The iconic Suntory Cup is back, and the 2025 finalists have now been announced.
Founded in 1986, Suntory Cup is a celebration of the craftmanship, creativity and camaraderie of the hospitality industry, and until 2015 the competition helped shape industry leaders.
This year, the cocktail competition relaunched with a theme of ‘Reinvigorate the Retro’, challenging bartenders to reimagine a classic cocktail using one of Suntory Global Spirits’ brands.
Suntory Cup regional finalists have been selected across two categories – Club Omoroi, those who have more than two years’ experience behind the bar; and Club Yatte Minahare, those with less than two years’ experience behind the bar.
The finals will see one national winner chosen in each category, who will embark on a trip to Japan to explore Suntory’s distilleries and immerse themselves in liquid consultancy, bar culture and mentorship from industry icons. Four rising stars will also be recognised through a People’s Choice Award.
The 2025 finalists are:
Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales
Club Omoroi
- Angus Power
- Avery Quinn Ng
- Bertie Boekemann
- Brett Nebauer
- Conor Teevan
- Eduardo Conde
- Elijah Blaszczynski
- Jay Cozma
- Jet Hauge
- Judith Zhu
- June Avery
- Ngametua Fatongiatau
- Quinn Zuo
- Sam Liao
- Storm Evans
- Tua Fatongiatau
Club Yatte Minahare
- Aidan Scoble
- Akari Ikeda
- Anzhe Huang
- Jarsh Liu
- Liam Spillane
- Madeleine Smith
Northern Territory and Queensland
Club Omoroi
- Aidan Perkins
- Elliot Pascoe
- Francesco Squillacioti
- Jacob Cohen
- Jen Playford
- Jenny Wang
- Leah Dunnigan
- Loic Mouchelin
- Matt Zarimis
- Ned Kiely
Club Yatte Minahare
- Carter Stacey
- Coco Righetti
- Jacob Frisch
- Jason Larry
Tasmania and Victoria
Club Omoroi
- Ben Hardy
- Bingxiao Hua
- Calvin Chan
- Clemence Carette
- Damien Kos-Beckwith
- Edwin Ditchfield
- Joey Tai
- John Ross-Jones
- Josephe Kourmouzis
- Kevin Kim
- Masaki Hisaike
- Nicholas Harwood
- Reuben Beasley-Palmer
- Richard Liu
- Rohan Massie
- Tristan Lefebure
Club Yatte Minahare
- Alex Roberts
- Andrew Durgan
- Frank Taplin
- Jackson Wilde
- Jake Lewis
- Tom Smith
South Australia and Western Australia
Club Omoroi
- Benjamin Brookes
- Charles Arias
- Charlotte MacMaster
- Chris Hodges
- Jack Beighton
- James Gentile
- Kate Burgess
- Marcus Pascoe
- Mike Han
- Murray Walsh
- Pippa Canavan
- Riley Horspool
- Rosie McClure
- Ryan Ng
- Tahgan Howlett
- Tyler Olley
Club Yatte Minahare
- Antuco Cifuentes
- Christian Perone
- Laura Gardiner
- Laura Mischler
- Mark Liao
- Priyant Trehan
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