Scores of bartenders across New Zealand and Australia have put their names in an upcycled-hat for a chance to showcase their amazing sustainable cocktails AND win the chance to travel to Bali on an eco-trip of a lifetime. There are 21 Australian and 21 New Zealand finalists.
These 42 planet-saving hospo rockstars demonstrated their unique approaches to how we can ensure Earth sticks around for as long as she can. But it’s not just buying lime from your local Limery; they really pushed the boat out with a plethora of ideas including:
- Reducing, reusing and recycling regular cocktail ingredients
- Using ingredients that’d normally be tossed after service
- Upcycling fruits
- Using old donuts, and
- Giving a second life to spent coffee grinds.
42BELOW Vodka Professor Jacob Briars said: “They’re all winners in our mind, but now, the Top 42 finalists start their journey to become one of 42BELOW’s Top 4 Australian and New Zealand sustainable bartenders.”
Now begins the process of getting from 42 to 4. Finalists will be judged on the following criteria:
Sustainability – is it genuinely doing good, through planet-friendly practices?
Creativity – inspiration, visually appealing, name, will it taste delicious?
Popularity – read on…
From now until 31st January 2019, consumers and bartenders alike can vote for their favourite cocktails via the 42BELOW Facebook or Instagram pages, ahead of two Australian and two New Zealand winners being announced on 8 February 2019. To help spur the votes onward and upwards, there’s 42 pairs of Norton Point sunnies made from upcycled ocean trash for voters to win in both Australia and New Zealand.
42BELOW’s believes if the planet “carks it”, their pure vodka will be hard to make, and they simply can’t have that. So the prize they have put together is an unforgettable, life-changing experience centered around sustainability, ensuring winners return with an understanding of what it takes to ensure our Ol’ Earthy is A-OK.
Winners will be shipped off on a carbon-offset flight to Bali for a Tour de Trash with 42BELOW partner-in-grime, Gringgo, a super innovative trash-tech startup that’s disrupting the waste sector and striving to #endoceanplasticnow.
The aim is to literally (actually… figuratively) throw them into the deep end of ocean trash so they can see (sorry: sea), first-hand the damage humans are causing. They’ll be:
- Touring Bali to see the impact rubbish has
- Participating in beach clean-ups
- Helping out at recycling plants
- Running a sustainability workshop with Bali’s hospo crowd, and
- Meeting leaders and innovators in the ocean-clean-up industry
The 42BELOW Sustainable Cocktail Showcase aims to promote and celebrate the great work that awesome bartenders are doing to create cocktails which are both sustainable and yum. Humans are churning out so much trash that an island of trash 5 times the size of NZ has accumulated in the Pacific.
42BELOW believes that’s not cool. In fact it sucks. And 42BELOW wants to help ensure #thefuturedoesntsuck.
21 Finalists of 42BELOW’s Sustainable Cocktail Showcase, New Zealand:
- Alex Dunn, Revelry Bar
- Alex Vowles, Hawthorn Lounge
- Ben Newman, Bedford Soda & Liquor
- Benjamin Taylor, Revelry Bar
- Bill Scott, Longroom
- Campbell Bond, Fhloston Paradise
- Geordie Holibar, Mea Culpa
- Guy Jacobson, Cuba Libre
- Jeremy Nivern, Mea Culpa
- Jonny Park, Seafarers Seven
- Jordan Allen, Revelry bar
- Juleon Green, Bedford Soda & Liquor
- Julien Maddalon, Revelry Bar
- Madeleine Tate, Teddy’s
- Jason Rosen, The Parasol & Swing Company
- Pete Coates, Cod & Lobster Brasserie
- Rajitha Dilown Mapitigama, Emporium Eatery Bar & Lounge
- Rob Chacon, Teddy’s
- Stanley Simpson-Wells, The Club (Queenstown)
- Vincent Edfeldt, Revelry Bar
- Zac Goy, Red Light District
