Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/458161
DRINK CULTURE www.cheersonline.com 7 January/February 2015 • Tony Abou-Ganim Modern Mixologist Timothy Baldwin Director of Food and Beverage The Little Nell Stephen Beaumont WorldofBeer.com Heather Berry Director of Beverage and Bakery Operations The Cheesecake Factory Restaurants, Inc. Sandy Block, MW Vice President of Beverage Operations Legal Sea Foods David Brown Vice President Operations Support Houlihan's Cindy Busi Director of Worldwide Beverage Hard Rock International Wesley Cort Director, Restaurant & Beverage Development and Operations Norwegian Cruise Line Doug Draper Director of Adult Beverage & Bar Development HMSHost Dale DeGroff King Cocktail Matt Durbin Vice President, Beverage & Bar, Carlson Restaurants Tylor Field III Vice President, Wine & Spirits Morton's The Steakhouse John W. Fischer, M.S., CHE Professor The Culinary Institute of America Doug Frost, M.S., M.W. Consultant Beverage Alcohol Resource, Inc. Jill Helmerick Director of Beverage Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Patrick Henry President Patrick Henry Creative Promotions Inc. Daniel Hoffman Director Equipment & Beverage Specifi cations Global Operations Services Marriott International Inc. Doug Jackson Senior Director of Beverage Development Darden Restaurants Scott Kinsey Director of R&D and Corporate Chef Hooters of America, Inc. Patrick Kirk Marketing and Brand Manager Buffalo Wild Wings Edward M. Korry Department Chairman, Beverage and Dining Service College of Culinary Arts Johnson & Wales James Kramer Vice President Beverage Operations Landry's Restaurants Inc. Ken Lennox Director Beverages Ruby Tuesday Inc. Larry McGinn Partner iMi Agency Mary Melton Director of Beverage P.F. Chang's China Bistro Robert Plotkin President BarMedia Blake Rohrabaugh Vice President, Beverage Operations and Innovation Bar Louie Restaurant Operations, LLC Fernando Salazar Vice President, Food and Beverage Wyndham Worldwide Glenn Schmitt President MarkeTeam Kevin Settles President Bardenay Restaurant Stacey Smith Beverage Director Pappas Restaurants Kip Snider Beverage Director Yard House Restaurants Monica Tary Vice President of Beverage & Training Cheeseburger in Paradise David Tetens Director of Beverage & Bar Development/ North America Division Starwood Hotels and Resorts Ryan Valentine Director of Beverage Operating Partner Cameron Mitchell Restaurants Suzan Waldschmidt Director of Beverage Outback Steakhouse Editorial Advisory Board Cheers REGIONAL FLAIR RULES SMIRNOFF MULE CONTEST As the originator of the Moscow Mule cocktail some 75 years ago, Smirnoff vodka invited bartenders and drink enthusiasts nationwide to partake in the Smirnoff Moscow Mule Challenge. Participants in the com- petition, which was presented by service industry jobs site Shiftgig and sponsored by Smirnoff, created their personal spin on the original Moscow Mule, a mix of vodka, lime juice and ginger beer traditionally served over ice in a copper mug. Contests had to create their own Mule using Smirnoff No. 21, ginger (in any form) and local ingredients to give the recipe a creative and regional fl air. More than 200 cocktails were submitted and evaluated by a judging panel that included Elayne Duff, the head mixologist for Diageo Wine and Spirits, Charlotte, NC-based mixologist Bob Peters and King Cocktail Dale DeGroff. Judges selected the best cocktail recipes from fi ve regions nationwide based on originality, balance, regional fl air and taste. Smirnoff Moscow Mule Challenge winners from left to right: Genymphas Higgs, Kynyetta Lester, Kristie Jones, Jake Fascitelli and Megan Dekok. The winning drink from the West was the Strawberry Hawaiian Mule (top left), created by Jake Fascitelli of Brea, CA, which uses coconut water, strawberries and pineapple. From the south central region, Kristie Jones of Little Rock, AR, won with the Black Apple Mule, made with diced apple, black walnut bitters and fresh mint. The midwest winner was the Motown Mule from Megan Dekok of Ferndale, MI, which incorporated Michigan tart cherries into the original cocktail. The Peachy Mango Mule, submitted by Kynyetta Lester of Atlanta, won in the Mid-Atlantic region; it uses a basil-infused ginger syrup, peach puree, mango nectar and fresh basil. And the Berry Cool Mule, with fresh blueberry syrup and fresh mint leaves, was the winning recipe for the northeast; it was created by Genymphas Higgs of Philadelphia. Each winner—and a guest— received round-trip airfare plus a two-night hotel accommodation in Chicago to attend a celebration in December, plus $1,000 to spend in the Windy City. Strawberry Hawaiian Mule Black Apple Mule Motown Mule Peachy Mango Mule Berry Bool Mule