Several weeks ago I was asked to be the judge for the 42 Below Vodka cocktail competition.  I’ve been to several cocktail competitions where bartenders from around the city (and sometimes beyond) crete original cocktails and perform for a large crowd….but i’ve never sat at the judges table.  I was honored this past wednesday to sit on the judges panel with cocktail mastermind Scott Beattie, and master mixologist Anthony Alba (who flew out for the night from Vegas).

It’s much different from the judges table.  Firstly the mixologists perform for us.  They are staged nearby and direct their attention to our table.  Sometimes showing off the ingredients they are using, sometimes just plain showing off their skills.  We have papers in front of us with the recipes and information about the bartenders including random facts like what celebrities they’ve served.

What’s interesting is we aren’t just judging the best cocktail.  There is an entire set of criteria that the contestants are judged upon including appearance and demeanor, thought that went into the cocktail, execution, use of techniques, and presentation.

Anyway you cut it, tasting 10 cocktails is no small feat. By the end of the night we had sniffed, stared at, and tried everything.  We tried cocktails with most of the 42 Below flavors – pure, honey, passion, and Feijoa (a really interesting tropical fruit also known as a pineapple guava).  Bartenders used a range of their own ingredients from fennel to homemade chai masala tinctures.

The cocktails ranged from the fairly classic to the completely inventive.  We were even served one cocktail that was garnished with a honeycomb and served on the rocks in a honey pot with a glazed and gold powdered honey bee on top. In the end of the night, Josh Harris from 15 Romolo emerged the winner with his drink “Bridge to Terabithia.”

Congrats!~