42BELOW unleashes the 2011 'Carnival of the Cocktail'
Tuesday 15 March 2011, 8:03AM
By 42BELOW
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 & Belinda Henley perform a tandem bungy in Queenstown (1).jpg)
What do 21 bartenders, three ringleaders, four judges, a contingent of international media and two Playboy playmates add up to? The 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup 'Carnival of the Cocktail".
The world class bartending competition is in its seventh year and this time it’s delving into the magical and mystical world of the carnival, with the slogan 'let's get weird'. And there's nothing weirder than being thrown off the Kawarau Bridge, 43 metres above an icy river within minutes of arriving in New Zealand’s adventure capital, Queenstown.
Teams Italy, London, Scotland, Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand all threw themselves into their first activity with the enthusiasm, style and flair which has come to symbolise the worlds most extreme, fiercely contested and best respected cocktail making competition.
We were particularly impressed with playmate Jordan Monroe, here to cover the event for Playboy magazine and associated online sites, pulling off a tandem bungy after much cajoling and encouragement from an enthusiastic bunch of bystanders.
The contestants were then taken to Moonlight Stables, near Lake Hayes, for a traditional Maori welcome and four course degustation dinner with cocktails matched by the US 42BELOW brand ambassadors. The spectacular drinks included a ‘South Island’ made with 42BELOW Passion Vodka, Pinot Noir, Vincotto, cloudy apple juice and an orange-rosemary ‘island’ which was matched to a rack of Kawakawa crusted Cardrona valley lamb rack.
‘While there is a lot of fun to be had, don’t forget this is a competition with the ability to change your professional lives. We want to see the best you have to offer with creativity and originiality the key components of your drinks, “ said 42BELOW global marketing director Dion Nash
The competition begins in earnest tomorrow with the ‘Modern Mocktail’ challenge on the Shotover Jet followed by a food and drink matching challenge which will be unveiled for the first time at Peregrine winery and guest judged by top New Zealand chef Rex Morgan.
As well as the world’s best bartenders, the competition has also attracted the industry’s most influential names as judges, including cocktail author and historian David Wondrich from New York, and the ‘maestro’ of the UK cocktail making scene Salvatore Calabrese.
The 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup champions will be decided at a final event held under a big top marquee at Lake Hayes showgrounds on Friday. Tickets are still available to Queenstown’s party of the year with all proceeds going to the Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund.