On Monday 8 June, seven finalists descended upon the Frogs Hollow in Brisbane to compete for a trip to the Massenez distillery in France.
The competition was jointly hosted by Massenez and Cerbaco Distributions, Massenez’s Australian distributor. From 140 entries, seven finalists were chosen based on their Massenez-based cocktail and amuse bouche pairing.
Brisbane was represented by home team finalists Ellery Low from Maker, Cécile Shoen from Alba, and Richard Liu from Leonards. From other states, the finalists were Finn Sugrue from Recess in Geelong, Charles Chang from Sydney’s Moku, Enzo Negri Di Giacomo from Lulu in Bondi, and Tom Opie from Four Pillars Lab.
On the night, finalists each made two serves of their cocktails; one for judging, and one to be auctioned off to the awaiting audience. The proceeds of the auction were donated to Women’s Health and Equality Queensland, with $765 raised on the night.
Cécile and Tom were selected for the second round, where they each presented a cocktail they had crafted based on the Massenez mystery box. The mystery box contained newly released Massenez baguette and Roquefort liqueurs, and the contestants had an hour to design a new cocktail recipe prior to the final. Both Cécile and Tom chose the Roquefort liqueur to star in their second round creations.
Ultimately, Tom’s cocktail won him the competition, and he is set to travel to France to visit the Massenez distillery as part of the prize. Tom was surprised and excited by the win.
“I’m super proud and super stoked. I never expect to win anything, and when seeing the other amuse bouches and drinks, I was worried and very nervous. […] You never know how something is going to be perceived, so it’s nice when people enjoy the drink and the chat. I’m very happy, and the competitors were super nice. Shout out to them for being legends,” Tom said.
The Roquefort liqueur was a natural choice for Tom, who gravitates towards the funky and fermented in his bartending.
“I think the knowledge I have of fermentation is able to be used to not only create new flavour profiles but also add texture, sometimes umami and acidity that you can’t get any other way,” Tom explained. “I feel it really levels up the experience for not only me as the creator but definitely the guest and can inspire someone along the way.”
As a Wollongong local and proud Wiradjuri man, Tom said that he hopes his win will inspire other regional and Indigenous bartenders to further their careers.
“I’m very proud to be a Wiradjuri man, hopefully setting an example for other First Nations people in the industry,” he commented. “I also want to set an example for regional bartenders, that if your idea is good enough, it doesn’t matter where you’re from. Throw your hat in the ring!”
