Cognac Ferrand Reveals Winners of First Citadelle Gin and Mathilde Liqueurs Bartender Competition
Cognac Ferrand, the producer of Citadelle Gin and Mathilde Liqueurs recently announced the five winners of the first ever Citadelle Gin & Mathilde Liqueurs Bartender Competition. The five winning mixologists from the U.S. will travel to the Ferrand Estate in Cognac, France in Summer 2010 to distill Citadelle Gin with president and owner Alexandre Gabriel and master distiller Frederic Gilbert.
When they arrive at the Estate, winners will see the pot stills that create Pierre Ferrand Cognac which can only produce Cognac from November through March (per strict French AOC laws). Beginning in June the pot stills begin producing Citadelle Gin, made with 19 botanicals from a centuries old recipe.
Few gins are produced in pot stills, and Citadelle is the only gin distilled in a Cognac pot still with a naked flame. Mathilde Liqueurs are the result of a more than 100-year-old French recipe made from only the freshest and finest fruits and are all natural, using no stabilizers or preservatives.
Mathilde comes in five flavors: Blackcurrant, Orange, Peach, Pear and Raspberry.
The winners of The Citadelle Gin & Mathilde Liqueur Bartender Competition (pictured, left to right):
- Enzo Lim from Minetta Tavern in New York, NY
- Brian Matthys from Izakaya Ten in New York, NY
- Eryn Reece from Louis 649 in New York, NY
- Alex B. Smith from Ramblas and Thirsty Bear in San Francisco, CA
- Max A. Solano from Emeril’s Table 10 and Delmonicos Steakhouse in Las Vegas, NV
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Click here to see
Citadelle Gin/Mathilde Liqueurs Recipes on our MIXOLOGY Page!
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All the cocktail recipes were reviewed blind and judged by an esteemed group of cocktail experts including: Bridget Albert, Allen Katz, Francesco LaFranconi, Fred Minnick, David Nepove and Liza Weisstuch. The judges were sent recipes with recipe names and ingredients only, all other information including establishment name and city were kept secret until the judges made their final decision and selected their final five winners. Only then were the names revealed.
“While our spirits are crafted in France, it’s in the U.S. that we find the most innovative cocktail culture,” says Alexandre Gabriel. “For the last 20 years, my passion has been to create the best spirits we can and then we place them in the hands of these talented mixologists who turn our spirit treasures into cocktail gems. I look forward to welcoming Enzo, Brian, Eryn, Alex and Max to the Ferrand Estate – congratulations to them!”
The competition was open to all U.S. bartenders that worked in an establishment that carried Citadelle Gin and/or Mathilde Liqueurs. The cocktail had to contain both Citadelle Gin and one of the Mathilde flavors. The judges reviewed the cocktail submissions based on originality, creativity, balance and simplicity.
Click here for more information about Cognac Ferrand
For more information about Citadelle Gin, make sure to check out “Liquid Assets” in the November/December 2009 issue of Bar Business Magazine
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