While I am not known to go out drinking a lot I do love a good cocktail. So I’ll admit to you that when Eliza (Gastronomy Gal) tweeted last year that she was going out to sample some of the entries in the World Class Australia cocktail competition I closed my eyes and wished really, really hard that I was going with her. It didn’t work. BUT because she’s gorgeous and loves me I was given the chance to go along with her recently to try out the creations from QLD’s round two winners.

Round two – QLD’s Best Seasonal Cocktail. The brief is simple, create a cocktail using fresh seasonal ingredients. Ketel One vodka and Tanqueray No. TEN gin.

I was running late so sadly cannot report back about the 3rd place winner – Marco Nunes from Canvas in Woolloongabba (A beautiful bar by the way – try the cheese and champagne soaked apricots!). But you can head over to Eliza’s blog to see his summer cocktail.

My first stop was Laruche in the Valley to meet the second place winner. We spoke to Tara Steele about her love of jam making, in particular peach jam which is an ingredient in her cocktail the “Devonshire Gin Jam”. It’s served in a jam jar with red and white tartan fabric. You could describe it as an adult’s lemonade, with a couple of spoonfuls of her homemade peach jam, lemon juice and Tanqueray No. TEN. Then a sprig of fresh rosemary which fills your nose as you drink and transports you straight to an afternoon picnic in a garden. This was my favourite cocktail of the night, easily swayed by the beautiful scone (CWA recipe of course), cream and jam that accompanies the Devonshire Gin Jam.

Tara Steele with her Devonshire Gin Jam afternoon tea – I’m sure you can tell which pics I took myself… with my iphone… in the darkness of the bar.

From Laruche we took a leisurely walk down to Kerbside, tummies filled with baked goods and jam, ready to meet 1st place winner Chris Denman. If you have been to Kerbside you’ll know about the white wooden garden swing. You can sit there gently swaying while your toes brush against the green astro turf that the swing sits above. This is where we were sitting while Chris explained the inspiration for his award winning “Aristocrat’s Punch” was sharing drinks over summer at gatherings with family and friends. Sipping our grapefruit pink cocktails out of dainty tea cups was a lovely way to share the moment and chit chat as the evening came to an end. An icy punch is a perfect drink with friends in the summer heat and I even ordered one for my birthday drinks at Kerbside a couple of weeks later.

Chris Denman with his Aristocrat’s Punch – now on the menu at Kerbside Bar.

I had a great night getting to meet the bartenders and try out their cocktails. Australia’s best cocktail bartender will be sent to to represent our country against the world! To read more about World Class check out http://www.weareworldclass.com/. There are three rounds to determine the state winners and the theme of round three is “The Gentleman’s Cocktail”.