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Gold Medal, The Crowd Pleaser: Justin Whiting and Lexington Bourbon Justin Whiting's Appalachee Punch. Apalachee Punch by Justin Whiting of The Manifest ◗ 1¾ oz. Lexington Bourbon ◗ 2 oz. watermelon juice ◗ ¾ oz. rosemary syrup ◗ ½ oz. lemon juice WESTERN SPIRITS Justin Whiting's Apalachee Punch draws both on historic recipes for punch and on Whiting's boyhood near Kentucky. "The drink really made itself," Whiting recalls. "I followed Dave Wondrich's recommendations and went with one part strong, two parts sweet, three parts sour and four parts weak—found some local watermelon, and the Apalachee Punch was born." Using Lexington Bourbon, fresh local watermelon juice, fresh lemon juice, and rosemary simple syrup, the Apalachee punch was the refreshing summertime cooler that everyone would want at their pool party or beach cabana. The Judge's Take: "This is a great drink for a hot summer. The only thing you need to go with this is a swimming pool." —Jason Gengabus Silver Medal, The Crowd Pleaser: Braveheart Justin Park And Dewar's Highlander Honey While some cocktail bartenders would shy away from flavored whisky, Justin Park saw it as a welcome challenge. "You have to be brave to work with it," said Park, "but actually it's the honey that pulls it all together." The Braveheart balances the sweetness of Dewar's Honey with a smoked tarragon ginger syrup that Park made by combining those flavors with Highland Park 12 and crushed black peppercorns for smoke and spice. Made as a flip, The Braveheart is a study in how a drink's texture can, in itself, change an imbiber's experience. Its foamy, frothiness was incredibly airy—quite the difference from drinking a Scotch whisky neat! Of the combination of smoke, herb, and spice, Park mentions Karen Page and Andrew Dornenberg's Flavor Bible as an influence: "I saw this drink as an opportunity to introduce these flavors to people who wouldn't normally order a drink with scotch or peat. The honey makes a helpful bridge." The Judge's Take: "I like the licorice and tarragon notes, which made it unusual. Egg and honey rounded out any harshness from the peat." —Martha Cheng by Justin Park of The Manifest ◗ 1½ oz. Dewar's Highlander Honey ◗ ½ oz. Highland Park 12 year ◗ ½ oz. tarragon-infused honey ◗ ¼ oz. lemon juice ◗ 1 egg BACARDI USA At the heart of Justin's brave cocktail was Dewar's Honey. september 2013 / the tasting panel / 135 TP0913_104-156.indd 135 8/22/13 10:32 PM