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Sydney’s Tim Philips wins Diageo World Class
Australian bartender Tim Philips has been named Diageo’s Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year 2012 at the competition’s grand final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Tim Philips, Diageo World Class Bartender 2012 – Source: Ian Gavan/Getty Images Europe
Philips, from Hemmesphere bar in Sydney, was picked out by judges from 50 other contestants with his signature ‘twisted chic’ serve Hot Toddy Australia, a blend of Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, honey, cinnamon quill, ginger and ‘innovative technique’.
His “ingenuity, vision, and insightful interpretation of the Retro Chic trend” were cited as the reason he know joins the likes of Manabu Ohtake, Erik Lorincz and Aristotelis Papadopoulos as a Diageo World Class winner.
“I am thrilled and humbled to be awarded Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year amongst all the exceptional talent I was competing alongside this week,” Philips said. “Diageo Reserve World Class is taking bartending from a humble trade to a profession. If I can be an ambassador for that, it’s a dream come true.
“I have been inspired this week by the high standards and limitless talent and look forward to the year ahead, travelling the world, meeting my peers and continuing to create experiences through my creations that immerse customers in another world.”
Four regional winners were chosen following Philips’ coronation:
Asia Pacific
Kae Yin, Marsalis, Taiwan
Western Europe
Fjalar Goud, Vesper Bar, Netherlands
Rest of World (UAE, USA, Russia)
Jimmy Barrat, Zuma, UAE
Latin America and Caribbean
Stephon Scott, On Deck Pub at Tradewinds Hotel, Trinidad
All 50 finalists were required to demonstrate their skills through a series of challenges that explored a number of fast growing cocktail trends, focusing particularly on Retro Chic drinks from the 1950s and 1960s.
Other challenges the finalists were asked to explore included: Tropical Journey; Hollywood, Bollywood, Hong Kong; Cocktail Mastery; Food Matching; Rio Street Market; Cocktails Against the Clock; and Signature Specials.