Swizzle Masters Absinthe Decadence champion

The winner of the most recent round of The Spirits Business’ monthly virtual cocktail competition is Romanian bartender Mihai Fetcu.

There were some truly inventive mixes entered into September’s Absinthe Decadence round

For the last heat, bartenders were challenged to create an original cocktail using Studer absinthe plus at least a dash of Wenneker Liqueurs, but it was Fetcu’s creation, Fin de Siècle that was voted as the top tipple of the day.

Hosted this month at recently opened Cartizze Bar in Mayfair, London, the judging panel consisted of Daisy Jones, associate publisher of The Spirits Business, Lucy Francis, PR consultant for Domino, and Philip David, bartender at Balthazar.

Tending bar on the day was Cartizze’s bartender, Drew Aitchison.

As a notoriously difficult ingredient to work with, the judges were balled over by the high standard of recipes presented on the day.

“There were quite a wide ranging variety of drinks in terms of quality, experience and presentation,” commented Francis. “I was surprised by the versatility of flavours matched with the absinthe.”

Second place was awarded to Joshua Powell for Lady Gaia, while third place was given to Maxime Creusot for Herbal Revival.

Fetcu’s recipe will now go through to the semi-final in October, when the winning drinks from throughout the year will be recreated once more and judged against each other.

Five drinks will then be chosen to go through to the grand final in November, and the bartender behind the winning recipe will be crowned Swizzle Master 2014 and win £1,000.

The next Wenneker Swizzle Masters round is Tequila Salt of the Earth using Borca Tequila and the last chance for bartenders to get their recipes into the semi-final.

Our judges will be seeking recipes that display Tequila’s versatility and complexity as more than a slammer with salt and lime. Bartenders have until 19 September to submit their recipes online at www.swizzlemasters.com.

Click through to the following page to see the winning recipes. 

The winners of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters Absinthe Decadence round

1st – Fin de Siècle by Mihai Fetcu

40 ml Studer absinthe, 20 ml Wenneker Cinnamon, 20 ml fresh lime juice, 40 ml fresh pressed pineapple juice, 2/3slices of fresh cucumber without the peel and the soft core, 1 small sprig of rosemary, Prosecco

Method: Add all the ingredients except Prosecco into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the glass and then top with Prosecco. Garnish with cucumber and rosemary

2nd – Lady Gaia by Joshua Powell

20ml Studer absinthe, 10ml Wenneker Triple Sec, 15ml Licor 43, 10ml freshly squeezed orange juice, 15ml freshly squeezed Lemon juice

Method: Shake all ingredients well with good ice and fine strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with an orange twist on the side of the glass.

3rd – Herbal Revival by Maxime Creusot

30ml of Studer absinthe, 30ml mixed berries Wenneker liqueur (10ml Wenneker Raspberry, 10ml Wenneker Blackberry and 10ml Wenneker  Strawberry),20ml vanilla syrup, 15 ml lemon juice, 5 mint leaves, 40 ml Prosecco, icing sugar

Method: Add all ingredients except Prosecco together with crushed ice and swizzle. Top with Prosecco and more crushed ice. Garnish with strawberry, mint and icing sugar.