Media Release
Friday, 20 July
The Winners Revealed!
The 2nd annual New Zealand Bartender Magazine Bar Awards took Auckland by storm on Tuesday, 17 July at the Ballroom of
the Hilton Hotel at the picturesque Princes Wharf.
The bar awards is the first awards ceremony dedicated to New Zealand’s bar and bartending industry and recognises the
hard work of bar professionals over the last year. The gala dinner event was held on the first night of Auckland
BarShow; with 15 awards presented over the evening. Over 300 of New Zealand’s leading bar professionals turned out for
the festivities with guests traveling from Christchurch, Queenstown and Napier.
The attached PDF includes all the finalists in each category with the winners listed below. The seven finalists in each
category were collated from thousands of trade votes submitted from all around New Zealand. The winners were then
determined by a panel of industry professionals who cast their votes in August.
In addition, Spanton Media Group hosted the 2nd annual New Zealand Bartender Magazine’s Bartender of the Year
Competition with the support of premium gin brand Bombay Sapphire. More than 40 of New Zealand’s finest bartenders
competed on the day before Auckland BarShow sitting a gruelling written exam and an on the spot cocktail challenge. The
Top Ten then returned on Tuesday morning for the final stage; a mixology demonstration which involved preparing two
signature drinks for a panel of esteemed bartending luminaries. The winner, Nick Ravenhall from Corner Bar in Auckland
won in a nail-biting victory and is now the proud owner of Bartender Magazine’s Bartender of the Year 07 title. Nick
also won a trip to Sydney BarShow in September and a cash prize of $1000. When accepting the award, he said: “Winning
Bartender of the Year has been an incredibly humbling experience and it is an honour I'm not sure I'm ready for.” Taking
out second place was Riki Carter from the Matterhorn in Wellington, followed closely by Dickie Cullimore from Double
Happy in Christchurch. Incidentally, these two bartenders placed second and third in 2006 in reverse order.
Taking out two awards on the night for the second year in a row was The Matterhorn in Wellington. This year they took
out the prizes for ‘Bar of the Year’ and ‘ Best Drinks Selection’. Another big winner on the night was Suite in Auckland
which took home two awards as well; one for Daniel Walker, the 2007 Bar Manager of the Year, and one for David Hawk, the
2007 Operator of the Year.
David Spanton, Managing Director of Spanton Media Group and Editor-in-chief of New Zealand Bartender magazine was
excited by the turnout for the event and thinks it will continue to grow each year. “The New Zealand bar industry is
going from strength to strength and the bar awards is a great way for the hospitality trade to get together and
congratulate their peers for all their hard work and dedication,” he said, adding, “I look forward to doing it all again
next year!”
THE WINNERS
Bartender of the Year
Winner: Nick Ravenhall, Corner Bar, Auckland
2nd place: Riki Carter, Matterhorn, Wellington
3rd place: Dickie Cullimore, Double Happy Christchurch
Bar of the Year
Matterhorn, Wellington
Bar Manager of the Year
Daniel Walker, Suite, Auckland
Wine Bar of the Year
Vivo Enoteca Cucina, Wellington
Pub of the Year
Galbraith’s Alehouse, Auckland
New Pub of the Year
The Living Room, Auckland
New Bar of the Year
Hawthorn Lounge, Wellington
Nightclub of the Year
Double Happy, Christchurch
Best Drinks Selection
Matterhorn, Wellington
Bar Team of the Year
Clooney, Auckland
Operator of the Year
David Hawk, Suite & Crow Bar, Auckland
Cocktail Bar of the Year
Mea Culpa, Auckland
Cocktail List of the Year
Hawthorn Lounge, Wellington
Best Music Offering
Sandwiches, Wellington
Best Bar Food
La Zeppa, Auckland
-ends-