Double win for Nelson bar at major cocktail comp

Nelson bar Kismet is celebrating a double win for two of its team at Beam Suntory’s The Perfect Blend cocktail competition.

Kismet owner Nick Widley won the Professional Award, while Swanny Monthuit, who joined the Kismet team only eight months ago, won the Apprentice Award at the New Zealand Regional Finals held in Auckland.

It’s the first time in the competition's history that two awards have been won by bartenders from the same bar.

Swanny Monthuit and Nick Widley of Kismet.

The Regional Finals involved a mixture of theory and blind tastings culminating in the creation of a cocktail using a range of Beam Suntory products. Entrants were also tasked with generating social media engagement in the build-up to the competition.

Widley and Monthuit will now prepare for the Grand Final of The Perfect Blend, to be held in Queenstown from June 2-6. This stage of the event will involve competitors from across New Zealand and Australia, with the overall winners awarded trips to some of Beam Suntory’s distilleries.