Overview
If you fancy yourself a bit of a cocktail connoisseur, Lûmé is about to jump to the top of your must-visit list. Last night, bartender Orlando Marzo, from the South Melbourne restaurant, was crowned the world's best bartender. Which means Melbourne is now officially home to some of the tastiest cocktails in the world.
Marzo took out the gong at the World Class Bartender of the Year competition in Berlin, where he beat more than 10,000 other bartenders from around the world for the prize.
World Class, which is in its tenth year, is the biggest bartending competition in the world and culminates in four days of finals, during which Marzo impressed judges with a particularly notable Zapaca rum aperitif in a challenge called 'Before and After'. You might see this pre-dinner tipple pop-up on Lûmé's menu one day very soon.
Before Marzo heads back Down Under to join the ranks of Australia's bartending elite — which includes Maybe Frank's Andrea Gauldi, who took out best bartender in Australia at last year's competition — he'll be travelling the world, making cocktails and judging competitions.
When he's back, we'll let you know what drinks has plans to serve up at the South Melbourne restaurant and what pop-ups he plans to host. Who knows, he may even follow in Gauldi's steps and open a bar.
You can check out the full list of past and present winners at the World Class website.
Image of Lûmé: Josie Withers, Visit Victoria