After two days of fierce competition, Melbourne's Jack Sotti has been announced as Bartender of the Year at the Diageo Reserve World Class Australian finals this week.
Sotti is currently mixing drinks at Eau-de-Vie, Melbourne, and will step behind the bar at Boilermaker House on Lonsdale Street when it opens late May.
Twenty-five finalists were selected from more than 400 entrants to compete in a series of challenges at Strickland House in Vaucluse, Sydney, such as blending whisky, creating a low-alcohol "welcome drink" and a time challenge to make three world-class cocktails in less than five minutes.
Judges included Matt Preston and Three Blue Ducks' Darren Robertson.
Challengers were judged on criteria including artistry, innovation, balance, technique and visual aesthetic.
"This competition is the of the bartending world," Matt Preston said in a statement.
Previous winners of the global bartending competition Australian division include Tim Phillips of Bulletin Place bar and Charlie Ainsbury and Luke Ashton, who combined prize money and opened Darlinghurst small bar, This Must Be The Place, in February.
Sotti will now battle the world's best bartenders at the Diageo Reserve World Class global finals in Cape Town, South Africa.
Diageo is a multinational spirits company that owns brands such as Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray and Hennessy.
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