As the dust settles after the Australian World Class National Finals and winner Jake Down is deep in his preparations for Global Finals in Shanghai, we took the opportunity to pick other finalists brains and reflect on what makes this competition so special.

• Shirley Yeung– Foxtrot Unicorn, WA – 3rd time competing.
• Tom Opie – The Waratah, NSW – 4th year competing.
• James Irvine – Merivale, NSW - 5th time competing.
• Matt Bodycode – State Building, WA – 1st time competing.
• Rohan Massie – Rude Boy, TAS – 6th time competing.

Tom: World Class is really the be-all and end-all of cocktail competitions. It’s more challenging than other competitions which really appeals to me, I want to constantly challenge myself, and be the best I can be, and World Class is the only competition that you can compete in and win and know that you are the best of the best.

Shirley: The standard is much higher and challenges more bartenders. It captures the full experience compared to other competitions because it encourages creativity and thinking outside the box with different challenges that are open to interpretation.

James: World Class is the industry-leading cocktail challenge. It’s the first competition on every bartender’s mind and the most sought-after global cocktail challenge. The initiative, the challenges, the judges and the prestige of World Class make it in a league of its own. 

Matt: World Class has a legacy and prestige that is cultivated over a long period of time. It’s the most widely accessible competition in the world.

When you do enter you realise it will push you further than any competition you have ever done before. At the end, you realise that it has become so much more than anything you have ever done. It’s friendship, mentorship and community.

Rohan: It really pushes the limits of what I can do, and I keep entering because it's the only competition that challenges me like that.

When it comes to the finals you obviously have a brief and things to go through, but the sky is the limit and you’re really encouraged to put down some complex techniques and use flavours that are a little bit out there. I think pushing those boundaries is what World Class is about. 

James: My favourite thing about World Class this year was the competitor pool. There was an incredible array of talent amongst the Top 100, through to an incredibly well-deserved winner in Jake Down.

Tom: Really every aspect of it was my favourite but the people really made it. The sense of camaraderie in the green room was incredible and unlike any other competition experience I’ve had.

Rohan: My favourite part, as always, is getting to hang out with the guys in the green room. Getting to meet Matt and Shirley and Tom who I hadn't met before and seeing James and Jake again. It's networking, but it's also inspirational. You come back with more ideas and more techniques, that's always the best part. 

Shirley: I learned how to deal with pressure, especially for myself. Having three big challenges at first was very hard—I needed to learn how to manage my time and my accountability. For four weeks, I was working full-time and needed to find time to prepare for World Class. Presenting in a different way than usual, adapting my style, managing my time, and being prepared were all crucial. I thought I was 70-80% prepared but realized on the day that I wasn't prepared enough. I had to be able to recover and adapt.

Tom: That it’s a LOT harder than expected haha! The ability to come up with a concept that doesn’t just lie within flavours but ties in brand stories and answers the brief AND of course still tastes delicious is something I’d never done at this level before. Competing on the day brought me back to the fundamentals of bartending – speed, cleanliness, all those things we can sometimes forget when we’re in service in the same bar 5 days a week. Competition in that high-pressure environment makes you lean into the fundamentals and remember how incredibly important they are.

Matt: It taught me that no matter how much you plan there will always be a challenge, and being a World Class bartender to me means being able to deliver no matter what problem is thrown your way.

Tom: The banana and bunya nut serve with Johnnie Walker Gold I made for the Malt Maximalism challenge. It was delicious but more than that it was bringing together my First Nations culture with my passion for sustainable bartending, native ingredients and flavours. Sometimes grappling with my separation from my culture is really difficult and being able to connect with my culture and share it with people on this platform was something I never imagined going into the process.

Shirley: Do it. Just do it.

Especially if it’s your first time, just do it. Commit to creating a drink and submitting it.

The first step that people don't take is exactly this: they don't do it. Look at the resources you have around you - your team, your friends, your brand ambassador and don't be afraid to ask for feedback or ask questions.

Go further - push for feedback, reach out to the brand and work with them. Don't get too hung up on your idea if the feedback is different from what you had in mind.

James: Use your resources; your bar, your team, your Brand Ambassador [shoutout to Kelsey!] and be prepared – check and cross-check everything.

World Class is like no other cocktail competition, it’s like no other regular shift or service!  
Enter the competition with humility and use it as the incredible opportunity that it is, to meet like-minded humans and do what you love on one of the biggest stages. Not everyone gets to say that.

Tom: If you’re going to enter, I think you should do it properly, have a concept and really give it your best shot. Then you know that any feedback you receive is valuable and will help you improve for the next year.

For those who want to enter again and get further than they did last year, dissolve your ego.  Answer the brief even if it’s not something you’d usually do, don’t get caught up on not wanting to post on social media or whatever. Throw yourself into the competition and the brands – find a connection with the brands and build stories. And speak to your brand ambassadors! They’ll help guide you as much as they can.

Shirley: A different type of confidence. Being there with the rest of the competitors and forming connections was great. It solidified the idea that I'm as good as anyone else there. Making it through all three challenges made me feel like I accomplished something significant for myself. It was a goal I set for myself, and coming out on the other end better than I started was incredibly rewarding.

• Enter World Class! Commit to your idea and learn from the feedback or the lessons of the competition.
• World Class is all about community and the journey you go on with your fellow competitors. Those who make it to the finals come out of the competition a different bartender to when they entered.
• World Class is all about pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, so whether it’s your first time or your 6th, throw your hat in the ring again this year!