The winner of the Australian Bartender 2019 Bartender of the Year sponsored by BACARDÍ & De Kuyper, Alex Gondzioulis, can be found behind the stick at Sydney bar, Bulletin Place.
And when you take a look at one of the two winning recipes Gondzioulis presented in the Top 8 round in front of 650 of the industry’s best at the Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards, you can see that Bulletin Place influence.
There’s the classic presentation, with the red-coloured drink served on one crystal-clear block of ice, a simple garnish, and an elegant glass. And there’s all the work that goes into this drink before it is batched and carbonated — there’s the pear wine (which itself can take weeks to make), the Amarillo cordial, the Geraldton wax verjus.
Oh, and there’s the fact that this drink is hands-down delicious.
Take a look at the recipe below, and read our interview with the 2019 Bartender of the Year here.
Fine Times
- 160 ml Rochwork Orange Frontignac
- 120 ml pear wine
- 40 ml dry flor apera
- 40 ml De Kuyper Mango
- 80 ml Geraldton wax-infused verjus
- 80 ml tamarillo cordial
- 10 ml rice wine vinegar
- 100 ml coconut water
- Batch and chill to 3 degrees Celsius.
- Carbonate 3 times at 42 psi using a carb rig, and leave to rest between carbonations for at least 15 minutes.
- Serve in a stemless wine glass over a large clear block of ice.
- Garnish with a pear slice pickled in Geraldton wax verjus.