Aucklander Crowned Appleton Estate National Cocktail Champion!

Barney Toy from Auckland’s Suite Bar is jetting off to Jamaica after being crowned the winner of Appleton Estate Rum’s fifth National Cocktail Invitational last night at Wellington’s Matterhorn bar.

Barney, from Mt Eden, was triumphant in the face of stiff competition against Yvonne Gray from Queenstown’s Bar Up and Jason Clarke from Betty’s in Wellington.

The Auckland bartender impressed judges with his standout Beetroot Mai Tai, a delicious fusion of Appleton Estate 8 Year Old, Homemade Beetroot syrup, Orgeat, Pimento Dram, fresh lime juice and bitters.

“It was quite a humbling experience getting to bartend next to some of New Zealand’s best bartenders in the final, and great to have the chance to compete. Even more amazing will be going to Jamaica at the end of October, of course. It’s been an intense 24 hours, to say the least,” he says.

Barney will represent New Zealand in the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum 2011 Bartender Tour to Jamaica. He will take part in the showcase with other cocktail making elite from the South Pacific and Caribbean including Australia, Cayman Islands, Barbados, St Maarten and St Kitts.

As part of his prize, Barney will also have a chance to spend time with Joy Spence, the world renowned Master Blender for Appleton Estate and of course visit the famed Appleton Estate, home of one of the finest rum ranges in the world.

Nigel Owen, Brand Manager of Appleton Estate at Lion, says Barney’s true passion for the art of cocktail making undoubtedly shone through on the night.

“We’ve been so impressed by the talent and sheer breadth of creativity that has come through in this competition and that made judging a really tough job. Each of the three finalists found a way to connect with Appleton’s Estate Rum and using it in the cocktail recipes they created. But we had to choose and we would like offer our congratulations to Barney as well as everyone else that entered,” he says.

Each of the three finalists beat out five other competitors in their regional final to win their place in the Grand Final. Each competitor was personally invited to submit their two favourite cocktail recipes and then received a personal visit at their bar from the judging panel as well as being ‘mystery shopped’ on their performance. Their sales of Appleton Estate were also taken into consideration.

The judging panel included Frankie Walker (Lion’s Luxury Spirits Ambassador), Allen McCormick (General Manager of The Rum Company), Nigel Owen (Brand Manager for Appleton Estate) and local Lion New Zealand sales people.

Barney Toy’s winning recipe

I Got Beetroot on My Tie
60ml Appleton Estate 8 Year Old
30ml Homemade Beetroot syrup
15ml Orgeat
5ml Pimento Dram
30ml Fresh lime juice
2 dash Peychaud’s Bitters

Shake hard and strain on ice in a very fancy short glass. Garnish with sprig of sage and enjoy!