The Spirit World

New Zealand is known for many things: pristine environment; rocky coasts; towering mountains; rugged individuals, sailing competitions. And maybe because of the wildness of the environment and remote location of the country the people have developed a reputation for often taking things to the extreme. This seems to also follow in their cocktail competitions.

For the last several years, the distillers at 42 Below (so named because New Zealand sits on the southern 42nd parallel) have sponsored a competition, called the Cocktail World Cup, to showcase their spirits. 42 Below would hardly be considered a conservative company by any means (check out some of their internet commercials found under “Propaganda” on the site) and this competition is not any sort of namby-pamby competition, mind you, but a week-long series of events to indoctrinate all competitors to the Kiwi way of life.

This year’s competition week runs September 10th - 17th and will be held in Queenstown, New Zealand. Here is their description of the event:

…42 Below flies you to New Zealand, feeds you, puts you up, makes you bungy jump for breakfast, dangles you out of a helicopter and insists you party dangerously hard. All you have to do is bring your bartending skills.

There is actually a cocktail competition, too, although that is barely mentioned on the opening page… 42 bartenders will be selected from around the world. To enter you need to work in a bar that serves 42 Below and must enter a unique cocktail recipe using their vodka or SOUTH gin. July 15th is the entry deadline. (For those of you in the US, especially on the west coast, please remember that the 15th of July arrives 19 hours sooner in New Zealand than it does here!)

ROSE & CINNAMON MARTINI

30 mls (1 oz) 42 Below vodka
30 mls (1 oz) Cannelle or Cinnamon syrup
10 mls (1/3 oz) Rose Water
5 mls (1/6 oz) Monin Rose Syrup
Dash of Vanilla liqueur
Dash of Noilly Prat (dry vermouth)

Chill a Martini glass with ice, and pour the rose syrup and vermouth into the glass. Now fill a mixing glass fill with ice, and pour in 42 Below, Rose Water and Cannelle, and stir for about 10-12 rotations. Discard ice and excess liquid from the Martini glass, and strain the cocktail into the chilled Martini glass.

A rich, decadent cocktail with exotic flavours, which is fantastic with desserts and as a digestif.

Riki Carter - Apartment Bar, Wellington, NZ