How to navigate cocktail competitions: tips from Brisbane’s best bartenders

Welcome to Sidecar No Sugar, a weekly Boothby newsletter about Brisbane bars and the people, work and creativity that grounds it. (You can sign up to get it in your inbox each week, right here.) This week, I’ve asked four Brisbane bartenders how they navigate cocktail competitions. 

If you have info the Brisbane bar community should know, please email me contact@beccawang.com.au or send me a message via Instagram (@supper.partying).

As someone whose only cocktail competition experience is entering Greenhorn once (I was shortlisted but had to drop out because of the flu), I have ample respect for those who have the drive and creativity to consistently enter and compete in these rat races. These competitions are more than just weeks of R&D, taking immaculate photographs and making delicate garnishes – you almost have to hone an entire story and brand. One must tap into storytelling, precision and performance under pressure. 

I’ve consulted a few Brisbane bartenders who have CVs full of entering and winning competitions. From packing extra glassware to projecting your voice, they’ve shared their top tips for standing out and making a lasting impression (when you feel like you might have a nervy-b).

Loic Mouchelin, Sante Cocktail Bar

“Everyone knows I like cocktail comps by now, I enter lots of them but every single one of them is different, the drink is different, the brand is different, judges with different viewpoints and tastes, so there is no routine in them for me really. But there is always a structure in the lead up to the competition that helps me get prepared.

“One of the people who trained me years ago always told me that in competition, it’s rarely the best bartender or best drink who wins, it’s the person who is the most prepared, and I think it is very true. 

“If it’s a live competition I think it’s important to prepare for the worst-case scenario, especially when travelling interstate or overseas. Chances are something is going to break in your luggage. I always take way too much of everything. If I need three glasses, I’ll take six in case of a break. I don’t put my homemade ingredients in bottles anymore, I put them in vac sealed bags and pack the bottles aside for it. When I flew to Italy for the Amaro Montenegro global finals, half my glassware broke in my luggage so I had to run around trying to find glassware. For Bartender of The Year two years ago, when my luggage was on the belt at the airport it was dripping liquid. A bottle of an ingredient for the top three round had completely shattered but luckily enough, I didn’t make it through that year.

“I think you also need to think about the drink you are going to enter simply because you don’t know what will be available for you at the venue where the competition is held. Some venues are ready for everything, some a lot less. Ice quality can be very different, freezer or fridge space limited, etc. These are things you need to think about ahead of time. On the day it will be too late or too stressful to change things or adapt. 

“I don’t really know what else can be said except enjoy yourself, it’s a competition but they are still fun. If you don’t find any kind of fun in them, I don’t think you should enter these things. Much like your job, I believe it should never be a chore. You need to enjoy it to do well. We always say that passion is contagious, but so is fun and happiness!”

Jacob Cohen, Savile Row

“First and foremost, read the brief, read the brief. Every big comp will have a full instruction manual on literally how to win the competition. If you read that thoroughly and cater your entry around those instructions it’s at very least hard to not get in and that gets you a better chance of winning. Once you’re in, understand who you’re making this drink for – your judges and the brand specifically. Understand what they love and what their brand ethos is. Finally, your story should have some reason. I have been guilty of making up a story to fit a cocktail many times — as most people who’ve done many competitions have — but I find you’ll always be more authentic in your storytelling and public speaking ability if your story actually means something to you. And make a balanced drink – people overcomplicate everything. It is ridiculous. You will inevitably make a worse drink if you overcomplicate things just for the sake of it. Balance is becoming a lost art.” 

Ellery Low, Dark Red

“When presenting, I’ve always told people to imagine you’re behind your own bar and the judges are regular customers. If you’re excited and believe in your drink, you’ll be more confident and that will reflect onto the judges. You don’t need to rush through every single fact about your entry, take your time and choose what is important — allow your personality to shine.”

Liam Shepherd, Spirits Platform

“First of all: enter! You can’t be in it to win it if you don’t enter and early on in my career I was in finals with people who were much more experienced and accomplished than me. I learnt so much so quickly in that space just by being there, watching them present and asking for advice. I also got to practice presenting and try different styles, which meant that when I was on larger stages in front of big crowds, I could keep it cool.

“Understand the comp you’re entering – they’re all unique just as every brand is unique. You learn different things from different comps; for example, World Class teaches you to be thorough because they ask for very precise method and to do well you have to be on it with the why of every detail. A local comp might not ask for the finer points of your ferment, but instead focus on how well you’re connecting yourself to the brand’s story. The more you do, the more well-rounded as a competitor you become. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘this isn’t World Class’ disparagingly, but sometimes it applies – not every comp is asking you to reinvent the wheel.

“Understanding that a comp criteria is basically a cheat sheet for how to score the maximum points possible was important – if the criteria mentions garnish specifically but you serve a no garnish drink, even if it suits your amazing drink concept, there’s points left on the table and it could be the difference. 

“Lastly, taste your drink. You might not want to make your complicated ferment or 60 day syrup until you’ve made the finals, but approximate it at least to test the balance.”

The Last Word

• Bar Monte from the Light Years team is opening in Newstead early September – expect Italian small plates, a 100-bottle wine list and a minimal-waste cocktail menu. 
• Before + After celebrated their third birthday on the 8th September — happy birthday to them!