Optimal hydration, without the hyperbole

There are few things that make me cringe more than a media release--or worse, a PR asking to 'pick my brain'. So when our superstar cocktail craftsman Orlando won the Diageo World Class Australian Final the other night, you'd be forgiven for not seeing the media release. It's probably sitting in your email spam/trash folder.

Don't stress. We wrote a better one for you.

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 26 APRIL 2018**

L?mé’s Orlando Marzo named the Diageo World Class? 2018 Australian Bartender of the Year

We knew there was a reason we kidnapped him.

Orlando is Bar Manager of Melbourne’s eccentric fine-diner L?mé (Gault & Millau Restaurant of the Year 2016; Australian Chef of the Year 2017). Before joining the L?mé team, Italian-born Orlando was making a name for himself across the globe in the professional bar scene (his impressive CV includes world-renowned venues such as London’s Milk and Honey, The Player and Eau-de-Vie). But it was Orlando’s unique style and skill that initially drew the attention of L?mé—where he creates beverages to match the restaurant’s multidisciplinary, avant-garde approach.

Orlando beat over 500 entrants into Australia’s leg of the Diageo World Class Competition and took the trophy after completing two days of intense workshops and challenges alongside 19 of Australia’s best bartenders. His winning cocktail entry—the Prevailing Trader—was designed to celebrate the traditional flavours and aromas of the Caribbean in the context of Johnnie Walker's native Scotland.

Combining Johnnie Walker Blenders Edition Rum Cask, marionette orange curacao, David Franz XO Tawny, and flavours of caramelised pear, clove and tarragon, the drink involves one very special ingredient—the work of graphic and industrial designers and an aerospace engineer.

After months of work with Marcus Cher and his team at RMIT Exertion Games Lab, Orlando presented his cocktail as two plating concepts representing the ‘old’ and the ‘new’. One built from a rustic, recycled timber and brass; the other featuring carbon fibre, 3D printing, a minicomputer, three custom LCD screens and an olfactory vapor generator. Because why do things half-arsed?

It’s not the first time the L?mé team have gotten weird on us. In 2016 they were the first restaurant in Australia to incorporate virtual reality into the fine dining experience without it being shit. Since then, the restaurant has become known for taking a multidisciplinary approach—hiring psychologists, artists, scientists, actors and musicians to help heighten every element of the dining experience, not just taste alone.

Orlando is also known for his focus on non-alcoholic beverages, which are created using the same techniques and attention to detail as the dishes on L?mé’s tasting menus.

Point of the story: Orlando came out on top, and now the Government will probably let him stay in Australia. We’ve already filed the paperwork.

Upon accepting the World Class award, he noted, “I want to say so much, but as Ricky Gervais said at the Golden Globes, if you win no one cares as much as you do.”

After all, his drinks speak for themselves.