Want to win an iPod Touch? You could, if you take a short survey, specifically for bartenders on the bar music environment and bartender music preferences. The survey should take you no more than 3-5 minutes to complete. To take the survey, click here.
The winner of the G’Vine Gin Connoisseur Program 2010 is Stephan Hinz, from Shepheard Bar in Cologne, Germany. The “finest gin” bartender was crowned after three days of challenges in France with 11 finalists capping a nine-month program.
Las Vegas mixologist Max Solano won the first ever Citadelle Gin & Mathilde Liqueurs Bartender Competition. The finale took place June 9 at the Curio Parlor in Paris. Solano competed against three fellow USA semi-finalists, Brian Matthys from Izakaya Ten in New York City, Eryn Reece from Mayahuel in New York City and Alex B. Smith from Ramblas and Thirsty Bear in San Francisco; the contestants won the trip to Paris and also to Cognac to visit the Cognac Ferrand distillery, participate in the Citadelle Gin distillation and meet president and owner Alexandre Gabriel. Solano, of Emeril Lagasse’s Table 10 and Delmonico Steakhouse, won for his Eau de Perfection, a twist on the French 75 and a Gin Collins.
Eau de Perfection
1 ½ ounces Citadelle Gin
1 ¼ ounces Mathilde Poire Liqueur
1 ¼ ounces fresh lemon juice (strained)
1 ounce homemade four-spiced infused simple syrup (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla bean)
1/3 tsp. fresh ginger puree
1 ounce Rosé Champagne of choice
Take the Collins glass and fill with ice and set the glass aside. Take each one of the ingredients except for the Champagne and place them into a pint or mixing glass. Add a generous scoop of ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Double-strain (fine strain) contents into the Collins glass. Lastly, top off the cocktail with the champagne. Garnish with a slice of Bartlett pear and a fresh mint sprig and enjoy!
Bill Norris, bar manager at FINO in Austin, Texas, won the Shaker Face-Off, a virtual shake-off on Shakerfaces.com created in collaboration with Combier and Lush Life Productions. In the four weeks the contest took place, ending June 20, Lush Life went to the top shaking cities in the country to catch bartenders shaking a cocktail — and making their “shaker faces.” Norris won $500 to take to Tales of the Cocktail, where filming begins for the next Shakerface competition. The winner of that will receive a trip to France in the fall.
Tomorrow’s deadline (June 30) is your last chance to create a rum-based cocktail for Cuba Libre restaurants. Prize: a rum party for you and 25 friends. To enter, submit a rum-based cocktail recipe for consideration on the Cuba Libre Facebook page. A panel consisting of beverage managers, bartenders and chefs from each location will review entries in the form of a video. Promote your entry on your Facebook page and Twitter account. Facebook friend comments are counted toward your vote. The top three most popular videos/recipes will be reviewed. Click here for more info.