3 cardamom seeds

2 orange peels

15ml Wenneker Apricot Brandy

5ml Wenneker Ginger

50ml Louis Royer VSOP Cognac

Muddle the cardamom seeds, pour over the rest of the ingredients and let them rest for a couple of minutes. Stir and double strain into a chilled goblet and garnish with an orange peel.

Matteo Corsalini’s Perfect Resolution

A New Year always brings a set of new resolutions, at least one of which is always to drink/eat less/more healthily. The Wenneker Swizzle Masters this month decided to honour that (all too often short lived) drive to live better with the Gin Detox theme for the round.

As was the case last year, the more challenging the theme, the more rewarding the cocktails themselves – a correlation that was very much maintained in this extremely impressive round.

This month’s judging panel saw a selection of familiar faces, with UKBG President Daniel Crebesse at the helm, Daisy Jones from The Spirits Business and Shane Lee Safi general manager of Moti Mahal.

Held at Safi’s beautiful restaurant in London’s Covent Garden which has also been offering a detox menu over January for more conscientious diners, the downstairs bar was filled with the delicate fragrance of ginger and elderflower – two ingredients which proved very much popular with contestants. Despite hailing from across three continents, it was interesting to note the similarity in flavours and ingredients for the theme, with tea infusions and cucumber also cropping up in a number of cocktails, as well as a lightness and ‘zingy’ quality inherent to all of them.

Our gins for the day were the aromatic and distinctive Hendrick’s gin and the citrus-led refined flavour of Tanqueray No. 10. The latter was used when no gin was specified.

This was also the first round headed up by our new Wenneker Swizzle Master, Kirill Maslenikov, who set the bar very high with his zesty New Year’s Fizz – a refreshing, balanced mix flavours including ginger, lime and basil, topped with Prosecco, bound together with quails’ eggs.

Despite Kirill’s palate cleansing and carefully created drink, the limelight was stolen by Matteo Corsalini’s ‘Perfect Resolution’, a beautiful pale violet drink with Wenneker Parfait Amour, Hendrick’s gin, jasmine tea, lemongrass and mint.

In second place was Vietnam’s Philip Huy with his ‘Midnight in London’, closely followed by Kacper Golba’s ‘Salad Sour’ in third place, which beat Maslenikov’s by a mere two points.

“Most of the drinks were really excellent”, explained SB’s Jones. “There were a couple of sweet ones, but almost all of them actually tasted like they were good for you!

“It seemed as if a lot of thought and effort had gone into bringing in new and interesting flavours which really worked. Some were slightly too sugary for me, nad could have been a little bit more balanced. But, if this level is maintained for the rest of the year, I’m very keen to see what comes next”, she concluded.

Crebesse added: “There were interesting combinations of gin based cocktails, some really summery others a little sweet for my liking but nonetheless good balanced drinks.

“I noted that ginger was used a lot in the recipes which was good to see, however some drinks were a little complicated and sometimes overpowered the drink. But overall great drinks.”

The next round is a Scotch sipper, so something long and/or strong, to slowly nurse over the course of an hour or so. The deadline is Thursday 14 February.

Recipes:

Master: Perfect Resolution by Matteo Corsalini

35ml gin
25ml Wenneker Parfait Amour
45ml strong jasmine tea
15ml fresh lime juice
15ml lime and lemongrass cordial
8 mint leaves

Method: swizzle all the ingredients with crushed ice in a highball glass.

Garnish: lemongrass and an edible flower

Gold: Midnight in London by Philip Huy

50ml Tanqueray 10
10ml Wenneker Apricot Brandy
20ml lemon juice
Barspoon of ginger marmalade
Top up with carbonated lemongrass tea

Method: mix by hand all ingredients apart from the tea. Add ice and shake for five seconds. Then top up with the tea. Pour into iced tall glass. Rim the glass with lemon.

Garnish: lemon wedge and mint sprig

Silver: Salad Sour by Kacper Golba

50ml Hendricks gin
25ml lemon juice
15ml simple syrup
10ml Wenneker Maraschino
10ml egg white
8 rounds sliced peeled cucumber
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters

Method: muddle cucumber with simple syrup and bitters in a mixing glass. Add the remaining ingredients and dry shake. Add ice cubes and shake again.

Garnish: cucumber wheel on the rim and a maraschino cherry

Minutes with the Master:

We talk to our winner, Matteo Corsalini, about his inspiration behind his drink.

Name: Matteo Corsalini
Age: 33
Experience: almost 15 years in the trade
Nationality: Italian
Position: Head Bartender at Restaurant 34 (Caprice Holdings), London, Mayfair
Inspiration for Perfect Resolution:
I took inspiration from one of my signature drinks – English Punch. The drink combines the pungent juniper aroma of the gin with the delicate and floral notes of Wenneker Parfait Amour, enhanced by the antioxidant benefits from the jasmine tea, sweetened with lime and lemongrass cordial. A great detox drink, easy to prepare, and even easier to drink.

Words with the Master

We talk to the winner of the Wenneker Swizzle Masters competition 2012 to find out more about the Maestro.

Name: Kirill Maslenikov
Nationality: Ukrainian
Age: 28
Bar: Arena Entertainment complex, Kiev

What’s the cocktail scene like in Ukraine?  Unfortunately the cocktail culture in Ukraine is underdeveloped but we do our best to let people  know more about cocktails, and educate them about kinds of drinks, what makes a good drinks etc…
Favourite spirits to work with? gin and rum
Worst drink to make? Long Island Iced Tea:)
The proudest and best moments?  When people delighted with drinks that I created for them
If you could make a drink for anyone, who and what would it be, and why? I’d like to make a drink for the father of bartending, Jerry Thomas, although I’m not sure what I’d make, I think I’d have to create something).
Favourite cocktail at the moment? Old Fashioned in all its variations.
Big things in 2013? I think the big things in 2013 still will be twists on classic cocktails with using homemade components (bitters, syrups etc).
Best chat up line heard at the bar? Not sure I’ve heard any that count as ‘the best’, but I’ve certainly heard my share of the worst… they are all here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McMWRA4Tzw0

New year – New competition!

Welcome to 2013, where we have a new Swizzle Master (enter Kirill Maslenikov) and a new set of themes. We’ve also decided to celebrate the winners of each round with a certificate for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places, as well as a running leader board in the magazine and the website, so there’s more reason that ever before to enter our The Wenneker Swizzle Masters for free! Sign up here: www.swizzlemasters.com.

So that’s it – the second year of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters has come to a close, and we have a new champion – Ukraine’s Kirill Maslenikov – who has been named the Wenneker Swizzle Master for 2013.

Kirill will be sent on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Netherlands, home of Wenneker Liqueurs, as well as being the Wenneker Swizzle Master for the 2013 competition.

Maslenikov beat competition from a range of other top mixologists from across the world with his unusual and challenging drink, Sunday Lover. In second place was Nelson Bernardes, drinks consultant from The Waldorf Hilton Hotel, London, with his Spring Promise, followed by China Tang’s Mate Csatlos with his L’Amour in Paris.

To have a look at the full article in The Spirits Business online, have a look here.

For regular news from the spirits industry, please visit The Spirits Business website; www.thespiritsbusiness.com.

The first round for this year is very much fitting for the time of year; we want your best gin-based detox drinks. Deadline for submission is Wednesday 16 January. Upload your recipes to www.swizzlemasters.com.

This year’s round will see some changes in the themes. As with in 2012, each round will have a specified brand for each round. We’ll keep you posted with who is the sponsor in each eNewsletter.

The next round is detox gin cocktails, so we’re looking for drinks jam packed with goodness (and flavour!) for the New Year.

Check out the website for the deadlines and the spirit sponsors. We’ll be in touch about the sponsor for this round shortly.

Then there were four, and now, finally, there is just one winner of the 2012 Swizzle Masters competition, with Ukraine’s Kirill Maslenikov named as the overall winner with his sophisticated and unusual Cognac and Jagermeister cocktail, Sunday Lover.

Held at the Spirits Masters Awards Lunch the Swizzle Masters Final brought together three veteran judges, namely Richard Ridley, export director for Wenneker Liqueurs, sponsors of the competition, Richard Woodard, SB editor and Kane Brooks, beverage manager for the Drake & Morgan group to try the five cocktails that had beaten the 60 other recipes from the competition.

In second place was Portuguese Nelson Bernardes from the Waldorf Hilton’s bar, Good Godfreys, with his absinthe/lychee/cucumber concoction called Spring Promise. Hot on Bernardes’ heels was Hungarian born Mate Csatlos from China Tang at The Dorchester with his fresh and feisty L’amour in Paris.

The Other two cocktails were Jamie Stephenson’s Sophie-stication and Maslenikov’s second recipe Dina.

The cocktails were all tasted by the panel without them knowing which cocktail was submitted by whom, but the odds were in Maslenikov’s favour from the outset, as two of his cocktails had been selected from the semi final, giving him an edge over the other three finalists.

The competition was fierce with the highest and lowest scores within spitting distance of each other. The calibre of the finalists was reflected not only by their extremely skilfully crafted cocktails, but also the prestigious establishments and accolades that they all had to their name. Winners and finalists of some of the best international competitions around (Swizzle Masters aside), including the Angostura Global Cocktail Competition, Bacardi Legacy and Diageo World Class, the finalists were an impressive selection of highly accomplished bartenders from around the world.

The drinks, mixed by The Cinnamon Kitchen’s bar manager Ben Newton-Syms, were all very varied, with base spirits ranging from Scotch to absinthe, Cognac to gin – and eclectic selection that tested the judges versatility as well as palates.

Editor of The Spirits Business, Richard Woodard, was extremely impressed with the high quality of the drinks: “All of the drinks were of an extremely elevated standard – something which I know was reflected in my scoring, which was uniformly high. They offered hugely contrasting styles, from the almost vegetal freshness of Spring Promise to the all-guns-blazing complexity of Sunday Lover.”

Ridley was also enthusiastic about the quality of the drinks: “The finals of the Swizzle Masters were revelation, with all five cocktails showing a complexity and balance that was a real delight. I would happily order any of them in a bar; but the winner and runners up excelled, displaying a combination of sophistication and understanding of the ingredients that was a delight to the palate.”

As with the semi final, there was no theme or common base spirit unifying the cocktails in this final round, with the exception of all of them containing at least a dash of Wenneker Liqueurs, which made judging them a shade more challenging as all the drinks were wildly different. “As judges, we were unanimous in our choice of the winner, but in truth these were all drinks that you could happily enjoy at the right moment and in the right company”, added Woodard.

“Perhaps equally importantly, they were for the most part practical too, meaning that they could easily be replicated in any decently equipped bar. It’s hugely encouraging to see so much creativity among bartenders, and from so many different countries too”.

Ridley was also impressed with the range of the drinks, seeing this as an indicator of what is to come: “With results such as these, the Swizzle Masters should go far and I believe that this is just the beginning of what will become established in the next few years as one of the major international cocktail competitions.”

As the winner of the Swizzle Masters 2012, Kirill Maslenikov will receive a trophy and a trip to Holland, home of Wenneker liqueurs.

Please visit www.swizzlemasters.com for more information about next year’s competition.

Box out

Winning cocktail: Kirill Maslenikov – Sunday Lover
15ml Wenneker Crème de Cacao (brown)
40ml Jagermesiter
60ml Remi Martin VSOP

Method: Stir thoroughly and strain
Glass: Old Fashioned glass, filled with ice.
Garnish: Orange zest above the glass for aroma and garnish.

Runner up: Nelson Bernardes – Spring Promise
30ml La Fée Absinthe
25ml Wenneker lychee
20ml fresh lemon juice
15ml cucumber syrup
15ml egg white

Method: Shaken and double strain
Glassware: Coupette
Garnish: mint sprig

Third place: Mate Csatlos – L’amour in Paris
30ml gin
20ml Plum eau de vie
15ml Wenneker Vanilla
15ml clove syrup
3 chunks fresh pineapple

Muddle the pieapple and shake together with the rest of the ingredients, strain into vintage Martini glass. Garnish with dried hibiscus powder.

Winning cocktail: Pavlovian Reaction

“A Cognac for the lady?”

It’s not a phrase that’s often heard, although there’s no reason it shouldn’t be; with its spiced caramel profile and floral notes, Cognac has massive potential to woo the fairer sex.

For years it has been perceived as a status symbol and the drink of choice of the older, masculine elite, but slowly its audience is evolving, thanks in part to the ever-growing cocktail culture re-emergence, and also to the efforts of the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC) which is dedicated to developing, representing and promoting the spirit across the world.

“In long drinks, on the rocks, neat and especially in cocktails, Cognac’s feminine side is coming to the fore”, explains Sarah Winstone from the BNIC. To help Cognac on its way to winning over women, the BNIC made ‘Cognac and Women’ the focus of the fifth International Cognac Summit 2012, which  brought 24 international women and men drinks professionals to Cognac to address the subject.

The Spirits Business also jumped up to help democratise the popularity of Cognac between the sexes through our virtual competition, the Swizzle Masters, making the focus of this round, sponsored by BNIC, Cognac – One for the Ladies.

And so contestants from around the world rose to the challenge to showcase just how the spirit could be used in a cocktail that would firstly showcase the diversity of the spirit, and secondly that would appeal to feminine tastes.

Judges this month came from across the board, from top bartenders to BNIC representatives to spirits brand owners;

Richard Woodard – SB editor

Sarah Winstone – BNIC representative

Luca Cordiglieri – China Tang at the Dorchester bar manager and UKBG vice-president

Stuart Randall – Marquis Vodka founder

Daisy Jones – SB Associate Publisher

Catia dos Santos – Hush Bar host

The expectations were high for this round, with the contestants having had an additional month to perfect their cocktail, as well as a particularly challenging theme.

“The contestants really seem to perform best when the themes or base spirits are the most challenging,” commented SB’s Daisy Jones who has been a regular on the tasting panel and has consequently seen the evolution in the entries.

The judges offered a good mix of palates and cocktail preferences, with the quintessentially feminine palate of Jones, with a penchant for all things beautifully presented, flavoured with lychee and preferably topped with Champagne, to the more austere tastes of Sarah Winstone of the BNIC and Catia dos Santos of the venue, Hush, who both shied away from anything too sweet.

As the judges gathered round the bar in the elite Mayfair brasserie Hush’s private dining room, while not at all uniform in their preferences, they were all impressed with both the quality and the sheer variety of the drinks.

The range of ideas and interpretations of Cognac cocktails was staggering – there was everything from heavy creamy cocktails to fruity long drinks to spirit-centric ‘masculine’ style drinks.

While preferences over particular cocktails varied from judge to judge, the unanimous reaction was a very positive one, with everyone pleased to have seem firstly such an interesting interpretation of what a feminine Cognac cocktail was – doing justice to both elements equally, and secondly such diversity within the recipes. China Tang’s Luca Cordiglieri went so far as to say the “overall the quality of the drinks was better than other sessions [he] judged.”

The BNIC’s Winstone was equally enthusiastic: “I thought the standard was impressive.  The balancing of flavours – really not so straight-forward with Cognac – was very creative and thought out. All participants clearly knew their lady customers and put forward cocktails which appealed to a modern female taste … crisp, fruity but never too sweet – and all methodology simple.”

Richard Woodard, SB editor, commented: “I thought the general standard of drinks was extremely high – I can only remember one which really didn’t work at all, and many of the others were well-constructed and nicely balanced. Mercifully, few bartenders fell into the ‘pink and sickly’ trap, which might appeal to a certain demographic, but to my mind doesn’t act as a good vehicle for Cognac in particular.

“In general, the simpler drinks worked best for me, as the addition of too many exotic ingredients and too much stick work tends to overshadow the Cognac. But overall it was an excellent effort.”

Similarly founder of Marquis Vodka, Stuart Randall, found the range very exciting: “I was expecting “soft cocktails”, either cream or citrus based, given the theme, and I was pleased to see much more on offer than just that. There were a couple of unexpected yet very pleasant surprises, where clearly great imagination had been used.

“I felt the Cognac was really well complemented by its accompaniments, especially in Michael Crossley’s BNIC Thyme Bomb and Marcel van der Ben’s Chocolate Delight. The balance in them was first class.”

The results were all very close, with the Swizzle Master taking first place by 0.4 of a mark only. Personal favourites were very varied; the drink that took second place, Kirill Maslenikov’s Sunday Lover, scored both the highest and the lowest in the round. It was also the most controversial drink on the menu containing 40ml of Jagermeister – not normally a cocktail ingredient, and certainly not one that traditionally would appeal to women – indeed Cordiglieri said it was “interesting although [he] would never recommend it to a lady”. Nevertheless, the drink was balanced and brought out the more floral qualities in the Cognac.

The Swizzle Master was also impressed at the quality of the recipes and the level of thought and creativity that had gone into it: “I was really surprised with the diversity of the ingredients chosen by this month’s entrants. There was a lot less chocolate and cream than I was expecting – in fact the only drink which used cream was my own and watching the judges’ murmurs of approval as the afternoon progressed, I began to doubt for a brief moment that I’d nailed this round.”

Cordiglieri, who felt that the Swizzle Master’s was the deserving winner commented: “[The Swizzle Master’s] was the best as it was balanced and a drink that ladies would like but also men could enjoy.”

The drink that took third place was different again, and was described by Hush’s dos Santos as “chilled mulled wine”, which again had the judges’ opinions polarised, albeit to a lesser extent.

There were two commendations in the shortlist, both of which split the panel significantly, with Jones and Randall both favouring their gentler flavours, while Winstone and Luca Cordiglieri both were quick to fault their ‘obvious’ female-friendly attributes. These were Swizzle veteran Ivica Misič’s My Medicine and new-comer Marcel van der Ben’s Chocolate Delight.

The next round is the final for this year, and will invite all Master, Gold and Silver winners to submit their entry. There is no set base spirit, but all drinks will have to contain at least a dash of Wenneker, and should reflect the Wenneker brand in some capacity, and will take place at the annual Swizzle Masters Awards Lunch.

The winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Holland, home of Wenneker.

Pavlovian Reaction (1^st place) – Swizzle Master

VSOP

Cream

Apple syrup

Lemon juice

Egg white

Wenneker Raspberry

Wenneker Vanilla

Cream soda (to top)

Sunday Lover (2^nd place) – Kirill Maslenikov

15ml Wenneker Crème de Cacao

40ml Jagermesiter

60ml VSOP

Garnish : Orange zest

Glass : Old fashioned glass

 Luxury Lady (3^rd place) – Sergiu Cucuiet

1 egg yolk

Nutmeg

10ml Honey syrup

15ml lemon juice

2 dashes angostura bitters

60ml port

15ml Wenneker Cinnamon

50ml VSOP

Garnish: Orange zest & hair accessory

Glass: Snifter

Maslenikov’s Sunday Lover

A month ago there were 11. Then there were four, and now, finally, there is just one winner of the 2012 Swizzle Masters competition, with Ukraine’s Kirill Maslenikov named as the overall winner with his sophisticated and unusual Cognac and Jagermeister cocktail, Sunday Lover.

Held at the Spirits Masters Awards Lunch the Swizzle Masters Final brought together three veteran judges, namely Richard Ridley, export director for Wenneker Liqueurs, sponsors of the competition, Richard Woodard, SB editor and Kane Brooks, beverage manager for the Drake & Morgan group to try the five cocktails that had beaten the 60 other recipes from the competition.

In second place was Portuguese Nelson Bernardes from the Waldorf Hilton’s bar, Good Godfreys, with his absinthe/lychee/cucumber concoction called Spring Promise. Hot on Bernardes’ heels was Hungarian born Mate Csatlos from China Tang at The Dorchester with his fresh and feisty L’amour in Paris.

The Other two cocktails were Jamie Stephenson’s Sophie-stication and Maslenikov’s second recipe Dina.

The cocktails were all tasted by the panel without them knowing which cocktail was submitted by whom, but the odds were in Maslenikov’s favour from the outset, as two of his cocktails had been selected from the semi final, giving him an edge over the other three finalists.

The competition was fierce with the highest and lowest scores within spitting distance of each other. The calibre of the finalists was reflected not only by their extremely skilfully crafted cocktails, but also the prestigious establishments and accolades that they all had to their name. Winners and finalists of some of the best international competitions around (Swizzle Masters aside), including the Angostura Global Cocktail Competition, Bacardi Legacy and Diageo World Class, the finalists were an impressive selection of highly accomplished bartenders from around the world.

The drinks, mixed by The Cinnamon Kitchen’s bar manager Ben Newton-Syms, were all very varied, with base spirits ranging from Scotch to absinthe, Cognac to gin – and eclectic selection that tested the judges versatility as well as palates.

Editor of The Spirits Business, Richard Woodard, was extremely impressed with the high quality of the drinks: “All of the drinks were of an extremely elevated standard – something which I know was reflected in my scoring, which was uniformly high. They offered hugely contrasting styles, from the almost vegetal freshness of Spring Promise to the all-guns-blazing complexity of Sunday Lover.”

Ridley was also enthusiastic about the quality of the drinks: “The finals of the Swizzle Masters were revelation, with all five cocktails showing a complexity and balance that was a real delight. I would happily order any of them in a bar; but the winner and runners up excelled, displaying a combination of sophistication and understanding of the ingredients that was a delight to the palate.”

As with the semi final, there was no theme or common base spirit unifying the cocktails in this final round, with the exception of all of them containing at least a dash of Wenneker Liqueurs, which made judging them a shade more challenging as all the drinks were wildly different. “As judges, we were unanimous in our choice of the winner, but in truth these were all drinks that you could happily enjoy at the right moment and in the right company”, added Woodard.

“Perhaps equally importantly, they were for the most part practical too, meaning that they could easily be replicated in any decently equipped bar. It’s hugely encouraging to see so much creativity among bartenders, and from so many different countries too”.

Ridley was also impressed with the range of the drinks, seeing this as an indicator of what is to come: “With results such as these, the Swizzle Masters should go far and I believe that this is just the beginning of what will become established in the next few years as one of the major international cocktail competitions.”

As the winner of the Swizzle Masters 2012, Kirill Maslenikov will receive a trophy and a trip to Holland, home of Wenneker liqueurs.

Winning cocktail: Kirill Maslenikov – Sunday Lover
15ml Wenneker Crème de Cacao (brown)
40ml Jagermesiter
60ml Remi Martin VSOP

Method: Stir thoroughly and strain
Glass: Old Fashioned glass, filled with ice.
Garnish: Orange zest above the glass for aroma and garnish.

Runner up: Nelson Bernardes – Spring Promise
30ml La Fée Absinthe
25ml Wenneker lychee
20ml fresh lemon juice
15ml cucumber syrup
15ml egg white

Method: Shaken and double strain
Glassware: Coupette
Garnish: mint sprig

Third place: Mate Csatlos – L’amour in Paris
30ml gin
20ml Plum eau de vie
15ml Wenneker Vanilla
15ml clove syrup
3 chunks fresh pineapple

Muddle the pineapple and shake together with the rest of the ingredients, strain into vintage Martini glass. Garnish with dried hibiscus powder.

Johnny Walker & Wenneker

Mouth-watering, appetite-whetting whisky cocktails were on the menu this month – or at least that was the aim of the game with the whisky aperitif theme of the latest Swizzle Masters contest.

Judging this round was a fresh set of palates, ready to weigh up the 11 different cocktails on offer. They included panel chairman John Jeffrey, managing director of Edgerton Distillers and UKBG London chapter treasurer; ably assisted by Kaveer Shahani, founder and CEO of entertainment and hospitality company Groove Temple; Daisy Jones, associate publisher of The Spirits Business; and of course, our mystery Swizzle Master.

As the rain beat down in Soho, the judges evaluated every element of the cocktails, made using Wenneker liqueurs and guest spirit Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve. Their ruminations ranged from comments on appearance to methodology – and crucially, the taste.

Despite the popularity of white spirits such as vodka and gin, whisky is an old favourite for aperitif-style drinks, with its dry taste profile. The powerful and complex flavours make it a slow drink, perfect to gently whet the drinker’s appetite.

John Jeffrey, Daisy Jones and Kaveer Shahani sharpen their tastebuds.

The panel’s expectations for an aperitif cocktail were exacting: Shahani was looking for something “rich in flavours and aromatic” with a “development in the taste – a journey of aromas”. He added: “An aperitif should be a pick-me-up, something that sets the tempo for the evening, as well as working up a hunger before dinner.”

Similarly, Jeffrey was keen to see the appetite-sharpening element of the drink fully respected. “As an aperitif, it should be quite dry, stimulating the appetite,” he remarked. “It also shouldn’t be too long, otherwise the excessive liquid will kill your appetite.”

Meanwhile, Jones’s approach to the matter was more pragmatic: “I have a dinner to go to later, so let’s see how hungry I am at the end of 11 aperitif-style cocktails!”

As it was, stomachs may well have been rumbling by the end of the tasting – but the judges’ desire for a truly excellent cocktail was equally unsated.

Attention to detail: JT, head bartender at Cinnamon Soho, mixing the finalists’ cocktails

“There were two main problems with this round,” explained the Swizzle Master. “Firstly contestants got sloppy with their instructions – one recipe didn’t have any mention of how the drink should be served: on ice, no ice, crushed ice… Considering there was no glassware mentioned anyway, I was at a loss as to how to make it.

“Secondly, the recipes were lacking a bit in creativity, with slight variations only on a classic. This can be very effective, but the difference was so slight that it didn’t do enough to set the cocktail really apart from its obvious forefather.”

That said, there were some fine ideas which came very close to excellence. Sophie Mackay’s Walking Angel was a fruity take on a Julep/Old Fashioned hybrid which won favour with Jones’s feminine palate, but failed to excite the other two as much.

Johnnie Walker: sponsor of the Scotch
whisky heat of the Swizzle Masters

Aperol was used by two cocktails, both of which were singled out by the judges as a good creative merger of different aperitif-style spirits. Sergiu Cucuiet’s Long Marriage with Aperol and cherry brandy alongside the whisky was a delicate and well-balanced creation which was awarded a special commendation, but lost out to Kirill Maslenikov’s Dina, which fused Wenneker Sour Apple with Aperol, whisky and chocolate bitters, and put him in third place.

In second place was Ivica Misic’s Hot Summer – a refreshing blend of whisky, triple sec, Martini Rosso, Campari and Limoncello. The first place, however, was taken by the Swizzle Master in an impressive return to form with his crowd-pleasing Golden Promise, featuring plum bitters, vanilla syrup and cherry brandy marrying seamlessly with the whisky. The next round will see our competitors try their hand at Cognac cocktails, with a particular focus on the female palate.

Note: This month’s featured spirit was Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, and not as stated in some pre-contest emails. Apologies for any confusion.

Golden Promise – The Swizzle Master

Results

Master:
The Swizzle Master – Golden Promise

Gold:
Ivica Misic – Hot Summer

Silver:
Kirill Maslenikov – Dina

Tasting notes for BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac) generic cognacs, provided by the BNIC.
 
COGNAC VS

Very fresh on the nose with a subtle blend of dried flower aromas mingled with toasted almonds and hazel nuts and hints of freshly toasted bread and sweet brioche. On the palate the same freshness as on the nose but now allied with a certain power. With fruit, dried floral notes and oak all very well integrated.
 
COGNAC VSOP

Attractive vanilla, followed by notes of sweet caramel and toffee on the nose are the first hints of the sweet, richness of this Cognac. After time, the nose reveals ripe aromas of apple and quince fruit compote, spicy cinnamon and pepper and a touch of liquorice. A complex and very elegant VSOP.
 
COGNAC XO

Rich, sweet nose, first marked by crystallised apricots, prunes and marmalade then aromas of honey, liquorice and old, well-polished wood that adds to the complexity. With time, the nose reveals the characteristic autumn undergrowth and walnut oil notes, denoting the development of rancio. Perfect balance in this XO between power and rich, aromatic complexity.
 
MORE INFO: www.cognac.fr

The house pour for this round was Sierra Milenario Blanco and Extra Añejo, and all the Summer themed drinks had to contain, as always, at least a dash of Wenneker liqueurs. On the panel this month was The Spirits Business’ associate publisher Daisy Jones, The Drinks Company’s managing director and sales director, Bill Oddy and Tony Skinner respectively, and Luca Cordiglieri, UKBG vice president, as chair. Mixing the drinks was our secret Swizzle Master.

The past two rounds had been particularly strong, and the Swizzle Master was keen to show that he was still the best. As it was, he fought his way back to the top three, behind the first and second place winners by under five points.

There were some excellent ideas in terms of flavour pairings – from chilli to cherry, cinnamon to cucumber, but make sure you’re careful with the quantities!

Results

Shortlist:

Romain Mas – El Gran Julep

Mihai Fectu – Cereza Sueño

Michael Stringer – De Nada

Philip Huy – Summer of Matador

Tess Posthumus – Summer Starship

MasK – Anon

Shake Online – Paradise Surprise

Ivica Misic – Anhelo Romantico

Mario – Vendetta Cooler

Alex Tudor – Chillita Special

Cereza Sueño

Commendations:

Tess Posthumus – Summer Starship

Romain Mas – El Gran Julep

Silver:

The Swizzle Master – Rio Grande

Gold:

Philip Huy – Summer of Matador

Master:

Mihai Fectu – Cereza Sueño

Swizzle Master’s comments

I think I got my edge back a little in this round. Hats off to Mihai Fectu and Philip Huy who got first and second place respectively, but the rest of you can do better to beat me! There was some fierce competition, but it seemed as if your creativity got the better of your sense of precision. One of Fectu’s strong points was his incredibly clear instructions. The next round is a toughie: ‘One for the Ladies’ Cognac cocktails. Bring it on!

Next Round

The next round is Whisky Aperitif cocktails. Can you make the historic spirit come alive for female palates? We’re using Johnnie Walker Black.

Deadline for entries is Thursday 5 July. Good luck!