Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/376390
september 2014 / the tasting panel / 99 Wonderful in the Windy City With amazing views and a legacy of fantastic cock- tails, The Signature Room, perched on the 96th floor of Chicago's iconic John Hancock building, is the per- fect setting to ask customers to snap photos of their cocktails to vote for a favorite. "People want to take pictures of what they're drinking there anyway," laughs Bar Manager Patrick Gibellina. Photogenic-ness aside, it was the craft behind Gibellina's King of Diamonds that won him second place in the Purity Vodka Craft Your Way to Tales competition. "I think the craft of making cocktails is all about being simple, elegant and great tasting, and that's what I wanted to bring to the King of Diamonds," says Gibellina. "I want to create a cocktail that, 30 years down the road, someone is going to want to order, and a brand like Purity Vodka gives me the tools to do that, because it's the best of the best. It's a vodka with a soul behind it, and for that, you need to create a cocktail that's worthy." The King of Diamonds at the Signature Room on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Center in Downtown Chicago. Francis Verrall was the winner of the Purity Vodka Craft Your Way to Tales competition. Here, he's serving Purity Vodka Sazeracs. Patrick Gibellina is the Bar Manager at Chicago's Signature Room. King of Diamonds ◗ 1½ oz. Purity Vodka ◗ ½ oz. Royal Combier ◗ 1 oz. caramelized pineapple purée ◗ 1 oz. Chandon Brut ◗ Pineapple garnish engage the bartending community, often jaded by the vodka category, and demonstrate that making cocktails with the right vodka can add substance and character to any cocktail." With the challenge set, Purity Vodka asked bartend- ers from around the country to present their best Purity cocktail by engaging with their customers and encouraging them to vote via social media. "Not only did many consumers discover their favorite vodka or bartender," continues Kuuttanen, "but, more importantly, bartenders received well-deserved online recognition for their passion." After a period of vigorous online voting, the top two competitors joined the Purity Vodka team in at Tales of the Cocktail, where they joined bartenders from around the world in the brand's "Globe-tailing" tasting room. "There are so many trends and flavors we don't get to experience outside our own country, so we wanted to bring that directly to Tales of the Cocktail," explained Kuuttanen. "The featured bartenders, including our winners, Francis Verrall and Patrick Gibellina, are craftsmen in their own right. True craft stems from passion and quality —and the cocktail movement is no different!" We'll toast to that! The Scandinavian Maid by Francis Verrall, Managing Partner of The Gilroy in NYC, was the winning cocktail of the Purity Vodka Craft Your Way to Tales competition.