Rohan Massie, co-owner of Rude Buy in Hobart, has starred at the 2020 Angostura Global Cocktail Competition, taking second place overall as well as the Best Amaro Cocktail award.
Massie won the cocktail award for ‘Hidden Perfection’ which combined Amaro di Angostura with banana wine, beetroot soda, a parsley tincture and Angostura orange bitters.
The competition, which took place in Trinidad & Tobago saw Marv Cunningham of The Bahamas come out on top. Cunningham also won Best Rum Cocktail for his Mas-Curried cocktail which featured Angostura seven-year-old rum, curry shrub, lime juice, cauliflower puree plus Angostura orange and aromatic bitters.
Commenting on the awards, Massie, said: “What an amazing trip and opportunity. Being able to bring this back to Tassie, is everything. It has never happened before and I’m so proud to draw more attention to the Tasmanian bar scene. You always hope to win, but second in the world overall and also, Best Amaro Cocktail in the world is a dream come true.
“As part of the Oceania finals of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge, I am now Oceania Brand Ambassador for the House of Angostura, which gives me a chance to stay close to family while still having an important role working with the brand that I have so much heart for. This trip to Trinidad has helped me understand the soul and flavours of the brand’s heritage more than ever before.”
Speaking about Massie’s performance head judge, Maxwell Britten said: “Rohan is an extremely talented, innovative drinks maker from the fermentation he was working with to the garnish he was using. His presentation was sophisticated, elegant and simple all at once.
I have a lot of respect for Rohan. I’m excited to follow the work he does with Angostura in Oceania. The bar community in the region will learn a lot from his imaginative approach and deep brand knowledge.”
This year’s competition saw the eight finalists take part in an interview before creating two cocktails in seven minutes while entertaining the competition’s judges including James Beard, Britten, Christopher ‘Jillionaire’ Leacock, Eryn Reece, Bar Director at Banzarbar, Angostura Chief Brand Educator, Raymond Edwards, and the 2018 Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge winner, Raymond Letoa.
Peter Sandström, CEO of Angostura, said: “The work every single competitor put in today should be commended. They’ve invested so much time and effort into understanding our rich heritage and deconstructing the flavours of Angostura aromatic bitters, rum and amaro portfolio.
“Rohan is very much part of the Angostura family now. He’ll have plenty of work ahead as our ambassador, as we look to roll out new flavour innovations and premiumise the rum category.”
