Woodford Reserve®, the sponsor of Liquor.com and United States Bartenders’ Guild, Inc.’s Manhattan Experience, is proud to announce Chris Enns of Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Lobby Bar, in the heart of downtown Vancouver, as “The Master of the Manhattan” and winner of an all-expenses paid trip for two to London.
The final competition was held at The NoMad in New York City on Monday, April 23, 2018. Nearly 900 bartenders and mixologists throughout North America competed for the crown of “The Master of The Manhattan” over the course of three months. Cocktail adorers know the Manhattan is a three-ingredient timeless classic cocktail, however, it takes so much more to make this drink the memorable experience that it should be. The Manhattan Experience is a cocktail competition that gives talented mixologists across North America the chance to showcase their skills by creating their own unique twist on the classic Manhattan. This year’s winning cocktail recipe is:
‘The Only’ Woodford Manhattan
60ml Woodford Reserve Rye
22.5ml Vermouth Blend (Equal parts Punt e Mes and Martini Rosso)
7.5ml Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco
2 dash Woodford Reserve Sassafras & Sorghum Bitters
Garnish: Lemon Twist and Cherry
Glass: Nick & Nora / or just ‘up’
“The Manhattan cocktail has been my favorite drink for a long time and to have the opportunity to present my interpretation for such a panel of judges is a real honor,” said Chris Enns, the 2018 Master of the Manhattan. “Each stage of the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience has been filled with incredible cocktails by amazing bartenders I now call family.”
This year, the program saw hundreds of entries from around the country. The search began with regional competitions across 40 cities, where local bartenders competed for the chance to earn the title of “Best Manhattan” in each of their respective markets. Regional winners from the 40 cities continued to a semi-final educational event in Kentucky where six finalists were selected to advance to the final event in Manhattan.
The judging panel included esteemed industry tastemakers such as Woodford Reserve’s newly appointed Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall, Julie Reiner, Charles Joly and Jacques Bezuidenhout.
