New Orleans, LA—And the winner is…After months of mixing, Leslie Bucher of Portland, Ore., was named the Rain Organics Vodka Mix-off champion. Leslie’s winning drink was the Provencal and she was crowned cocktail queen Friday, July 10 at the legendary “Tales of the Cocktail” event held annually in New Orleans.
Leslie’s journey started in May when she won the regional competition in Portland. From there, she went to the semi-finals where her drink was selected to compete in New Orleans for the grand prize.
Three other bartenders joined Leslie in the Big Easy for the mix-off finals. Each bartender created an original cocktail using one of the new Rain Organics Flavors. The flavors included: Cucumber Lime, Red Grape Hibiscus, Honey Mango Melon and Lavender Lemonade. Before the winner was crowned the four finalists worked their magic one more time for a panel of celebrity judges, including industry expert Paul Pacult.
Along with bragging rights Leslie received the grand prize of $2,500. Here’s the winning recipe featuring Rain Organics Lavender Lemonade:
PROVENCAL
1 ¼ oz. Rain Organics Lavender Lemonade Vodka
1 oz. lemon juice (juice from ½ lemon)
¾ oz. of rosemary infused simple syrup
1 oz. egg white (whites from one egg)
Fresh thyme sprig
In an ice-filled pint glass, pour vodka, lemon juice and rosemary simple syrup, then top with egg white. Shake very vigorously to froth egg white—about 20 seconds. Strain contents into a martini glass. Lay fresh thyme across the froth.
“It has been an incredible few months with these mix-offs,” said Elizabeth Cawood, brand manager. “We’ve sampled some delicious drinks from across the country and selecting a winner from these four amazing cocktails was no easy task.”
For more information on Rain Organics Flavors please visit www.rainvodka.com and to learn more about the Tales of the Cocktail event go to www.talesofthecocktail.com.
About Rain Organics Vodka
Rain Organics Vodka is hand-made in small batches using white organic corn and is distilled seven times for exceptional taste and smoothness. The incredible quality comes from a delicate 20 day production process that includes cold-water, sweet mash fermentation, seven distinct distillations and a polishing stage that adds pure limestone water. Rain Organics is hand-made from scratch, exclusively at Buffalo Trace Distillery, three-time winner of Malt Advocate Magazine’s "Distillery of the Year" award. Rain Organics is marketed by the Sazerac Co., Inc, one of the leading international suppliers, importers and distributors of distilled spirits. A 750 ml. bottle of Rain retails between $18-$22. Visit Rain Organics Vodka online at www.rainvodka.com.