Competition-Winning Cocktails Using Barenjager Honey Liqueur
Filed under: Spirits
Anyone can be creative with less intense spirits but it takes a certain talent to win a competition involving more exotic potent potables. Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur recently announced the winner of the brand's first-ever New York bärtending competition. Six of New York's finest bartenders competed in the Bärenjäger Bärtending Competition. Five judges: mixologist and spirits aficionado Allen Katz of Southern Wine & Spirits; Spirits and Cocktails Geek Gary Regan of ArdentSpirits.com, Director of the Worldwide Bar Database, and author of The Joy of Mixology; Julie Reiner of Clover Club and Flatiron Lounge; one of the foremost spirits trade writers, Jack Robertiello and Aisha Sharpe of Contemporary Cocktails, Inc., chose Kevin Diedrich as the grand prize winner of an all-expense trip paid for two to Oktoberfest 2009 in Munich, Germany. Bärenjäger is a honey liqueur which was first introduced during the 15th century and used by hunters to lure bears from their dwellings. Today's version a 70 proof vodka-based honey liqueur is made in Germany using honey from the Yucatan. Each 750ml bottle contains 225 grams of natural honey and a mixture of botanicals. The drink comes in a straw wrapped bottle that features a hive-shaped topic and an image of bear baiting. The overall flavor profile has honey's floral sweetness but with an herbal complexity.
The winning drink is called "The Bottom Line." Kevin Diedrich's previous bartending experience includes Bourbon and Branch, Michael Mina's Clock Bar, CASK, Beverage Academy, The Ritz Carleton and Bourbon Steak. The new drink is both classic and new. The recipe, plus the recipe for the audience favorite, the Bäre Fizz created by Gerry Corcoran, are after the jump.
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