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What a crazy few weeks it has been. The life of making cocktails, often involves drinking cocktails… Every day there is something to celebrate, why not create a new drink? Here are my favorite drinks from the past few weeks celebrations:

I recently turned the Big 2-9 and celebrated my Champagne birthday at Voya! Custom cocktails, great food and a performance from Sweet Soul Burlesque dancers! It was a party indeed and I woke up the next day with a killer headache, laying on the most comfortable bed at The Loden Hotel (http://www.lodenvancouver.com/accommodations/gardenvista.html). I Rolled over and moved the garbage can closer to the side of the bed, then thought to myself, “One too many Champagne Manhattans, ahhhh.” I closed my eyes and fell back to sleep and started dreaming of swimming in champagne and drinking it at the same time… mmm champagne.

Champagne Manhattan

1 oz Maker’s Mark

1/2 oz Giffard Guignolet D’Angers

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

4 oz Champagne

Stir Maker’s and Guiglolet together on ice with bitters. Strain into champagne flute. Top with chilled Champagne. Garnish with an Orange Zest.

On Tuesday night I competed in the First Annual Cabo Wabo Cinco de Mayo Cocktail Competition at the Granville Room. It was a great competition, the city’s best bartenders in a great room mixing amazing drinks. I got to the bartenders dinner a little past 5pm, just after I tested my drink for the last time at my apartment. A little bit of a nip to kill the nerves. After all I was up against some of the city’s best. There to greet me at the table, Lori Poppe of Voya, David Wolowidnyk of West, Justin Tisdall of Market, Simon Kaulbeck of Boneta. I promtly ordered a Mint Julep; for the sole purpose of calming my nerves and butterflies in my stomach. Besides all the drinks concocted I’d have to say the Mint Julep is my drink of choice right now… There are so many fun ways to twist it. By the time I got half way through my second julep, Nick Devine of Cascade arrived, Justin from 1181 and Wendy McGuinness from Chambar.

Granville Room Classic: Mint Julep - circa 1803, Virginia
Maker’s Mark bourbon, mint syrup,
fresh mint leaves, crushed ice, dusted
with vanilla sugar

Dani’s Apartment Version:

2 oz Woodford Reserve

2 barspoons Maple Sugar

2 chocolate mint leaves (I’m growing them in my little balcony area)

Mix all ingredients together in mixing glass to dissolve sugar and bruise mint. Add ice and shake for 20 seconds. Strain over crushed ice garnish with chocolate mint leaf.

I took my last sip of my julep as the Canucks game ended…and the mixing began.

And The Winner Is! After close to three hours of 8 bartenders mixing drinks in 15 minute intervals the judges had deliberated and tallied up the points.

Wow! Couldn’t believe my ears when I heard my name called! It was some very stiff competition…

Here’s my winning drink; its a twist on a recently created cocktail that I mix and love, Marie Antoinette.
Espilego Fizz aka The Lavender Project

2 oz Cabo Wabo Reposado
3/4 oz Handcrafted Lavender Syrup
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Free Range Egg White
Top with Champagne
4 dashes Handblended Pink Peppercorn Tincture
Garnish with Pink Peppercorn Flakes
Shake first four ingredients on ice for 30 seconds. Strain into champagne flute & top with champagne. Finish with Pink peppercorn tincture and flakes.

The drink is inspired by celebration and independence, wanted something to be refreshing and unique that could focus on flavors local to production area.

Lavender in mexico is known as Espilego…
In the state of Guanajuato west of Jalisco where Cabo is produced; a small village is harvesting Lavender as a sustainable crop to provide independence to the people living in the area.

The Lavender blends exquisitely with the peppery fruit flavors of Cabo Wabo. With Lavender as the flavor modifier, lemon and egg whites lengthen the drink and give it a velvety mouth feel. The drink is topped with Champagne to create an effervescent and light charachter. Finished with pink peppercorn flakes and tincture blended to compliment and finish the cocktail with light spicy floral aroma and beautiful pink color.

Lets just say after I jumped on the bar to receive my $500, literally huge check (3′ x 2′), I drank a few more to celebrate. This morning I was moving slow but happy to have won. I think I deserved a prize for wearing a corset all day. It was part of my new school bar maid outfit that matched my drink.

Cheers!

Happy Mixing

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 12:02 am and is filed under Cocktail Competitions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.