Russian Standard Vodka and the United States Bartender Guild have announced Alexander Velez as the winner of the first ever ‘Emotion in a Glass’ national bartender competition.
The competition honored the evolving trends in cocktail culture, and created a new way to experience emotion-in a cocktail glass. Over 100 bartenders from across the country submitted colorful and innovative drinks, with entries displaying emotions including happiness, love, and pride, among others. The winning cocktail, Passion, appealed to the expert panel, and landed him national coverage in the Food & Wine magazine November 2011 issue and an educational trip for two to Russia. The trip includes a private, VIP tour of the Russian Standard Vodka $60 million state of the art distillery in St. Petersburg.
“I am so honored to be recognized by Russian Standard Vodka and the expert judging panel for my Passion cocktail,” said Velez. “What I love most about the ‘Emotion in a Glass’ competition, is that this contest continues to expand the boundary of the traditional cocktail, and best of all, it challenges bartenders like myself to think outside the box and create an Emotion Cocktail, which has never been done before! There is no other vodka that I’d rather use in Russian Standard’s place, it’s simply the best!”
Russian Standard also extended a special toast to J.R. Starkus of Las Vegas for his Love cocktail, which was selected from the top 25 as the Russian Standard Vodka Facebook ‘Consumer Choice’ winner. As the favorite, J.R. was awarded a trip to the spirit industry’s annual Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“We are proud to always support and recognize the Mixology community for their creativity and skill,” said Sumindi Peiris, Vice President of Marketing for Russian Standard Vodka. “This program is the perfect way to thank bartenders across the country for their continued ingenuity and pursuit to perfect their art. We look forward to showing of Passion and sharing all of the emotion cocktails with Russian Standard Vodka fans around the globe.”
