Marquis on the menu
Independently owned Marquis Vodka has concluded its inaugural Marquis Vodka cocktail competition.
The competition, launched in November last year, was judged across two months and involved 50 venues. Bartenders in participating venues had to create a cocktail using Marquis Vodka and keep it on the cocktail menu for the duration of the competition.
The three judges – Marquis founder Stuart Randall, Richard Lamping and Benedict Bickley – a non-industry judge offering a consumer insight into the cocktails – rated each drink on its name (10% of the marks), presentation (20%) and flavour (70%). The results were announced in late February at Bar 86 on the Fulham Road, London.
Eight bars and two clubs were chosen as the winners, all of whom will receive a weeklong holiday in a luxury resort in Antigua. The competition is the first run by the small – but fast-growing – vodka founded by entrepreneur Stuart Randall.
“The competition was an exercise in increasing brand recognition and getting more bartenders familiar with the brand,” explained Randall. “While we’re doing very well and growing fast, the brand has only been around for a couple of years and has only just started to pay off. The competition was designed to get many more people talking about the brand, something which we are confident it has achieved.”
As well as a means of encouraging bartenders to use the product, Randall also used the competition as a means to speed up listings, by enforcing the rule that the special Marquis cocktails would have to be sold or promoted to other customers – not just the judges – during the duration of the competition.
After the success of the first competition, Randall hopes to run a second contest later this year.
When asked what his favourite cocktail in the competition was, Randall admitted that he personally opted for a more purist approach, much to the disappointment of the competitors: “I like it best on its own, with Fever-Tree tonic and ice,” he confessed.
