Scapegrace launches search for NZ’s best bartender

Scapegrace Distilling Co. has launched a national competition to find New Zealand’s best cocktail maker.

The Scapegrace: Uncharted Spirits cocktail competition challenges bartenders to make a cocktail that showcases a unique characteristic of New Zealand’s terroir.

The competition is open now and entries will be accepted until June 30. Regional finals will be held in August to select four national finalists who will each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Central Otago for the National Final at Scapegrace’s new Central Otago distillery in October.

The overall winner will receive $1,000 and a trip to Central Otago to judge the competition in 2025.

Entrants’ cocktails must contain at least 40ml of a Scapegrace product (Scapegrace Classic, Black, Blood Moon, Gold, Vodka or any Scapegrace Single Malt Whisky) and at least one championed ingredient, which represents an allocated region.

Participants in Auckland must use a component highlighting the South Island's West Coast or Fiordland. Wellington entrants have been allocated Nelson Tasman, while Christchurch competitors will work with flavours from the Central Plateau. Queenstown entrants are looking to the Far North for inspiration for their drink.

Scapegrace Product Development & Advocacy Manager Mikey Ball says they were inspired to create the competition as they explored the local flavours of Central Otago, where the brand is building New Zealand’s largest-ever distillery. “The idea of supplying a specific area is to guide people into learning and researching an area of New Zealand they may not have a huge amount of knowledge about,” said Ball.

“This will hopefully be uncharted territory for each entrant, and they’ll find some new ingredients and cultures to play with.”

W: Find out more about Scapegrace: Uncharted Spirits competition here