Edinburgh barman Joey Medrington in running for global cocktail prize

THE speedboat bounced across the waves of the New Zealand bay. Below deck, trying to keep his feet, was bar tender Joey Medrington –proving that there's only one way to make a cocktail in such circumstances – shaken.

• Joey Medrington

So good was his non-alcoholic "mocktail", that the judges in the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup agreed that even James Bond would have been stirred.

Medrington is Edinburgh's sole competitor in the international cocktail contest, which will finally crown its champion today in Wellington.

He can normally be found creating his cocktails in George Street's Tigerlily, but when we speak he's just completed another "full-on" day of extreme sports and cocktail shaking in Queenstown on South Island.

"It has been an amazing experience," he says. "Getting here, I was in transit for about 40 hours, and then the first thing they had all the competitors do was a bungee jump. Then we were told to create a non-alcoholic cocktail while riding on a speedboat. After that we were given a traditional Maori welcome. It's all been full-on, but great fun."

The 26-year-old from Morningside, who has a degree in English, has chosen cocktail bar tending as his route to fame and fortune, and he hopes that a good showing in New Zealand could make his name. "People don't look upon it as a 'real' career," he says, "and I can understand that but to me it is. It's a bit of a hidden sub-culture if you don't know the intricacies.

"I started working in bars when I was at university but really only started as a cocktail bar tender properly four years ago. I started in Lulu, went to Tonic for a while but I've been at Tigerlily for 14 months now.

"The contest is important professionally because it can open doors. The winners of this contest last year went on to be in the reality series The Restaurant and won that and now have their own restaurant. Others who have won have opened their own business.

"I think it will take a while before it gains real credibility as a career in the UK but it will happen."

Although the contest is happening on the other side of the world, Edinburgh is reportedly the "best bar-tending city in the world", at least according to "vodka professor" Jacob Briars. He was one of the judges who saw Medrington compete – and win – against 12 other bar tenders from Scotland in the regional heat.

"Certainly Tigerlily is one of the best bars in Edinburgh," says Medrington. "And the city has a cocktail scene to rival any in the world." It was the first stage towards going to New Zealand, where 24 bar tenders are currently representing eight countries – the US, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, England, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland – in the sixth World Cup, which is now regarded as the most prestigious bar tending competition in the world.

Medrington though is, oddly, part of "Team Belfast". Team Edinburgh, of which he was part consisted of him, Metinee Kongsrivilai of Bon Vivant and Paul Graham of Bramble, failed to win the national heats in London in February. "But I was asked to join the team from The Merchant Hotel in Belfast when one of them couldn't go. It's been a real honour," he says. "And I think our chances are excellent."

The challenges so far have been creative. "We were given a box of mystery ingredients and had seven minutes to create a cocktail. We made a very tasty drink using blueberries, pineapple and honey vodka. We didn't win, but we have come second or third in every round which is pretty good."

So what would he recommend to drink? "Well, cocktails all depend on mood. I wouldn't put any one above the other. At the moment though I'm into drinking wine."

As well as battling it out in challenges over the five days, the contestants get the chance to rub shoulders with international leaders in the craft of "mixology".

"Yes, mixologist, I wouldn't really call myself that," says Joey. "It's a bit . . . pretentious. I prefer to say cocktail bar tender. Maybe you could call yourself that if you've been doing it 20 years. But it is great to meet those who are at the top of their game, who have their own bars and companies from starting out mixing cocktails. It does show you where you can go if you have the drive and ambition."