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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/662062
www.cheersonline.com 10 • March/April 2016 WHAT I'M WHAT I'M WHA Alan Walter BARTENDER AT CRAFT COCKTAIL BAR LOA AT THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE HOTEL IN NEW ORLEANS The lilac breasted roller is considered by many to be the most beautiful bird in the world. The young are varied shades of brown, and then slowly and surely, their feathers develop into pastel hues that rival any preteen girl's dream bedroom. Lilac breasted rollers mate for life, fl y like acrobats and beat their prey against a rock to kill it before swallowing it whole. This layered cocktail, with gin, violet liqueur, Cloosterbitter (an herbal bitter with notes of mint, clover leaf and anise), saffron syrup and Peychaud's bitters, begins its life like the full-grown beauty. Once agitated, it develops in reverse to a golden-hued gin Martini. All the colors, the vibrancy and the mayhem of Mardi Gras, served up. LILAC BREASTED ROLLER 1 ½ oz. Magellan gin ½ oz. Tempus Fugit Liqueur de Violettes ¼ oz. Boomsma Cloosterbitter ¼ oz. House-made saffron syrup Pinch salt Dash Peychaud's bitters Chill all ingredients. Blend the Cloosterbitter with saffron syrup and salt; add to cocktail glass. Layer the Liqueur de Violettes, then the gin, and fl oat the Peychaud's. Serve with a clean feather and stir before imbibing. FEMALE BARTENDER TAKES TGIF'S FLAIR COMPETITION TITLE For the fi rst time in the competition's 25-year history, a woman was crowned TGI Friday's World's Greatest Bartender., a woman has walked away a champion. Manila, Philippines-based bartender Rizza Umlas won the annual event, held March 3rd at the House of Blues in Dallas. Umlas showed off her fl air at the bar, demonstrated mixing expertise and completing a test of recipe knowledge, the company said. She competed against nine other fi nalists, all of whom were selected over the course of the past 10 months to compete from among 8,000 bartenders from more than 900 TGI Fridays restaurants in 60 countries. Finalists fi rst competed in local, regional and division bartender competitions. They were tested on product, ingredient and recipe expertise in the days leading up to the fi nals. The scores were tallied ahead of the fi nal event; the fi nal fl air competition determined the winner. Including Umlas, the fi nal- ists in this year's World Bartender Championship hailed from fi ve different countries. They are: Alexander Barrenechea (Lima, Peru) Mikey Frye (Orlando, FL) Stefan Jansson (Oslo, Norway) Jessica Myers (Vestal, NY) Alisa Nicely (Fort Meyers, FL) Ben Schaefer (Orange, CT) Alejandro Silva (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) Fernando Soto (Lombard, IL) Russell Ward (Sheffi eld, U.K.) TGI Fridays restaurants also raised $150,000 for Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, through local events and raf- fl es leading up to the World Bartender Championship. Finalists volunteered at the North Dallas Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, before the competition.