There’s still time to enter the Bols Around The World 2009 Cocktail Competition, with the winner getting a chance to create a special Bols liqueur. Using the theme “Bols Shaking Twenties,” the Dutch liqueur company is challenging bartenders to create “a glamorous and innovative cocktail that captures the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. Think classic, jazzy, provocative and stylish.” Entries should contain at least 20 ml (.67 ounces) of any Bols liqueur and must be made in less than five minutes; name, presentation and ingredients are important.
David Wondrich will judge North American entrants, with the winner representing his or her continent in Amsterdam during the Final Shake Off. Together with the Bols product developer, the winner will select and taste ingredients to create their own special Bols liqueur (peanut butter, anyone?), and the winner gets a case every month for a year. The deadline for entries is Oct. 31, so hurry. To enter, go to the competition web site, www.bolsaroundtheworld.com.
The BACARDI Cruise Competition, in its fifth year, asks bartenders working aboard cruise lines to create recipes using the Bacardi portfolio (Bombay Sapphire gin, B&B liqueur, Grey Goose vodka, Tequila Cazadores, Dewar’s Scotch). The five winning cocktail recipes will then be available on cruise ships after the winners are announced in March 2010. Recipes are being accepted online at www.bacardicruisecompetition.com.
Also, while it’s too late to get in on the competition action, DeKuyper has announced the launch of MixMastersUSA.com, a site designed and created by bartenders for bartenders. The online community allows bartenders to create profiles and download widgets and applications that focus on up-to-date information on bartending and the spirits industry.
Earlier this year, MixMastersUSA.com and DeKuyper hosted regional on-premise challenges where pro bartenders from 12 cities submitted original recipes using DeKuyper products. The winners from the local contests will participate in the National MixMasters Challenge, held in New Orleans Nov. 5, for a prize of $10,000.