Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/518118
june 2015 / the tasting panel / 105 eled" scrawled on the outside. Rosario also considered the glass when he crafted his colorful layered drink in the column-shaped Collins glass. Other contestants focused on presentation in different ways. Cosmopoulos delighted the judges when she presented a tiny bobble head of herself alongside her long drink and Costello used his candy striped beet garnish to bleed color into his aperitif. These contestants had plenty of love for their craft as each drink arrived at the judges table to praise. "If you don't love making cocktails, your guests won't love drink- ing them, so you have to love what you do," explained Abou-Ganim. Nick Nistico of Premier Beverage Company and Caterina Miltenberger of Glazier's Distributors stole the show, winning Best Aperitif and Best Long Drink, respectively. But it was Nistico who came out on top capturing the Best in Show accolade. With only nine points separating first place from second, while the banter between competitors appeared friendly, these mixologists weren't taking their jobs lightly. Nistico, who won a record- breaking 35-plus competitions in 2013, admits he has a competitive side. "I really love our brands, and I like get- ting out there and pushing creativity," Nistico excitedly explained after being named this year's Best in Show and Best Aperitif winner. Nistico's winning aperitif, the "Hi and Dry," featured Valdespino Fino Sherry and Zonin Prosecco, accompanied by celery and fresh sage and garnished with a razor thin slice of prickly pear. His long drink, the "Cumoniwanaleiya," blended Bacardi 8-Year Rum, orgeat and Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters with pineapple juice and fresh mint, served in a pine- apple and garnished with dehydrated blood orange and nutmeg. Presentation was not an afterthought for Nistico, who gleefully presented both cocktails with a bit of fanfare— displaying his take on a French 75 alongside a silver ice bucket overflow- ing with fresh herbs, and his nod to tiki cocktails arriving at the judges table in a basket accessorized with Hawaiian leis. Nistico's cocktails tapped into the fun that goes along with the job: "I look for things people are going to enjoy and put smiles on faces and [aren't] so serious," he explained. Miltenberger's winning long drink was comparatively more delicate, with a single wild orchid as garnish. However, the vibrant pink cocktail, aptly named "Pick Your Poison" that wowed the judges. The judges were impressed with her artistry in mixing the ingredients, which included Don Q Coconut Rum, a float of Don Q 15, Combier Rose Liqueur and Knob Creek Rye, which were blended with coconut water, prickly pear, lime sour and fresh basil, and finished with a charge of Perlini for a bit of fizz. Miltenberger spoke of her unique position as a Corporate Mixologist for a wholesaler, explaining, "We are not your everyday [mixologist]. We have to appeal to the entire world, from your fast chain all the way up to your steak houses—and in between are some beautiful hand- crafted places." Her special touch that she brings to crafting cocktails is, in part, a result of her experiences working with a range of audiences. She tends to depend on trends for inspiration, including colors, flavors and infusions, all the while ask- ing, "Is this [drink] appealing? Would I drink that?" The panel of judges, who found themselves asking that exact ques- tion after sipping all 12 drink entries, included: Jacques Bezuidenhout, Global Brand Ambassador for Partida Tequila and Head of Beverage Programs at Kimpton Hotels; Camper English, a cocktails and spirits writer and founder of www.alcademics. com; Tobin Ellis, owner of hospitality and consulting firm BarMagic of Las Vegas; and Estee Martin, Orlando's own POWER 95.3 radio personality and spokesperson. When asked what the judges were looking for from the mixologists, English responded, "We don't want to have an experimental- thought drink that isn't tasty at the end of the day." While the time crunch, ingredients and pressure of performing on stage in front of peers proved both exciting and stressful for competitors, both competi- tions left the judges impressed with the growth in talent since the competitions' beginnings five years ago. Ultimately, the words of Iron Mixologist Armando Rosario resonated with all the competi- tors and became an unofficial motto: "Make it fresh; keep it simple." Left to right, top to bottom: Emcee, Tony Abou-Ganim poses with the Wholesaler Iron Mixologist judges, Tobin Ellis, owner of hospitality and consulting firm BarMagic of Las Vegas; Jacques Bezuidenhout, Global Brand Ambassador for Partida Tequila and Head of Beverage Programs at Kimpton Hotels; Estee Martin, Orlando's own POWER 95.3 radio personality and spokesperson; and Camper English, a cocktails and spirits writer and founder of www.alcademics.com; at the WSWA convention in Orlando.