Chanel Campbell (30), of Dunedin lounge bar Carousel, is the only South Island bartender competing in the annual Glenfiddich Untouchables bartender contest in Wellington on September 1.
Her entry, Todian Spring, inspired by a Robbie Burns poem, is a hot toddy made of 12-year-old whisky, oolong flower tea, pear and cinnamon jelly and half a nashi pear served in a brandy balloon glass.
"It is a winter warmer," she said with a smile.
Miss Campbell, a bartender for four years, said more people were drinking whisky, and a cocktail was one way of introducing the public to the drink, although she preferred her whisky served only with ice.
The competition, which is in its second year, requires New Zealand bartenders to show their creativity with a Glenfiddich single malt whisky. Other entrants may use such diverse ingredients as pheasant eggs and red chilli. Miss Campbell is up against seven North Island-based competitors.
The maker of the best cocktail wins a VIP trip to the Glenfiddich distillery in Scotland and a chance for their bar to host the 2010 final.
