Golden Rule Wins Gold

IMMEDIATELY UPON BEING CROWNED THE WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN CHAPTER OF THE BACARDÍ LEGACY COCKTAIL COMPETITION, ADAM DOW FROM DEAD RINGER IN SYDNEY SPOKE WITH DRINKS TRADE ABOUT HIS JOURNEY TO VICTORY WITH THE GOLDEN RULE COCKTAIL.

Congratulations for making the best cocktail of the night with The Golden Rule. How do you feel?

Numb.

How tough is it to get this far in Bacardí Legacy?

I have been working at the same bar for four years making classic cocktails everyday and getting better and better at my job so it feels like a reward for loyalty. The concept of the drink came to me at the after party for the event last year. I was upset at my performance at the Top 8 and I decided I was going to have another go. This time I prepared well. I called all the Bacardí Legacy past winners and got advice from them, including from Alex Boon, part of the Speakeasy Group who had won Global World Class, my boss Tim Phillips who had also won Global World Class and the others. I felt I left no stone unturned.

What is the most challenging part of this competition?

Coming up with a drink that has a story that resonates with everyone and is replicable. The bartender on the cruise ship has to be able to make it. It is a bit of a slog. I have another three months of campaigning to win the Global. There is a lot of pressure.

Tell me about your inspiration behind the cocktail?

My inspiration was Danny Meyers book, Setting the Table. For anyone who hasn’t read that and is in hospitality I very much recommend they do because it is a bible for service. The Golden Rule is treat others as you would want to be treated. It sounds obvious but it isn’t because you can’t treat every customer the same way and I guess that was the message I was getting across. For me it was tangible.

What makes a Legacy cocktail?

I was reading an article by Tom Walker who won the Bacardí Legacy Comp. and was bartending at the American Bar in the Savoy at the time and he said, your cocktail needs to have a story and a reason to live on. All of the drinks that come up even in the Top 8 or Top 30 stage are all great drinks. Mine is a little bit of a rip on a daiquiri which was not my intention but just the way it came out – so there needs to be a point of difference but a point of reference. You can’t be making anything too weird because it isn’t replicable.

What are you looking forward to with the Bacardí Legacy Global Cocktail Challenge in Miami?

Competing on the global stage and representing Australia. I wanted to be Ricky Ponting when I grew up but instead I have the chance to be the next Fred Siggins. This is a job half done; I want to go over there and win the lot.

What will taking the Global do for your career?

For a start you get to go back to the Globals every year and you get to align yourself with the Bacardí brand. They are great group of people and they have great brands.

What is your favourite cocktail?

My favourite would be the negroni or the martini. I’m a pretty simple Aussie guy who loves sport and my mates.

Adam Dow will represent Australia at the Bacardí Legacy Global Competition 2020 in Miami in May.