WSWE spent Sunday afternoon Downtown Phoenix at Devour Phoenix’s 5th Annual Battle of the Bartenders. Eight local restaurant bartenders were present at Crescent Ballroom showcasing their mixing skills. Arizona Distilling Co. sponsored the event featuring their Copper City Bourbon and Desert Dry Gin.
$20 got you in and a bookmark passport to guide you through the event. The passport was stamped off after each cocktail to manage the one sample per person guidelines. Megan Finnerty from The Arizona Republic & AZCentral.com emceed the event keeping us entertained through the two rounds of competition and votes. The crowd, when done drinking, summited their bookmark passport to vote for “Crowd Favorite.”
There were 350 drinking attendees who were cheerful and friendly as they weaved their way thru the crowd to hit every table at this drinking spectacular. I was anxious to get my drink on and start sampling these imaginative adult beverages. So, with passport in hand I headed over to my first table…
We started at Maizie’s. Evan Gibbs was offering a new take on an Old Fashion. Smooth and flavorful with hints of cinnamon gave this classic drink a spicy and modern twist. Smokey and sophisticated!
Next was the crew from The Gladly, Citizen Public House and R&D. Richie Moe is known for his creative cocktails and I was excited to try the AZain Fusion which included Oolong Tea infused Desert Dry Gin, DaiDai (an Asian variety of bitter orange), ginger syrup and lemongrass topped with lemon and mango foam (which looked a bit like an overeasy egg.) Refreshing and made me think of summertime! Moe won for “Best Presentation” and “People’s Choice.”
Kazimierz’s Ryan Richardsons wanted his cocktail “The Tom Ford” to be fashionable. This drink was Copper City Bourbon based with fruits, cactus juice and topped with soda water. Light and dashing!
Clever Koi was our next table where Joshua James was mixing up a “Love Oolong Time.” Oolong Tea infused Copper City Bourbon, DaiDai (an Asian variety of bitter orange), Asian herbs, lemon and habanero. Multilayers of complex flavors!
Phoenix Public Market’s Jax Gonzales (the only female contender) was mixing up a “TNT.” This Tamarind Whiskey Sour had a nice combination of flavors. Traditional hints from the bourbon mixed with the sugary sweet & sour flavors of the Tamarind fruit. Her pinwheel garnish made the “TNT” the most visually appealing. It was an inventive take on this ol’ favorite.
Windsor’s Manny Pena was offering a gin based drink with subtle fruity flavors. Though this cocktail was mild, it was appealing. Calling it No. 56, the pink drink included an ice cube with carrot stems frozen within for a hint of green. Pena took home the win for “Best Garnish.”
Matt Tobey from District American Kitchen was slinging a barrel-aged bourbon drink that was strong and smoky with a sweet undertone. This sipping drink was enjoyable but really packed a punch!
The Parlor’s Michael Allmandinger was mixing up a “Parlor Star.” This WAS a star with thyme-infused Desert Dry Gin, grapefruit bitters, Génépi (a liqueur similar to absinthe) and topped with egg white and an artistic design. This unique drink took the win and Allmandinger was deemed “Bartender of the Year!”
What a GREAT way to kick-off Arizona Cocktail Week! For more information and upcoming events go to http://arizonacocktailweek.com/