MIXING IT UP: 2011 PORTO COCKTAIL COMPETITION
Posted on April 12, 2011
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Create a Porto cocktail for the chance to win a trip to Tales of the Cocktail®.
Before prohibition, Porto was used as a standard ingredient in cocktails, but has since gotten lost in the flurry of new liqueurs and cocktail creations. Sandeman, the authority on all things port, is committed to bringing back the lost art of using port as an essential cocktail ingredient today.
It is not difficult to see why it was so popular and used by bartenders as it embodies a fruit driven style, natural sweetness, freshness and smooth velvety texture. Ruby Porto flavors are intense, powerful, full-bodied wines, showing the characteristics of young Portos – deep ruby colors, aromas and flavors of red fruits (apples, berries, plums, or strawberries), and the freshness of young wines. Ruby Portos age in large oak or stainless steel vats, where they are less exposed to oak and air and oxidize slowly, thereby maintaining their fruity, primary characteristics for longer.
Judges for the Port Cocktail Challenge include:
David Wondrich, is the world’s foremost expert on the history of the American cocktail. As Esquire magazine’s Drinks Correspondent, he has ranged far and wide through the world of booze, covering everything from Kentucky bourbon to Chinese cocktails. He also writes for Saveur (where he is the Wine and Spirits Editor) and The Malt Advocate (where he is the cocktail columnist), and has contributed to a host of other publications, from Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Wine & Spirits to Oprah, Real Simple, Martha Stewart’s Blueprint, Marie Claire and too many others to count. He has written three books on cocktails and mixology. The most recent of these, Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to Professor Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar(whew!), has been greeted with widespread, and even sometimes fervent, acclaim and is the first cocktail book ever to win a James Beard award (it also won the Tales of the Cocktail® Spirited Award® for Best Drinks Book and was a finalist for an IACP award).
George Sandeman, 7th Generation of The House of Sandeman, who has a particular pride in their heritage of creating a “brand”. From its creation in 1790, the continuous pursuit of Quality and Creation of a Brand Name for Sandeman has showed the way and guarantied today’s position as the leading brand in Sherry and Porto, world-wide.
Dalio Calado, native to Lisbon, Portugal. He began his affection for exotic cocktails, foods and flavors by traveling the world as a flight attendant. He quickly developed his skills as a mixologist at 21 and started working at various discos in Lisbon. Dalio has since partnered with several liquor brands and establishments to design cocktail menus, consulting projects and working with private chefs. He now owns his own restaurant in New York City focused around cocktail culture
The ingredients for a Port cocktail can be flexible and we are encouraging you to look at the robust flavors of the Ruby Porto for inspiration.
- With that said, your drink must contain Sandeman Founders Reserve, Ruby Porto
RULES:
1. Competition is open to any bartender currently working in the bar, restaurant or spirits industry specifically in the states of Georgia, New Jersey and Illinois and only those states.
2. Each participant shall use the official entry form posted at www.TalesoftheCocktail.com
3. All recipes shall be original creations.
4. Recipes shall be expressed in ounces, drops, or dashes and scaled for a single serving.
5. Your cocktail must utilize at least 1 ounce – Sandeman Founders Reserve, Ruby Porto
6. All ingredients utilized should be expected to be available to most bars or easily acquired/made.
7. All ingredients should be available year-round, so nothing seasonal. And all ingredients should be obtainable — or should be able to be made from scratch — without undue difficulty or expense anywhere within the continental US.
8. Cocktails made with inappropriate ingredients will be disqualified with determination of what constitutes an inappropriate ingredient up to the discretion of the staff of Tales of the Cocktail and the judging committee.
9. Cocktails will be judged on Creativity, Originality, Use of Port, Taste, and Presentation.
10. You do not need to be present to compete in first round of competition
11. 3 Finalists will receive an all expense paid trip to Tales of the Cocktail® 2011 (which includes hotel and airfare and $200 meal stipend)
12. Finalists will have the chance to compete at Tales of the Cocktail® 2011 in the Sandeman Porto Tasting Room on Thursday, July 21 at 10:30 am, The Iberville and Bienville Rooms, Hotel Monteleone.
13. Final winner will receive a $5000 travel voucher for a trip to Portugal with VIP visit to Sandeman Cellars in Oporto.
Selection of Winner:
Entries will be accepted from April 11, 2011 through May 31, 2011. Selection of 3 finalists will be announced on or about, June 6, 2011. Winner will be notified by telephone and/or mail using the information provided on such winner’s entry on or about June 6, 2011. Winners should be able to travel to New Orleans on July 20 returning home at or about July 23 or 24.
In order to receive the prize, winner must provide his or her social security number and will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and publicity/liability release within seven (7) business days of initial notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.
