Iconic Beverages has joined forces with Larrikin Gin on a bottled cocktail competition, with the winning entry being bottled and sold nationwide.

The competition is already underway, and you have until Tuesday, 3 March to submit your entry, so the time is now to conjure up a taste of Australia, which Dean Terranova, the Managing Director of Iconic Beverages, told TheShout is the aim for this competition.

“Larrikin is about bringing the flavour of Australia to the consumer, and what we want to do is bring regional flavours, and flavours from all parts of Australia to venues and consumers around the country.

“Larrikin’s lead product is a bushtucker gin called Sunburnt Country, and it’s the only bushtucker gin in the world. So the guys at Larrikin are really adamant about delivering flavours of Australia, and what better way to do that than going to bartenders around Australia.

“The skillset of the bartenders in this country is world class and we’ve put this together to entice people to pick up these brands and try them in their bars; but also give us a recipe that we can take to the market and really celebrate the flavours of Australia.”

Terranova said the reason they decided to go with a bottled cocktail competition was simply the ease of then taking the winning drink around the country. Batched cocktails are now accepted as good practice in bars and venues all over the country and it also means that consumers will be able to enjoy the drink in their own home.

“We wanted to do something that hasn’t been done before and celebrate a flavour created by someone in the industry and then bring that to everyone. The beautiful thing is the distillery itself can do small or large runs, so it’s a flexible production facility. So why not give it a crack and do something for the first time? Just go and have some fun with it.”

The full details of the competition, and requirements for the cocktail are on the competition website, but essentially the cocktail should be a 500ml serve, with at least 120ml of Larrikin gin used. Avoid dairy and perishable ingredients – it must be suitable to be commercially made and shelf stable while unopened.

Ideally, Terranova said, it should be designed for just pouring over ice, or topped with a mixer if necessary.

The entries will then be judged on the creative concept and then taste and balance, commercial viability, presentation, ease of serve and the added value given to Larrikin Gin in the recipe. The winning bartender and their bar will be featured on the bottles, all over the country – an added incentive to take part.

For the full terms and conditions, entry details and judging criteria head to the Iconic, Larrikin Bottled Cocktail Competition website.

Andy Young

Andy joined Intermedia as Editor of The Shout in 2015, writing news on a daily basis and also writing features for National Liquor News. Now Managing Editor of both The Shout and Bars and Clubs.

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