Capital shaker best, bar none
Wellington takes the crown as the cocktail capital, with two local bartenders winning top spots at the Highball New Zealand Bartender of the Year competition.
Competitors went shaker to shaker over two days during Highball, New Zealand’s only cocktail and spirits festival, at the Dominion Museum Building over the weekend, attended by more than 1500 people.
Alex Vowles from Tory St’s Hawthorn Lounge took out the title, with Dan Felsing from Manners St’s Crumpet second.
The national bartending competition, which had been on hiatus since 2008, attracted 28 competitors from Auckland to Wanaka.
Energy and entertainment were high; one participant slung three shakers at once, and another put on a spontaneous lip sync display to Italian opera as he poured multiple cocktails.
Bartenders were challenged with a twohour written exam, a blind whisky tasting, and a cocktail-making round inspired by lockdown, where bartenders made drinks with common ingredients found at home.
Twenty competitors were whittled down to eight for the final, where they made five cocktails in five minutes.
Vowles said the win was ‘‘completely surreal’’.
‘‘I was nervous the entire time until the moment I was writing the exam; prepping ingredients; behind the bar; making a drink,’’ he said. ‘‘Then, I wasn’t so nervous, because that’s what we do every day.’’
For the mixing-at-home round Vowles did a rye whiskey and sweet vermouth punch, with sage, and capsicum mist, in
30 minutes. ‘‘I would make that one again.’’
For the market challenge Vowles was sent to restaurant Atlas, and presented with a beetroot macaron stuffed with Kau Piro goat’s cheese. ‘‘For that I did a Scotch whiskey-based drink; Glenfiddich 12-yearold, porcine mushroom-infused vermouth, raspberry and honey cordial, with salted cab sav verjus.’’
Highball manager and competition organiser Riki Carter said the rebooted comp was a tremendous success.
‘‘Compared with overseas, where bartending is seen as a legitimate profession, New Zealand bartenders don’t get many opportunities to compete regularly or get professional support.’’
The exam contained questions about cocktail history, spirit production, and general knowledge of common drinks. ‘‘At what percentage does gin come out of the still?’’
For the blind taste test, each taster had a possible three marks, with questions such as identifying the alcohol percentage, what it was made from and who or what company had made it.