The Blend by Beam Suntory

THE PERFECT BLEND 2017

In late 2016, The Perfect Blend invited bartenders across the nation with the addition of New Zealand, (who also launched The Blend program last year) to submit their original creation and interpretation of a ‘Whiskies of the World‘ cocktail using the Beam Suntory portfolio.

The Perfect Blend caters to all types of bartenders; those new to the trade compete against those with similar experience, and those who have had more time behind the stick, battle it out against those alike. This makes it less intimidating, and a more even playing field. 2017 has shown an array of first time competitors taking the stage, and even winning the title.

The 2017 Grand Final of The Perfect Blend was this year held in Hunter Valley, NSW, where 12 bartenders from across Australia and New Zealand battled it out to take home the ultimate prize.

For the 2017 competition, The Blend team received close to 500 entries from across Australia and New Zealand. Six state finals were held, with 58 bartenders competing, and it’s no wonder why, with the epic prize on offer! Both category winners received a once in a lifetime trip to Kentucky, the home of bourbon to visit the Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark Distilleries, as well as meeting the master distillers, before heading to NYC to party like a rock star, checking out some of the world’s top bars and taking as much as they could bite out of The Big Apple.

GRAND FINAL WRAP

The Grand Final featured two days of activities ahead of the competition, including a Kentucky feast and whisk(e)y pairing matched by The Exchange ambassadors Dan Woolley and Erica Richards.

The second day saw ambassadors Matt Barnett and Brendon Rogers chat to the competitors about all things tiki before being required to complete a range of ‘unique’ but educational challenges put together by Bill Bewsher and Michael Nouri.

On competition day, when the mood turned serious, the Grand Final comprised of three key sections; a knowledge section featuring a blind tasting and an exam; an innovative section with a Mystery Box challenge, and a pre-prepared session with a Highball serve and Signature serve presentation. The Mystery Box round had a twist (as always). Each question correctly answered in the exam and blind tasting earned 10 seconds in the pantry. Therefore, the better the exam score, the more time bartenders had in the pantry to select ingredients and work out what kind of cocktail they’d make for the challenge. Once an ingredient was taken from the pantry, it wasn’t replaced so those being

last into the pantry had a much more limited selection.

The Mystery Box round gave each competitor just eight minutes to create a delicious drink, with their choice of Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam Rye, Jim Beam Double Oak, and Jim Beam White Label. The Professionals were up first, while the Apprentice category sat in the audience. Apprentices took some notes from the pros and followed soon after, impressing the judges with their on the spot creations.

The final round featured a Whisk(e)y Highball challenge and Whisk(e)y Signature serve challenge, giving bartenders the chance to make their own take on the famed Highball cocktail, and to showcase their storytelling ability with a signature drink that was either a shared cocktail that relives a memory, one that celebrates an occasion or memory or one that recreated a classic cocktail to highlight and complement their story.

It was tough for the judges deciding on the winners with the array of talent and quality of cocktails served up. In the end, Evan Stroeve from Sydney’s Shady Pines Saloon took out the Apprentice category, while Adelaide’s Ollie Margan from Maybe Mae took out the Professional category. This was Margan’s second time competing in The Perfect Blend, showing that persistence does pay off, “This was the second year of the comp and my second time through to the Grand final so I had a slight edge perhaps? It was such a great feeling, and now to tick that off and enjoy the comp from a judges point of view next year will be ace. I think knowing I had done it before (compete at that level) allowed me to be more relaxed and comfortable in my presentation”, said Margan.

Drinks World caught up with both winners to gain some insight into the competition. Evan Stroeve said, “As an amateur, and my first competition, the hardest part was staying composed on stage. It’s a completely different style of bartending. I was sh****g myself. A few shots of Jim Beam Rye, and an insanely picturesque background made it all a little easier.” When asked about the level of competition in the final, Ollie Margan commented, “This was definitely the most difficult competition I have been involved in. A really strong class of bartenders were involved, representing some of the most accomplished and reputable cocktail establishments in the country.”

Keep an eye out for the 2018 competition, with entries open from September 4 until November 4, 2017. The competition challenges bartenders to created a signature drink to ‘Celebrate the Occasion’, paying homage to a historical moment in time, a personal achievement, your favourite cultural day, a significant birthday, graduation or event in your life. Interpretation is as you make it. The prize for this trip is none other than a trip to Kentucky, visiting the Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam distillery, then winners will be taken down to Bayou country to New Orleans for an week at Tales of the Cocktail, the world’s premier cocktail festival. 2017 Apprentice winner Evan Stroeve spoke highly of the competition, “Everyone brought original ideas. Everyone was looking to push the boundaries and challenge common conceptions of what constitutes a modern cocktail. The calibre of bartending, in my opinion, was one of the highest that I’ve seen in one place, and I would urge anyone considering entering in 2018 to do so.”

For more information check out the-blend.com.au

Celebrate The Occasion

HOW IT WORKS

• Log on to www.the-blend.com.au • Choose the whisk(e)y region you would like to represent • Select your ‘hero’ whisk(e)y from the Beam Suntory portfolio • State which category you are entering (Apprentice or

Professional) • Describe with detail the ‘occasion’ you have chosen and why • Submit your entry