By Sacha Delfosse
Melbourne bartender Nick Selvadurai, from Cookie, was crowned the Australian 2013 Disaronno Mixing Star at the national finals held at theloft in Sydney on May 15.
Selvadurai, one of 15 finalists from across the country, took out the top prize with his with his cocktail, The Professor's Perplexing Punch, which was inspired by the film The Prestige. He will now be heading to Amsterdam in July to compete in the Disaronno Mixing Star Global Finals.
Competitors were judged not just on their cocktail entry and knowledge of Disaronno but also on how well they acted out a scene from the movie their cocktail drew its inspiration from.
Guests who attended the finals were also invited to chose their favourtie cocktail of the night – an accolade that went to Sydney bartender, Quynh Nguyen, and his cocktail the Scarlett Rose.
There will be at least another Australian bartender joining Selvadurai in Amsterdam. Former Perth bartender, Tim Laferla (ex- Mechanics’ Institute), who has recently relocated to Manchester in England, took out the northern England heat of the Disaronno Mixing Star competition and has earned himself a place in the global finals.