Cocchi Finalists Announced
A flush of inspired cocktails from around the country celebrating Cocchi's unique ability to elevate and illuminate.
The Cocchi competition hosted by Tickety-Boo Liquor is one of the exciting new additions to the cocktail competition landscape this year. Offering the finalists an escape to Martinborough, nearly 30 entries followed themes of zero-waste, low-alcohol flavour bombs and textural odyssey.
The calibre of thoughtful entries paying tribute to the diverse world of Cocchi and the vermouth category as a whole, speaks volumes about the talent and expansion of drinking styles emerging around New Zealand.
Your finalists:
Cocchi Cino: Inspired by days that start sat in a café around Auckland CBD, and nights that start with something light and slightly bitter, Cocchi vermouth fits this mold excellently. The Cocchi Cino is charged with CO₂ at the base, the Americano foam is charged with N₂O and layered on top, the two different textures give a uniquely silky mouth feel. While the drink may look luxe and dense, it’s surprisingly light & spritzy & aperitif style in execution.
Cocchi Torino
Coffee Liqueur
Soda
Walnut Bitters
Garnish: Nitrous Oxide Charged Cocchi Foam
Cory Evans, The Last Word (Christchurch)
The Love Bomb: A light and bright summer martini with beautiful floral and fruity notes followed by delicate note of vanilla custard. The perfect after work summer sophistication. A cocktail created out of two loves, starting with memories of eating rock melon on hot summer days back in Canada. As a fruit that's very seasonal it was always something that was a short lived treat. The second is the rare, bright wet martini when the most common request from martinis these days over the bar is, the dirtier the better. The desire was to bring a spot light to the diversity of the classic martini and not just the social norm.
Rock melon infused gin
Cocchi Americano
Orange bitters
Honeyed saline solution
Garnish: a lemon zest and rock melon balls on a bamboo skewer.
Rytis Tamulis, Teresa (Napier)
Polibibita Popolare (futurist drink for the people): Inspired by one of the most iconic aperitivo food in italy, prosciutto e melone, matched with one of the most iconic italian cocktail, the Americano. Dynamic and energetic invention, brilliant inspiration for both heart and soul, Polibibita Popolare is the aperitivo of futurist art.
Cocchi Rosa
BBQ rockmelon skin 'bitter aperitivo'
Ricotta & Rockmelon cream soda
Garnish: Prosciutto, ricotta, and Candied rock melon
Method: Build & carbonating
Federico Casadei, Hawthorn (Wellington)
Primo: Legend has it the Americano was born to celebrate the success of the boxer Primo Carnera, the first Italian athlete to win the world boxing title in 1933 in New York, America. Primo is a riff of this great aperitif. Fresh and aromatic notes from Amaro dopo teatro, cocchi di Torino Vermouth. Hazelnut, honey and cheese is also a tribute to some of the most iconic flavors from my town Torino. The American and Italian flavours combine for a reunion and tribute.
Cocchi di Torino vermouth
Cocchi dopo teatro amaro
Applejack
Hazelnut and cacao Falernum
Top with apple cider
Garnish: Honey wax (Bra duro from Piemonte , Italy)
Luke Salmon, Daphnes (Auckland)
Rosa: The Rosa cocktail is an expression of Cocchi’s very own Rosa vermouth. Designed to showcase the vermouth itself and enhance its natural beauty in an elegant and sophisticated manor. The ingredients have been carefully selected to promote sustainability and reduce the impact on the environment, using non-perishables, without impacting on the final product. This drink is very flexible and can be served up or down, on the rocks with no garnish, or simply poured over ice and soda for those hot summer days.
Cocchi Rosa
London Dry Gin
Monin Strawberry Syrup
Citric Acid
Peychaud’s Bitters
Garnish: Rose foam
Kelle Roberts, Crumpet (Wellington)
A Drifter’s Adventure: Based on time in Vietnam and the first full night out experiencing different forms of cocktails and flavours, leading to an interest in vermouth and kickstarting a love for bartending. Despite a myriad of intricate cocktails and techniques available, sometimes simpler methods of cocktail making can still provide the complexity many enjoy.
Cocchi Rosa
Dr Beak Umeshu Gin Liquor
House - Made Lemongrass Cordial
Spumante
Soda Water
Method: Built
Garnish: Lemongrass Stalk
The finalists now travel for a taste and experience adventure of their own - treated to a proper Italian style 2 day trip to the beautiful Martinborough. Filled with hospitality, food, wine, masterclasses, workshops, mindfulness. Shared with an awesome group of top NZ bartenders. Before travelling back to their regions, they will then spend a day in Wellington to compete for the winning title - NZ 'Cocchi Futurist' 2024.