The Tasting Panel magazine

Tales from Tales I n 2008 at Tales of the Cocktail, a lucky few witnessed the advent of something special. Midnight, poolside, on the rooftop at the Hotel Monteleone, ten friends stood in as judges and contestants for an unofficial "swag-off," mixing and testing cocktails made with only what was available in Portland-based bartender and blogger Jeffrey Morgenthaler's complimentary swag bag of mini bottles, chips, spices and sauces. Founder Ann Tuennerman learned about the swag-off after Tales 2008 wrapped, via Morgenthaler's cocktail/bartending blog, jeffreymorgen- thaler.com. She invited him to host it on an official level in 2009, and the "On the Fly" competition was born. What occurred at the actual event—one of Tales '09 top-attended functions—was a mix of fierce skills behind the stick, a sundry gamut of products and even a Mohawk haircut for good measure. The 2009 edition of On the Fly took place Friday, July 10, at the W Ho- tel. "Grand Marnier and Navan were the sponsors from the beginning," Morgenthaler explains. "They were unbelievably helpful, supportive and flexible, and the official rules stated that the competitors had to use at least a half ounce of either Grand Marnier or Navan in their drink and could only use the ingredients provided in the swag bag." While the swag bag each contestant had to work with ran a ridiculous range—including a line of Tabasco flavors, five types of tea, chips, 50 ml. bottles of Yellow Chartreuse and Amarula Cream Liqueur, Freshies Bloody Mary mix, Dirty Sue olive juice, Antigua & Barbuda hot sauce, Tanteo flavored tequilas, Dum Dum lollipops and M&Ms—the brand sponsorship and contestant line-up was a serious nod to quality. Morgenthaler handpicked contestants Eric Alperin, Misty Kalkofen, David Wondrich, Paul Clarke, Todd Thrasher, Guiseppe Gonzales, Ricky Gomez and Neyah White, and from the start it was obvious this was not going to be a serious, staid bar competition. Misty Kalkofen, President of LUPEC Boston, brought an all-female cheering section that repeatedly executed "the wave" as she mixed. Eric Alperin shaved himself a Mohawk for the contest, using his fallen locks as garnish by tying them to the stems of Martini glasses. Whether it was due to creative garnish or crowd influence, Alperin took third place and Kalkofen second, with her chai tea–infused Glenmorangie, Yellow Char- treuse, Navan, Angostura and Angostura Orange bitters cocktail. The winning cocktail, by Guiseppe Gonzales of New York, included Yerba Mate tea-infused Glenmorangie, Navan and Funkin Piña Colada mix. "I think for the spectators it was more of an event than the bar chef competition has been the two previous years at Tales," laughs Dale De- Groff, one of six judges. "I also thought the two winning cocktails could be placed on a menu tomorrow—and considering what they had to deal with, that's a miracle. Tales can get so heavy with all the seminars; there needs to be something light. This event is also one that allows the aver- age cocktail consumer to feel a part of something, as well." DeGroff and several others have expressed interest in seeing Morgen- thaler return to Tales next year to host round two of On the Fly. —Jenny Adams Swizzle and Swag Eric Alperin (left) and Marcos Tello. The swag ran a sundry gamut of products. New York's Giuseppe Gonzales mastered the winning cocktail. 92 / the tasting panel / september 2009 Tales 2009 brings the house down with "On the Fly"

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