The world’s biggest selling drinks brand, Moutai, crowned the winner of its prestigious ‘Enter The Dragon 3’ cocktail competition last night at the Sydney Opera House.

Moutai is a brand of baijiu (pronounced “bye-joe”), a traditional Chinese spirit with a history spanning more than 4000 years.

Following an intense final held across two days, Ed Quatermass from Brisbane’s Cuatro Group (Antico, Dr Gimlette, and Death
& Taxes) came out on top with his impressive and innovative cocktail, ‘Beautiful Punch’.

Quatermass took the win from fellow top 10 finalists, Bertie Boekemann (Now and Then, NSW), Brendan Scott Grey (Bar Love, WA), Cristiano Beretta (Pocket Bar Terrigal, NSW), Dave Whitehead (18th Amendment, Geelong VIC), Doris Yiyang Gao (PS40, NSW), Gorge Camorra (Non Disclosure Bar, Geelong VIC), Jono Carr (Chuck & Sons, NSW), and Jenny Wang (Sokyo, QLD), Simon Dacey (Applewood Distillery, SA).

The finalists had five minutes to demonstrate their uniquely crafted cocktails – incorporating 30mL of Moutai – and present them to a panel of expert judges, who included Pasan Wijesena (Earls Juke Joint), Mike Enright (Barrelhouse Group) and Barney Toy (Harbour City Hospitality),

Quatermass’ cocktail wowed the judges with its bold creativity, fusing the iconic Australian flavours of Milo and local shiitake mushroom tincture with coffee liqueurs, vanilla and Moutai Prince.

As winner, Quatermass has been awarded the title of Moutai Master alongside a $10,000 cash prize. His winning ‘Beautiful Punch’ Milo Moutai cocktail will also be available for a limited time in venue.

“Taking part in this year’s Moutai ‘Enter The Dragon 3’ competition has been an unforgettable experience,” Quatermass said. “I am truly thankful to be part of such a close-knit hospitality community and am incredibly proud of being able to represent Brisbane in such a prestigious event.”

Moutai Australia Brand and Marketing Manager Dan Zhao said: “A huge congratulations is in order for all of our finalists who delivered exceptional creativity, knowledge of Moutai and dedication to their craft in this year’s competition. Our judges were incredibly impressed with their innovation and ability to blend flavours while bringing out the rich complexity of Moutai.”

Guests at the announcement of the Enter The Dragon 3 winner were treated to a three-course meal at the Sydney Opera House’s Yallamundi Rooms while enjoying stunning views of the harbour and city skyline. Moutai cocktails were paired with stunning short performances by musicians from Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

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