Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/611718
68 / the tasting panel / december 2015 COMPETITIONS After reviewing the finalists' serves, the feeling was confirmed mutual; Bechard offered profuse praise. "The innovation and creativity from these guys absolutely blew me away. They stepped up to the plate; it was fantastic to see," he said, adding: "When we talk about a 'kindred spirit,' it's not about simply creating a cocktail, but creating an experience that will excite and entertain the consumer." Five serves were in the running: four presented in Manhattan and a fifth in Denver. Peter Duca, a bar- tender from The Oceanaire Seafood Room in Hackensack, New Jersey, demonstrated first. His serve com- bined the visual theater of smoke and ice with Glenfiddich 15 Year. On a slate slab, he smoked a dried apple chip with clove and cinnamon sticks "to tie in those flavor notes with the Scotch." Placing a snifter over the aromatized wisps, he transferred the glass beneath the ice funnel through which he poured the 15 Year. "The ice chills the spirit and adds a touch of water," Duca explained. Jeff Cohen, a bartender from Morton's Grille on Park Avenue South, presented his Time Honored Flight, a comparison of Glenfiddich's aged expressions to life's journey from youth to maturity. Filling a syringe with 12 Year, he infused a Majii microgreen with the spirit to repre- sent "newness." He riffed on an Old Fashioned—muddling blood orange, a brandied cherry and simple syrup into the 15 Year, to reflect development of character. He accentuated the 18 Year with a blackberry frozen inside an ice cube and blackberry simple syrup drizzled over top. "I wanted to show how, as you grow up, your tastes change, but not so much that things become unrecognizable." Julie Calabrese, a sales and events manager from Morton's World Trade Center, played on the history of the distillery, showcasing the 15 Year as "an ode to tradition and innovation" in her serve Granted. First, she encouraged judges to sip and explore the spirit's flavors neat. Next, they were invited to pour the Scotch over a chamomile tea-and-vanilla-infused cube. The melting ice revealed the spirit's subtle ginger, cinnamon and honey notes. An Jeff Cohen, a bartender from Morton's Grille on Park Avenue South, presented his Time Honored Flight, a comparison of Glenfiddich's aged expressions to life's journey from youth to maturity. David Allardice, Glenfiddich Ambassador South and Central (L) and Jeremiah Courtney, Vice President National Accounts, On Premise (R) build the Super Cool Serve, from Nathan Reulman of Morton's Anaheim, California (not pictured). The clever chill-and-mix cocktail concept used a funnel, copper coil and cocktail shaker filled with dry ice. PHOTO: GABI PORTER PHOTO: GABI PORTER