Our new 78° Sunshine State Gin was launched in style last week with a cocktail competition final held at Purple Palm Bar in Brisbane.
The inaugural cocktail competition was created by 78 Degrees’ distilling team to challenge local bartenders to create an innovative cocktail that showcased the new gin’s unique and bright flavours, and incorporated presentation, creativity, use of ingredients and balance of flavour.
The competition attracted a large number of high calibre entries from across Queensland, which was shortlisted to just six finalists. All finalists then presented their creations live to a panel of judges at the Purple Palm launch. The judging panel included Daniel Gregory (The Gresham), Marco Nunes (Allara Learning), and Jared Thibault (FnB Collective).
“We were thrilled to see so many people go to such lengths to create unique and tasty drinks with the just-launched Sunshine State Gin,” says Jared. “The competition was tough, and there were some really creative, well-made, and perfectly balanced drinks presented.”
The top prize on the night was awarded to Andie Bulley from Saville Row bar in Fortitude Valley, with her fantastic ‘Sunny State Punch’ cocktail. Andie’s winning cocktail not only stood out for its use of Sunshine State Gin’s unique blend of tropical fruit, but also for its innovative and thoughtful efforts to address ingredient sustainability.
“The winning drink was very creative, utilising ingredients that included a fruit waste verjuice and a passionfruit mead. The balance was great and the Sunshine State gin really shone through,” says Jared.
Andie’s prize included a $500 voucher to spend across Talisman Group’s stable of venues, as well as $500 cash. More Sunshine State Gin cocktail competitions are planned in other states over the coming months.
Sunshine State Gin has been crafted using only the finest juicy mangoes, overripe pineapple, and passionfruit sourced from Queensland. Bottled at 42% ABV, this dry and well-balanced gin has all the bright and refreshing notes of the hero botanicals used, making it perfect for summer sipping or mixing in cocktails like a Giña Colada or Sunshine Fizz. Originally a limited release created specifically for Purple Palm Bar, Sunshine State Gin has had such a great response that we’ve decided to introduce it into our core gin range.
Click here to purchase 78° Sunshine State Gin online.
Also available for purchase at our cellar door at Lot100 in the Adelaide Hills, or through select retailers and venues nationwide.
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