Mixing with the best

Queenstown bartender Mikey Ball feels ''extremely humbled and pretty stoked'' to be able compete against the finest bartenders in the country this week in the hope of becoming New Zealand's first representative at the Diageo World Class global final.

The English-born, Auckland-raised 24-year-old bartender at the Naughty Penguin for the past year is one of the youngest finalists.

Others include former Queenstowner Jason Clark, now of Betty's, Wellington, and Shannon Sanderson, of Lala Land, Wanaka.

Mr Ball said he had put a lot of thought and effort into one of the challenges in particular, the Taste of Queenstown, in which he attempted to distil the culture and heritage of the resort into six cocktails, then market them to the public.