Described as the first Trans-Tasman sustainability-focused cocktail competition, competitors were required to create and submit a cocktail championing environmentally sustainable practices - using the Bacardi owned NZ vodka brand.
Entries ranged from ‘Infinity’ that used pear cores that would otherwise be thrown away; ‘From Tank to Table’ which used rain water and ‘Let’s Get Tropical’ which claims to be a "closed loop cocktail” that says it creates zero waste.
The final comprises five Australian bar teams and five Kiwi bars.
42Below brand ambassador Sean Forsyth said: “The 10 teams will be put through their paces learning waste eliminating in bars, sustainable cocktail practices.”
The winning team will get to return to judge next year’s competition alongside Bacardi director of global trade advocacy Jacob Briars. This year, Briars will be supported by Steve Schneider, 42Below Cocktail World Cup winner in 2012, and Bonnie Shearston, owner of Public in Brisbane.
Briars added: “We’re delighted to have Steve and Bonnie judging this year’s competition. It’s so important we have such a highly regarded bartender and bar owner on the panel as we plan to make this the first step in 42BELOW shining a bit of a spotlight on some simple sustainable practices we can do behind the bar; which requires support from both bartender and bar owner."
The 42Below brand is said to have offset all CO2 emissions from the Cocktail Earth Cup thanks to the Ekos Rainforest Carbon Boutique. These offsets come from New Zealand’s first and so far only internationally certified rainforest carbon project, on Maori land in Western Southland.
The competing bars:
This Must Be The Place - Sydney
Jake Down
Elliott Bell
The Press Club - Brisbane
Matthew O’Sullivan
Steven Hubbard
The Halford Bar – Perth
Elise Godwin
Riccardo Baio
Quban - Geelong
Damien Kos
Gorge Camorra
The Collaroy Hotel - Sydney
Kurtis Bosley
Ben Varela
Bedford Soda and Liquor - Auckland
Lorietta Bahr
Phil Spector
Mea Culpa - Auckland
Darren Mynes
Jeremy Nivern
The Gin Room - Auckland
James Millar
Cameron Attfield
Cod & Lobster Brasserie - Nelson
Nick Widley
Pete Coates
LaLaLand - Wanaka
James Crinson
Chris Lehane
