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Can your Cognac cocktail beat the Swizzle Master’s?
Think you’re a creative bartender? If you can make an impressive Cognac-based cocktail that’s appealing to women, without being stereotypical, then the Swizzle Master wants to hear from you.
The deadline for the ‘One for the Ladies’ Swizzle Masters is 6 September
The theme for this month’s round is ‘One for the Ladies’, where entrants will be required to submit one recipe, using Cognac as the base spirits, to be in with a chance of winning an all-expenses paid trip to Holland, home of Wenneker, plus a gold-plated Urban Bar bartender’s kit.
Of course the glory of beating the anonymous Swizzle Master himself is at stake, so recipes must be as creative, balanced and impressive as possible.
“I want somebody to do something special. I have a feeling I know what everyone’s going to try and do, so I’m looking for something really unique,” the Swizzle Master said about this round.
This month we will be working with the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) along with regular sponsor Wenneker.
Recipes for this round, which can be submitted for free, must use BNIC Cognac generics (VS, VSOP, XO) as the base spirit – tasting notes for which are available on the Swizzle Masters website. They must also include at least a dash of Wenneker liqueur.
“We know women love cocktails and we know they really appreciate the subtleties of Cognac, so we’re excited that bartenders will be rising to the challenge of finding a new perfect mix for them,” said Sarah Winstone of BNIC London Bureau.
But entrants must watch out not to make their cocktail too predictable.
“It’s always tricky when people are asked to design a drink ‘for women’,” said Richard Woodard, editor of The Spirits Business and judge. “I’m really hoping that bartenders don’t resort to lazy gender stereotype and concoct a lot of pink, sweet, fluffy monstrosities. That’s both unimaginative and patronising. What I’m hoping for – as ever – are well-made, balanced drinks with an element that will appeal to female cocktail drinkers without descending into cliché. Not easy!”
The deadline for entries is Thursday 6 September. The results will be announced in the October edition of The Spirits Business.
If you think you have what it takes to beat the Swizzle Master at his own game, make sure you enter your recipe for free by following the link below.