Maker’s Mark International Mixology Competition

November 13, 2010

It all started early in the week. My husband got an email from his Maker’s Mark Ambassador program that an exciting event would be held in Lexington on Thursday night. It was a first come, first serve type of emailed. Seventy-five tickets, you snooze, you lose.

We were notified that if we responded to the email quickly enough and were in, we’d get an email Thursday morning. We spent Thursday morning a little disappointed, assuming we’d been beaten to the punch. Well, you know what happens when you assume…

About 1:30pm we found out we were in and enjoyed a night of bourbon, snacks and cocktail judging!The event was held at the Bluegrass Aviation Museum which is pretty much an airplane hangar so it had a nice wide open atmosphere with warehouse character.

Once we arrived we were told there would be two rounds with a total of 15 bartenders, or mixologists, rather. We were given two Maker’s Mark wax tokens. Try all the drinks in round one, vote, try all the drinks in round two, vote. A winner overall would be awarded in the end.

The bartenders were from around the world and we later learned after talking to a few that they had won national competitions in their respective country and Maker’s Mark had brought them to the US to compete. It was nice to hear that this was the first trip to the US for some. We had a nice conversation with a French-born, now Australia-living competitor who was thoroughly enjoying Kentucky and planned to stop by NYC before flying back.

Each had a story with the cocktail and some had done some serious research on KY history, such as Chase Bickerton of New Zealand with his “The Perryville Cobbler.” The drink included Maker’s Mark, Luxardo Marachino Liquer, Sugar syrup, Homemade Musket Balls Reduction (black beer reduction) raspberries and an orange slice.

Ginger was a popular ingredient of the night. It seemed to overpower much of the bourbon in many of the drinks, but our favorite ginger-infused drink was the Cowboy 66 from Jordi Otero of Spain. This drink included Maker’s Mark, Mandarin Boiron and Top Ginger Beer.

I had a tie for my second place. The KFC Sazerac from Robert Montgomery of Canada was the perfect holiday drink. He was quick to tell us the KFC stood for – Kentucky bourbon, fig and caramel. This drink mixed Maker’s Mark, Caramel Liqueur, Fig Jam, Peychaud’s Bitters, Absinthe, Water and an Orange Twist. The caramel and fig had the power to really put one in the Christmas spirit!

The other second place favorite was the Loretto Dram from Ricard Enell of Sweden. This strong drink included Maker’s Mark, Grande Marnier, Pedro Ximenez, Sherry, Bitter Truth Pimento Dram, Xcoclat Mole Bitters and Orange Zest. The best part of the cocktail story was that the competitor bought the chocolate bitters online from a store in NYC, had them shipped to Sweden, and then ended up bringing them to KY for the competition. This was a chocolaty, spicy, bourbon treat.

So you are probably wondering at this point, which was our favorite. Amidst the ginger, caramel, licorice and even pumpernickel-infused bourbon flavors, our first place was a refreshing blend of cucumber and bourbon. Completely unexpected that those two would go together, right?

Alain da Silva of France made the MMcc with Maker’s Mark, Cucumber Syrup, Fresh Lemon Juice and a Cucumber Slice. It was the one drink that wasn’t all bourbon, but also didn’t lose the bourbon. It was the perfect balance and the best use of the bourbon in our opinion.

Not surprisingly, our pick was not the majority vote. The trophy went to Kenji Nakamura of Japan for the Beautiful Dream. It combined Maker’s Mark, Lejay peach liqueur, Monin Peach syrup, Fresh Lemon Juice and Acerola juice. (Remember acerola? I used to get it in Brazil.)

This cocktail came with a funny story as well. The bartender’s translator told the audience that he had mixed the drink earlier in the day. Why? Because cocktail making isn’t such a quick process in Japan. I love cultural differences! And I have to say, while I don’t think this drink was the best use of bourbon, it was one darn good fruity drink that I’d take by the pool any day.

Of course, as we tasted we had to eat. These are a few of the fun appetizers we sampled.

A spring roll filled with soba and a peanut sauce, a mini-bean taco dipped in salsa and guacamole, chicken salad filled quiche-cups, pretzel rolls and a make your own bruschetta station.