The Oregon Bartender’s Guild and Great American Distiller’s Fest Present:
PDX Cocktail Invitational
October 23rd and 24th Tiffany Center Emerald Ballroom
Rules
Portland Cocktail Invitational RULES & GUIDELINES
Bartenders have been invited to create an original cocktail based on a spirit exhibited at the Great American Distillers Festival and present that cocktail during the festival on Saturday, October 23 (11 a.m.–7 p.m.). The invited bartenders will be offered the complete list of spirits that will be exhibited at the GADF. Each competitor will be asked to select four of those products that they will potentially use for their signature cocktail. The competition organizers will then assign a product to each competitor from that competitor’s list of choices, and attempt to ensure that no product is used by more than one competitor. The assigned product must be used by the competitor in his/her cocktail in the preliminary round.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Competing bartenders will be given a schedule of the Saturday Preliminary Round and be asked to identify times they can and cannot present at the Cocktail Invitational. The organizers of the competition will then assign a time to each competitor for him/her to present his/her original cocktail. Every effort will be taken to assign a competition time that works with each bartender’s schedule restrictions.
Competitors must bring anything and everything they need in order to prepare their cocktail, such as equipment, glassware, additional spirits, bitters, mixers, etc. Each competitor should have enough ingredients on hand to make one cocktail for display and three cocktails for the team of three judges, plus half-ounce samples for audience members.
Each competitor will present his/her cocktail to the public at a bar station (there will be four bar stations) in the exhibit hall of the GADF on Saturday, October 23. Each competitor is asked to serve half-ounce samples for 45 minutes to festival attendees. A team of three judges will visit the bar station to judge each competitor’s cocktail during the assigned period. The judges will spend a maximum of 8 minutes at each competitor’s bar, and the drinks for the judges must be prepared and served during that time. Outside of the 8-minute judging period, competitors should batch and serve their cocktail samples to the general public.
Judging will be based on the quality of the cocktail, taking into account appearance, flavor and creativity. Bartenders are encouraged to engage conversationally with the judges, display technique, artistry, and style, and generally invoke a hospitable atmosphere. Over the course of the day, there will be four different teams of judges, and each team will review seven to eight cocktails and choose one competitor to move on the final round. Finalists will be announced at the end of the first competition day.
Here are the Judges for the Preliminary Rounds
Evan Zimmerman – Laurelhurst Market
Geoff Kleinman - Drink Spirits
Karen Foley – Imbibe Magazine
Don Bourassa - Yelp
Tracy Howard – Imbibe Magazine
Hoke Harden – Elixir Vitae & Portland Spirits Examiner
Ron Dollette – Lush Angeles
David Pickerell – Woodenville Whiskey Co.
Rebecca Barry – Author: Later, At The Bar
Leah Hutchison – American Distilling Institute
Robert Hess – Drink Boy
James Yoakum – Whiskey Jim’s Ramblings
First Round Winners: Ali Tahsini, Trevor Easter, Tommy Klus & Art Tierce.
FINAL ROUND
The final round of the 2010 Portland Cocktail Invitational will take place on Sunday, October 24, at 4 p.m.
In the final round, each bartender will be given a secret ingredient and 15 minutes to produce four servings of a cocktail featuring the secret ingredient. A three-judge panel will evaluate the cocktail, taking into account appearance, flavor and creativity. In addition, bartenders are encouraged to engage conversationally with the judges and audience, and display technique, artistry and style.
In addition to the secret ingredient, all of the spirits exhibited at the GADF will be available to the finalists to use as supporting ingredients. A selection of standard citrus, juices, vermouths, liqueurs, syrups and liquors may be provided by the OBG (finalists will be given details on available standard ingredients before the final round).
Finalists are allowed to bring two ingredients of their choice to add to the available citrus, juices, vermouths, liqueurs, syrups and liquors. Finalists should bring enough of these additional ingredients to share with the other competitors in the final round.
The order of the four bartenders in the final round will be determined randomly. Finalists will be sequestered during the round to preserve the surprise of the secret ingredient.
PRIZES
The grand prize winner will receive $1000, the second-place winner will receive $500, and third-place wins $250. Prize money is sponsored by Tuthilltown Spirits, House Spirits and Bull Run Distilling Co.
SMALL PRINT
Competitors will be asked to arrive at the GADF at least 30 minutes prior to their assigned time in order to check-in, set-up, etc.
Not adhering to any of these rules, in letter or spirit, may result in disqualification from the competition at the discretion of the organizers of the competition.
If a competitor cannot obtain their assigned spirit, the organizers of the competition may, at their discretion, supply an adequate amount of the assigned spirit for cocktail development.
If a competitor cannot attend, he/she is asked to contact the organizers by October 15.
Spirits sponsors and Spirits.
New Deal Chocolate Vodka
Dry Fly wheat Whiskey
Dry Fly Gin
Downslope Distilling Wine Barrel Aged Whiskey
Downslope Distilling White Rum
Cascade Mountain Gin
Encanto Pisco
Novo Fogo Chachaça aged
Novo Fogo Chachaça white
Corrido Tequila
Bull Run Distilling Co. Vodka
Dimi liqueur
Deco Ginger Rum
It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere! Chilean Style Brandy
It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere! Moonshine Corn whiskey
Old Mill Rum
Ransom Old Tom Gin
Ransom Smalls Gin
Ransom Whipper Snapper Whiskey
El Relingo Tequila
House Spirits- Aviation Gin
Tuthiltown- Bourbon
Square One Botanical
44 North Huckleberry Vodka
Illegal Mezcal
Fair Trade (TBA)
competitors…
Adam Robinson
Ali Tahsini
Allison Webber
Anu Apte
Art Tierce
Brandon Josie
Brandon Wise
Brian Gilbert
Chris Churilla
Corey Bunnewith
Eric Hanson
Evan Martin
Jacob Grier
Jim Romdal
Kinn Edwards
Lara Nixon
Lydia Reismueller
Mary Bartlett
Scott Baird
Suzanne Allard
Tom Lindstedt
Tommy Klus
Trevor Easer
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Finalists are Art Tierce, Tommy Klus, Ali Tahsini, and Trevor Easer.
The judges noted runners-up in each heat: Allison Webber, Brian Gilbert, Brandon Jolie, Jim Romdall.
Congratulations to Ali Tahsini, winning First Place! and Tommy Klus for Second Place! Art Tierce in third and Trevor Easter in fourth!
The finals were a secret ingredient round, in which each participant chose a black box that contained a whiskey from Tuthilltown and a set of other ingredients. The whiskey was required to be featured in the cocktail, at least one of the other ingredients was also required.
In Trevor Easter’s box were vinegars: rice wine, balsamic, Chinese black.
Tommy Klus chose a box with dark chocolate, nocino, coffee (beans and cold-brew).
Ali Tahsini got a box with red bell peppers, serranos, jalapeños, dried anchos and dried chipotle chilis.
Art Tierce got the last box, which contained port, champagne, and sweet riesling.
There were a lot of people who complained that each person had dramatically different ingredients and so it wasn’t a real level playing field.
Don’t want to take anything away from Ali, the dude obviously rocked it, but a spicy pepper drink vs a balsamic and black tea drink is like bringing a gun to a knife fight.
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