Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1787
august 2009 / the tasting panel / 59 blind-sample the drinks for $3 and cast their votes. Hungry samplers enjoyed oyster and Absolut shooters. Secret ingredients abound—no self-re- specting bartender would reveal his or her secret sauce—but rumors of bacon in No. 11 and wasabi powder in No. 2 guaranteed that this was definitely not your father's Sunday cocktail. And what the mixes didn't spice up, flavored vodkas did, with Level, Absolut Peppar and Absolut Citron provid- ing the finish. "We saw this as a great opportunity to show the versatility of the vodkas with restaurants and customers," says Keith Gia- cobbe, Sales Manager in the Pernod Ricard USA Division at Southern Wine & Spirits. In the end, industry and media judges picked Soundview Restaurant's Bloody, created by Rachael Levin Murphy, as the winner. Marianne Grigonis, Bar Manager of Four Doors Down, ran a close second. The Dory won the People's Choice Award. "It's a very simple recipe that my brother and I made up 30-something years ago," says Murphy. "It's classic old-school with few ingredients." The secret sauce? No one's telling, but Pisacano says the winners leaned more toward tradition than trend, with good bal- ance and a little zing. "Some Bloody Marys you can eat with a knife and fork," he said. "We were look- ing for ones that had a different taste and weren't overbearing. We're looking for a Bloody Mary, not a meal." Claudio's Clam Bar is more than just a food and drink destination—it's a registered National Historic Building (circa 1845) and the oldest same-family- owned restaurant in the United States. Its Victorian bar was installed in 1866, salvaged from a demolished hotel in Manhattan's Bow- ery, and along with the Prohibition-era trapdoor and dumb waiter, is part of Claudio's venerated history as a drink- ing establishment, speakeasy and, now, welcome port. Gabrielle Cassone, Soundview Restaurant GM, and Michael Murphy, owner, accept the First Place prize for the best Bloody. Milen Planas, Manager of The Dory, wins The People's Choice award; owner Jack Kiffer in background.