First Ever Ultimate Cocktail Challenge Winners Shake Up the Spirits World
The inaugural Ultimate Cocktail Challenge was held at Astor Center in New York City on April 12-14 and recently announced the winning spirits. Ultimate Beverage Challenge, a New York-based beverage competitions and events company founded by F. Paul Pacult, David Talbot and Sue Woodley, broke new ground with Ultimate Cocktail Challenge by assessing how well individual spirits performed in classic cocktails.
Expert judges evaluated how, for example, different gins perform in five classic gin cocktails like the Dry Martini, Gin & Tonic, Aviation, Tom Collins and Negroni. Judges included world-renowned mixology superstars Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich, Jacques Bezuidenhout, Julie Reiner, Steve Olson, Audrey Saunders, Tad Carducci, Doug Frost, Andy Seymour, Don Lee, Jim Meehan and Sean Ludford, Assistant Judging Chairman.
Spirits were judged on the 100-point rating system in multiple rounds. The highest scoring spirit in each cocktail was awarded the coveted Ultimate Cocktail Challenge Chairman’s Trophy.
Click here for more information on the Ultimate Beverage Challenge
2010 CHAIRMAN’S TROPHY WINNERS
BEST GIN in a…
- Aviation
TANQUERAY NO. 10 - Dry Martini
TANQUERAY LONDON DRY - Gin & Tonic
PLYMOUTH - Negroni
TANQUERAY LONDON DRY - Tom Collins
TANQUERAY LONDON DRY
BEST VODKA in a…
- Bloody Mary
VERMONT WHITE - Cosmopolitan
CHOPIN - Vodka Martini
ORZEL - Vodka & Tonic
TITO’S HANDMADE
BEST TEQUILA in a…
- Margarita w/Cointreau
MILAGRO REPOSADO - Paloma
TRES AGAVES REPOSADO - Tequila Sunrise
- TRES AGAVES BLANCO
BEST RUM in a…
- Daiquiri
BANKS 5 ISLAND - Mai Tai
PLANTATION GRANDE RESERVE - Mojito
DON Q CRISTAL
BEST COGNAC/BRANDY in a…
- Brandy Alexander
MARTELL CORDON BLEU - Brandy Julep
MARTELL CORDON BLEU - Sidecar
REMY MARTIN VSOP - Stinger
REMY MARTIN VS
BEST SCOTCH WHISKY in a…
- Blood & Sand
HIGHLAND PARK 12 - Rob Roy
MACALLAN FINE OAK 10 - Rusty Nail
MACALLAN FINE OAK 10 - Scotch Sour
HIGHLAND PARK 12
BEST NORTH AMERICAN WHISKEY in a…
- Manhattan
RITTENHOUSE BOTTLED-IN-BOND RYE - Mint Julep
RITTENHOUSE BOTTLED-IN-BOND RYE - Old-Fashioned
WOODFORD RESERVE DISTILLER’S SELECT BOURBON - Sazerac
RITTENHOUSE BOTTLED-IN-BOND RYE - Whiskey Sour
WOODFORD RESERVE DISTILLER’S SELECT BOURBON
BEST ORANGE LIQUEUR in a…
- Cosmopolitan
COINTREAU - Margarita
COINTREAU - Sidecar
PATRON CITRONGE
** The judges did not know the identity of any of the entered spirits in order to promote a completely level playing field. Cocktails were mixed by handpicked, highly experienced New York City bartenders, specifically Willy Shine, Aisha Sharpe, Lindsay Nader and Sean Hoard who carefully followed specific recipes chosen by Judging Chairman F. Paul Pacult and UCC advisors Dale DeGroff and David Wondrich.
Said Pacult of the first Ultimate Cocktail Challenge, “With Ultimate Beverage Challenge’s emphasis on integrity, method and credibility, coupled with the enormous experience of the world-class judges, we’ve created an innovative, exciting and authentic way for spirits and wines to be assessed in the fastest growing drinks arena in the world: cocktails. Ultimate Cocktail Challenge is like no other cocktail competition in the world. In my eyes, it’s the truest test, the most accurate measurement of spirits in cocktails because it evaluates the actual performance in cocktails.”
Said David Talbot, UBC partner, “The results from Ultimate Cocktail Challenge are a marketer’s dream come true. Being cited as the best vodka for a Cosmopolitan or the best tequila for a Margarita is promotional fodder of the highest quality. What gin wouldn’t want to be known as the finest gin for a Dry Martini by the most authoritative judging panels in the world?”
NEXT UP – Ultimate Wine Challenge (June 7-11) is now accepting entries with deadline of May 25, 2010.
Click here for more information on upcoming events in the Ultimate Beverage Challenge
