml Pedro Xeminez

20ml Lemon Juice

Bar spoon Plum Jam

Muddled plum slices

‘Summer Tan Tan Fancy’

45ml Tanqueray No. TEN

Large bar spoon of Kumquat marmalade

20ml Fresh lemon juice

15ml Aloe juice

A pinch of Rosemary leaves

30ml Half and half (milk and cream)