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Blogs / A Walk In The Park / April 2011 / 32 Sips

32 Sips

When I was asked to be a judge at Wednesday’s Park City Cocktail Contest, I happily accepted and then started getting nervous about it. I’d heard you had to sample a lot of cocktails during this event. My high energy bar hopping days ended a while back, and I’m now pretty much a wine-with-dinner drinker who hits the sack around 9 p.m. My husband told me to channel my inner 21-year-old party girl and my Irish heritage and just get after it, but I was skeptical.

The Park City Restaurant Association started putting this lively event on six years ago as a reminder to out-of-state visitors that yes, you can get a drink in Utah. Apparently, a lot of people out there still think that because our state has a large Mormon population that doesn’t imbibe, that we’re a dry state (ha! Like I’d be living here if that were true)! So each year, they throw this contest, with the town’s bartending bunch going head to head in competition to create a signature cocktail for the year, which is promoted by our Chamber/Bureau in national advertising. Whatever the winning cocktail is, all Park City restaurants offer it for the season.

   

After being fortified with turkey chili nachos and lots of water by our host, Deer Valley Resort, the heavy drinking began. Seventeen bartenders competed, head to head, in a single round elimination format, so if one barkeep beat the guy or gal next to him in the first heat, they were out and he moved on to the next round, making the drink all over again against a new challenger. We judged the drinks on ease of preparation (30 points), taste (40 points), presentation (15 points) and originality (15 points). By only the second round, the event volunteers from The People’s Health Clinic (the event was a benefit for them) told us to stop adding up our own score cards. Apparently, we were already messing up our math. Oops.

The bartenders mixed, shook, danced, strained, swirled, juggled ice cubes and put on quite a show. There were some amazing concoctions with some hilarious names. Deer Valley’s Bonnie Ulmer (twice an award-winner in this contest) presented the “Elder Herradura Margarita” with elderflower liqueur, tequila, lime, sugar, mint – and most impressive – green jello tequila cubes right in the glass (all of the judges fished them out and chomped them immediately). High West Distillery’s drink, “Last Rights” was a killer mixture of their double rye whisky, plum brandy, chartreuse, lemon and interestingly, rosemary, which bartender Christian Schnurr lit on fire in the glass (and knocked his first round over and had to start again)! The end result was super cool, though, and the aroma of singed rosemary in the room actually delightful. The Spur’s Kenny Lovette created the “Go Green,” that made it to the semi-finals – gin, sake, midori, bitters, lime, simple syrup, and here’s where it gets really good – cucumber and Thai basil! It was incredibly refreshing and delicious with a nice bite to it – I almost broke my rule of only one small sip each so that I wouldn’t be under the table. I’ll be heading to The Spur soon to enjoy that drink at a more leisurely pace. The Sidecar’s Shannon Robinson’s drink, called “Shananigans,” incorporated gin and cucumber, too, but with jalapeno muddle and a slice of jalapeno as garnish. Delish!!! The heat down the throat after a sip was delightful. Silver’s Matthew Kallio froze lime twists into ice cubes that served as garnish for his tasty “Silver Snake” drink – looking just like a little snake poking out of the glass (which, deliciously, was a mixture of tequila, Pama liqueur, simple syrup and a teaspoon of orange marmalade.

But even with all of the amazing taste sensations offered – and they were all good – we had to ultimately choose one. When all was said and drunk, we judges had sampled 32 cocktails. And time after time, round after round, Shabu bartender Jeff Ferguson’s “No Thyme Like the Present” mixture, of gin, lime juice, cucumber simple syrup, white grape juice and thyme, won our hearts EVERY thyme. It just seemed like the perfect light and refreshing summer cocktail, super icy, served in a tall highball glass, garnished with a lemon wedge wrapped delicately with a lime twist. Jeff won a plaque, $100 cash and of course, the honor of having created the signature cocktail for all Park City restaurants this summer. Can you get a drink in Utah? Indeedy-do! Was I still standing by the end of the event? Damn straight. And proud of it. Did I get a ride home with a designated driver? Yesssirrrree. Would I judge this contest again? ABSOLUTly.