The annual World Class Cocktail Week is back on in May, with seven days of masterclasses, tastings and tutorials by some of Australia’s best bartenders and chefs.
There will be over 100 experiences across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the event runs from 7-13 May, culminating on World Cocktail Day.
Natalie Ng, Australia’s World Class ambassador, believes that the event celebrates the skill, creativity and inspiration that goes into creating cocktails.
“The events provide a fantastic opportunity for venues to showcase what they are best at and guests to experience cocktails in new, fun and interactive ways,” she says.
More than forty events will be held across Sydney during the course of the week, with the award-winning This Must Be The Place presenting a multiple course exploration through the creative minds behind its bar; while an Italian Happy Hour, complete with aperitivo, mortadella and meatballs, will be on at Maybe Frank; attendees can learn how to make margaritas and tacos at home with Barrio Cellar; and taste their way through artisan gelato paired (and created) with Scotch whisky at The Wild Rover.
Not to be outdone, Melbourne is offering another forty bespoke cocktail experiences including a journey through the world of whisky at 1806; the opportunity to learn how to use native Australian ingredients in cocktails at Bad Frankie; a tasting of ‘Seven Cocktails in Seven Days’ at The Ugly Duckling; and a celebration of the Negroni at Nieuw Amsterdam.
In Brisbane, there will be a cocktail menu designed by some of Brisbane’s best at The Bowery; a chance to select your own botanicals to create a dream gin and tonic at Pony Dining; Buffalo Bar will be pairing the classic Reuben sandwich with a World Class Boilermaker; Seymour’s Cocktails and Oysters will host a New Orleans cocktail dinner inspired by historic bars and restaurants in the city; and The Cobbler will present an in-depth masterclass on whisky cocktails at home.
Additionally, World Class Cocktail Week will see two of Australia’s most acclaimed bars swap residence for two night. Bartenders from Melbourne’s Black Pearl will trade places with the team from Sydney’s Bulletin Place, celebrating the close bond between the two bars. Bulletin Place’s founders, Adi Ruiz, Tim Phillips and Robb Sloan, became friends while working at Black Pearl and have retained that sense of comradery in their own staff.
Head to the website for all the details.
Image: @simonshiffphotographer