In partnership with Diageo Bar Academy
On Monday night in Melbourne, Maison Batârd played host to the 2026 World Class Australian Bartender of the Year final, with some of the city’s finest bartenders and hospitality types in attendance to watch the Top 8 bartenders compete for the much-desired crown.
The Top 8 was composed of veterans and the next generation of bartending; in the mix was Eduardo Conde (No 92 GPR, Sydney), Jacob Frisch (The Gresham, Brisbane), Judith Zhu (Bistro Ebony, Sydney), Koby Harris (Three Horses, Melbourne), Kayla Saito (The Mulberry Group, Melbourne), Lachlan Gunner (Trap, Adelaide), Charles Chang (Moku and Linla, Sydney), and Rohan Massie (Rude Boy, Tasmania).
The competitors were tasked with three challenges in the final:
- Bartender’s Banquet with Tequila Don Julio, which is an exclusive collaboration with El Califa de León - the world’s first Michelin-starred taquería — where the bartenders created a bespoke cocktail pairing for a signature taco;
- Brewed in Melbourne with Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, drawing on Melbourne’s café culture, competitors curated a menu of three coffee cocktails “anchored by the bold, complex character of Mr Black Coffee Liqueur”;
- Check On! - The Diageo Reserve Challenge, billed as “the ultimate test of mastery under pressure,” a speed round against the clock to make up to 10 classic cocktails.
And it was the Check On! challenge that the crowd was Maison Batârd to watch, cheering on each bartenders as they made their way through the round.
The winner of that challenge? None other than Kayla Saito from Melbourne.
Earlier in the day, Eduardo Conde took out the Bartender’s Banquet with Tequila Don Julio challenge, and also won the Brewed in Melbourne with Mr Black Coffee Liqueur challenge.
But we were all there to see who would take the top prize and be crowned the Australian champion. After three rounds of competition, and with an impressive performance in the Check On! round, Kayla Saito was named the 2026 World Class Australian Bartender of the Year.
Kayla will now go onto to represent Australia at the global final in Edinburgh in October this year. This year marks the 17th year of World Class in Australia, with the competition now being run in 60 countries across the globe.
