The four finalists in the outstanding bartender category of the upcoming Lewisham Awards, honouring Auckland’s best hospitality workers, share their favourite cocktails and tips for making a mocktail that won’t leave you with fomo.
Dewi Barbieri, Truth or Dare
Age 32, has been a bartender for 7 years
What are your tips for making mocktails?
Alcohol is a structural ingredient in a cocktail; you can’t just take it out and call it a mocktail. My tip is to focus on replacing its function rather than just removing it. You still want texture, bitterness, acidity and length.
What’s your favourite cocktail to make?
A dirty martini. Martini drinkers are usually quite particular; they know exactly what they want, so when you get it right and see that reaction, it’s really satisfying. On the other hand, I also love when someone trusts me with a “dealer’s choice”. I’ll ask a few quick questions and build something based on them.The moment they taste it, their expression changes, a thumbs up comes out, and you know you’ve nailed it.
Martini drinkers are usually quite specific.
What’s your favourite cocktail to drink?
Probably a negroni. I love how simple it is on paper, but how much character it has. It’s spirit-forward, bitter, complex, and perfectly balanced when made well. I’ve also played around with it a lot over the years, so I’ve had negronis in all sorts of different styles and variations. It’s one of those cocktails that can feel completely different depending on the moment or on the twist, which is probably why I always come back to it.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the hospitality industry?
The people, easily. You meet so many different personalities and hear so many stories every day. I love that something as simple as a cocktail can change someone’s mood or become part of a moment they remember years later. Creating experiences rather than just serving drinks is probably the most rewarding part for me. Plus, this industry keeps you learning all the time, there’s always something new.
What’s the most annoying thing customers do?
Every hospitality worker will probably relate to this one: when you say, “Hi! Grab a seat, I’ll be right with you,” and somehow guests still choose the one dirty table in the whole venue. It’s one of those hospitality mysteries we’ll probably never solve. It’s become a meme at this point, frustrating in the moment, but definitely something you laugh about after service.
Justin Ydia, Gilt
Age 32, has been a bartender for 16 years
What are your tips for making a great mocktail?
One of my favourite non-alcoholic cocktails is a non-alcoholic take on the classic Amaretto Sour. The key is capturing the flavour profile, texture, and balance of the original cocktail. We use Lyre’s Amaretti, a non-alcoholic version of amaretto, and pair it with orgeat, an almond syrup that helps bring out and enhance the nutty almond flavours. It’s then balanced with fresh lemon juice and finished with foam bitters as a substitute for egg white, making it both gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
Auckland bartender Justin Ydia, who works at Josh and Helen Emett’s restaurant, Gilt.
What’s your favourite cocktail to make?
The Sazerac (rye whiskey or cognac, absinthe, bitters, a sugar cube and a lemon twist). It’s sophisticated, nostalgic, and refined. I also love that it feels like a spiritual cousin to the Old Fashioned – simple, classic, and timeless.
What’s your favourite cocktail to drink?
A Boulevardier (rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Campari). It offers a sophisticated, multi-layered drinking experience with rich, bold flavours and balance. It’s also the perfect drink to unwind with after a long shift.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the hospitality industry?
Showcasing my craft, meeting new people, and embracing the challenges that come with hospitality. I enjoy engaging with guests, understanding what they’re looking for, and becoming a bit of a jack-of-all-trades – from bartender to adviser, psychologist, tour guide, and sometimes even actor.
A blanc cosmo, made by Gilt bartender Justin Ydia from Belvedere vodka, creme de cacao blanc, yuzu curacao and lime.
What’s the most annoying thing customers do?
Treating servers rudely. Snapping fingers or whistling at bartenders and servers can feel disrespectful, as though they’re being treated like pets rather than hospitality professionals.
Trent Brosnahan, Mo’s Bar
Age 38, has worked in hospitality for 18 years
What are your tips for making a great mocktail?
Pour Coke in glass, add ice cream. Robert McCay Green created the Coke float in 1893 and I will die on that hill, that it is a classic cocktail and just perfect for every occasion.
What’s your favourite cocktail to make?
Anything where the customer tells me to surprise them, so in their eyes I seem like this slightly chaotic wizard creating this genius cocktail out of thin air, but really I’m just making the same classic cocktail I’ve made for everyone else that night.
What’s your favourite cocktail to drink?
Anything blue. Bonus points if there’s a tiny umbrella involved.
Trent Brosnahan, bartender at Mo’s Bar in central Auckland.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the hospitality industry?
The weird little family you accidentally create with your co-workers. Nothing bonds people faster than a slammed bar, one functioning brain cell between the whole team, and a customer saying “surprise me” at 2am.
What’s the most annoying thing customers do?
Standing at the bar staring directly into my soul while I’m already making seven drinks like I’ve forgotten they exist. I see you. I’m scared of you. Please blink. Oh, and moving the furniture around, I don’t come to your home and move your chairs and tables around, please don’t do it at mine.
Vanessa Vega – SkyBar
Age 31, has worked in hospitality for nine years
What are your tips for making a great mocktail?
One of my favourite creations is my Dulce de Leche Martini, and I love creating non-alcoholic cocktails that still feel indulgent and comforting without needing alcohol. My biggest tip is treating non-alcoholic cocktails with the same care and creativity as any classic cocktail – balance, texture and presentation still matter just as much.
A Dulche de Leche martini, made by Vanessa Vega, bartender at Auckland’s SkyBar.
What’s your favourite cocktail to make?
Honestly, I love making all cocktails. Bartending still excites me after all these years. Even if someone orders a cocktail I’ve never made before, I’ll research it, learn it and give it my full attention. I especially enjoy spirit-forward cocktails because small details really matter and you can showcase balance and technique.
When guests ask SkyBar bartender Vanessa Vega to “surprise me”, she creates this signature cocktail.
What’s your favourite cocktail to drink?
One of the favourite cocktails I’ve ever had was a rhubarb cocktail created by Dani at Panacea. I still think about it. If I had the recipe, it would probably become my favourite cocktail to make as well. I usually enjoy cocktails that are balanced, elegant and not overly sweet – drinks that feel thoughtful and memorable.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the hospitality industry?
I love the connection hospitality creates between people. No two nights are the same, and I genuinely enjoy creating experiences, conversations and moments guests remember. I also love how creative the industry can be – cocktails combine flavour, presentation, personality and emotion all in one experience.
I’m currently the bar manager at SkyBar in Auckland, where I’m about to launch a completely new cocktail menu inspired by different places, flavours and experiences from around the world. I don’t want to reveal too much yet because I want it to stay a surprise, but it’s something I’m incredibly excited and passionate about – and it’s definitely going to be special.
Vanessa Vega (left) is a bartender at Auckland’s SkyBar.
What’s the most annoying thing customers do?
Probably when guests order something and completely remove the ingredients that make it what it is – like asking for a mojito without mint or lime, or a lemonade without lemon. It’s always funny, but definitely keeps bartenders on their toes.
The winners of the Hancocks Outstanding Bartender category, as well as winners in 17 other categories honouring the best of Auckland’s hospitality industry, will be announced at the Lewisham Awards 2026 on May 31 at Shed 10.
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