Iron Bartender is a long running challenge at Lily Black‘s where two guest bartenders are set against one other to mix up a winning concoction with weird and wonderful surprise ingredients. They describe the event as essentially “a drunken version of ‘Iron Chef'”. This month, in a vague ode to the Ashes, Britain’s Gareth Edser bar manager of Loop Bar is in a tournament against our own nation’s Sean Baxter ambassador of Reserve Brands. Judges include the Toff in Town’s head bartender Daniel Monk, Andy Harmer a former chef at Vue de Monde and Virginia Plain and my very lucky self.

Iron Bartender is on again this Sunday 25th August at 8pm ’til around midnight at Lily Black’s, 12 Meyers Place (off Bourke Street), Melbourne.