Since then, he's worked in the glittering scenes of Hong Kong, Korea, London and Las Vegas but had no hesitation returning to his home town to take over the management of Howlin' Wolf whiskey bar.

"I've come back and everything has changed," Mr Cozma said.

"I was weighing up whether to go to Sydney or come home and with the small bar culture growing it was definitely an enticement to come back to the town where it all started for me."

To celebrate this transformation, Mr Cozma has teamed up with Beach Burrito's manager Tim Day to launch a cocktail competition for seven of the smaller venues in the city.

To be held on a Monday night, the competition is focused on getting the region's hospitality crowd to up their game through healthy competition, but Mr Day said he hoped it would be popular with the public as well.

"My experience has been working at various places in Wollongong and I've really seen, over the past five years, the game get lifted in terms of what's being offered," he said.

"But Wollongong is still a little bit behind other places, especially because you can go up the road to Sydney and go to some of the best bars in the country, so we're just trying to unite and move everything forward a bit."

The first competition will involve bartenders from Howlin Wolf, Three Chimneys, His Boy Elroy, The Little Prince, Red Square, Level One and Dagwood who will have to create drinks evoking the United States' prohibition era.

"Each bartender will make two cocktails on the night - a prohibition-era classic like Manhattans or a Sazerac, and a prohibition-inspired original drink which is open to interpretation," Mr Cozma said.

These will be assessed by a panel of judges, which includes an alcohol brand representative and award-winning Sydney bartender.

"We want everyone to come down dressed to the nines and we've got a pianist and jazz trio performing - so it will definitely be a throwback to the 1920," Mr Cozma said.

"Think Gatsby meets, well, Wollongong."

The duo is planning to hold a competition every eight weeks, and is already planning a Mexican margarita-themed contest.

The first night will be held at Howlin' Wolf on March 16. Entry is free but formal or prohibition-style dress is required.