‘Spice in the City’ – Flor de Caña Cocktail Competition
This year’s theme highlighted the spice notes of Flor de Caña 7yr Grand Reserve and Flor de Caña 12yr Centenario. Creators of the most impressive 18 recipes were invited to the final at the Boutique Bar Show, 22nd September 2010.
To enter the competition contestants had to create a new cocktail recipe involving either Flor de Caña 7yr Grand Reserve or Flor de Caña 12yr Centenario. The first round of the competition involved creating these recipes for the judging panel. This year the panel consisted of last year’s winner Tiziano Tasso from the Club at the Ivy, Amathus Drinks’ resident cocktail expert Phil Duffy and the President of the UKBG Daniel Crebesse.
The second round of the competition involved creating a cocktail from a selection of mystery ingredients. For the second round the judges were also joined by Amathus Drinks Managing Director Harry Georgiou.
There was a great variety of drinks at the competition: long, short and hot were all represented; drinks from classic bars and more modern examples in equal abundance. It was fantastic to see a lot of thought and effort put into glassware and garnishes. Surprisingly, some of the best drinks came in the final shake-off, with the judges agreeing that the eventual winner was the best drink of the day. Congratulations to Saverio Vicari who was crowned the winner and will be jetting off to Madrid soon courtesy of Amathus Drinks and Flor de Caña.
The Prizes
1st Prize Weekend for two in Madrid
2nd Prize Luxury dinner for two in London
3rd Prize An exquisite Flor de Caña Centenario pack
In addition to the above, the top 3 runners up will also receive prizes.
The Winners
1st Place – Saverio Vicari, Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel
“Kiss in the Dark”
50ml Flor de Caña 7yr Grand Reserve
25ml Passoa
15ml Drambuie
1/4 fresh lime squeeze
7 fresh raspberries
Method: Put the raspberries in a cocktail shaker and muddle gently. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the ice and shake well. Double strain in a pre chilled martini glass.
2nd Place – Francesco Turro, The Hix
“Hola Chica”
45ml Flor de Caña 12yr Centenario
30ml Carpano Antica Formula
5ml Spyce syrup*
2 dash Orange Curacao
2 dash Creme de Noyeau
2 dash Whiskey Barrel Bitters
Method: In a mixing glass add all the ingredients over a Spyce ice block* and stir and chill until perfect dilution, strain in a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with wide orange zest with cloves in it.
*3 cinamon stick 1 vanilla pod 15 cloves 1/4 grated nutmeg, 15 coffee beans 5 cardamon 8 star anise add water an freeze in a mold to make the ice cube, use the same recipe adding 1 kg sugar to make the syrup.
3rd Place – Vanina Stanek, Theo Randall
“Bird of Paradise”
40ml Flor de Caña 7yr Grand Reserve
15ml Aperol
5ml Mandarin Napoleon
1 scoop of iced amalfi lemon sorbet
A hint of Tumeric
1/2 fresh apricot
Method: Shaken. Decoration – Midori foam
Glass: Martini
4th Place – Terry Cashman, The Hoxton Pony
“The Dahlia Sour”
50ml Flor de Caña 7yr Grand Reserve
15ml Lemon
15ml Simple syrup
25ml Homemade Ginger and Lemongrass juice
10ml Egg white
5ml Liqueur de Coquelicot
Method: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with cubed ice, shake very hard for 10 seconds and strain. Garnish with lemon zest (discard after spraying oil) and a small mint tip floated on foam.
Glass: Coupette
5th Place – Gulia Amodio, China Tang, The Dorchester Hotel
“Guaranini Fizz”
50ml Flor de Caña 12 yr Centenario
15ml Martini rosso vermouth
10ml Passion fruit syrup
5 ml vanilla syrup
5 ml mango puree
5 ml fresh lime juice
45 ml prosecco wine
Method: Shake and double strain. Garnish with fresh passsion fruit, pineapple leaf, apple slice, maraschino cherry.
Glass: Margherita
6th Place – John Ennis, Santa Chupitos
“The Gentlemen’s Rum & Coke”
40ml Flor de Caña 7yr Grand Reserve
3 dashes of angostura bitters
1 dash absinthe
2 Bar spoons of Averna (Sicillian amoro)
1 Bar spoon of Gingerbread Syrup
A splash of cola
Method: Place absinthe in a 12oz Old Fashioned glass and fill with ice and water. Leave to rest… In a mixing glass place the rest of the ingredients and fill with cube ice. Stir until the desired dilution is reached. Empty the absinthe, ice and water out of the glass (being careful to shake off any excess water).
Top the glass up with fresh ice and then strain the prepared mixture over the ice. Top of with a lemon twist. Good night god bless..
Glass: 12oz old fashioned