Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/687399
126 / the tasting panel / june 2016 The judges for the 2016 Call for Cocktails: Mixology Competition (left to right): Eric Hay, Beverage Development Manager, Breakthru Beverage Illinois; Francesco Lafranconi, Executive Director, Mixology & Spirits Education, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada; Nick Nistico, Beverage Program Specialist, Breakthru Beverage Florida; and Jonathan Pogash, The Cocktail Guru. The Call for Cocktails competitors (left to right): Troy Clarke, Director of Mixology & Spirit Education, Martignetti Companies; Mike Doyle, Beverage Development Specialist, Breakthru Beverage; Tim Rita, Brand Ambassador, A. Hardy USA, Ltd.; Tony Abou-Ganim, The Modern Mixologist and emcee for both competitions; J.R. Starkus, District Manager, Brand Development and Resorts Mixology, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada; Victoria D'Amato-Moran, mixologist, Pacific Edge/ HPS Epicurean; Andrew Quady, founder and Winemaker, Quady Winery; Mitchell Hoffman, mixologist, Royal Elite Vodka; Rohini Moradi, Brand Ambassador, Branded Spirits USA LTD; Franco Davide Borgia, Chief Alchemist, Distillerie Bonollo Umberto Spa; Quincy Richardson, mixologist, Guotai International, LLC; Milo Rodriguez, Absinthe Portfolio Brand Master, Hood River Distillers. CALL FOR COCKTAILS: Mixology Competition "A cocktail should first and foremost be a celebration of the base spirit," began Tony Abou-Ganim, The Modern Mixologist and emcee for both mixology competitions. With that idea in mind, the competitors went about re- creating their cocktails—which had already been narrowed down from 40 submissions to just 13 by a panel—for the four judges and audience. Each drink was evaluated on taste, creativity, presentation and its overall impression; this year, the competition introduced a new voting mechanism embedded in the WSWA Convention App, which enabled the attendees to pick a People's Choice Award. It proved to be a close, yet delicious race. R arely thought of by the end consumer, distributors are the lifeblood of the wine and spirits sector; our industry couldn't function without them bridging the gap between supplier and customer. The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Convention & Exposition brings this group together every year, allowing them to discover new products and to strengthen the bonds with existing suppliers. This past April, the 73rd year of this event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; the convention saw a record 2,845 attendees. The schedule of the four-day event was packed with business and strategy seminars, tastings, brand awards, dinners, meet and greets with celebrities and mixology competitions. Growing every year, the Wine & Spirits Tasting Competition, sponsored by The Tasting Panel and our sister publication The SOMM Journal, saw 250 wine entries and 373 spirits entries. Twenty wine judges awarded 41 wines a prestigious Double Gold award, while 19 spirits judges bestowed 47 spirits with Double Golds. The panels also selected Best in Show awards for everything from Best Bourbon to Best Bordeaux. (For the full list of winners, check out our upcoming July issue of The Tasting Panel). With an ever-growing collec- tion of palate-pleasing products, one can only image what the 74th year has in store for us. CLASH OF THE TITANS Two distinct cocktail competitions at WSWA pit the industry's brightest mixologists against each other. WSWA