Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/869846
56 / the tasting panel / september 2017 56 / the tasting panel / september 2017 COMPETITIONS Jägermeister "People might not think about Jägermeister in cocktails," Shaun Stewart began as he introduced his creation, but the mixologist for Baltimore's Gunther & Co. went on to point out that the spirit deserves another chance in the shaker. "It's got 56 different herbs and spices; it's bitter; it's delicious," he touted. "[You can] treat it like an amaro if you put it in the right person's hands." His drink, To Ghuleh the Zombie Queen (named for a Ghost song and a reference to a mythologi- cal Nordic succubus), was an ode to his tiki-loving father. He mixed Jägermeister with Maryland- made Lyon Rock & Rum, which is infused with orange peel and cherry; Cotton & Reed White Rum from D.C.; lime juice; falernum made with cinnamon, clove and wood-fired bananas; Don's Mix with cinnamon and grapefruit-zest syrup; Ms. Better's Bitters Pineapple Star Anise and a shrub with strawberry, Thai basil and Cynar 70. To Ghuleh the Zombie Queen by Shaun Stewart, Mixologist, Gunther and Co., Baltimore ◗ 1 oz. Jägermeister ◗ 1 oz. Lyon Rock & Rum ◗ ¾ oz. Cotton & Reed White Rum ◗ ¾ oz. lime juice ◗ ½ oz. housemade banana falernum ◗ ½ oz. housemade Don's Mix (cinnamon/grapefruit zest syrup) ◗ Dash of Ms. Better's Bitters Pineapple Star Anise Topped with ½ oz. strawberry/Thai basil shrub The Judges' Remarks "Tropical and complex." —M.M. Rhum CLÉMENT Canne Bleue This expression from a distillery on the island of Martinique infuses pieces of young coconut with rhum agricole—a spirit made by distilling freshly- pressed sugarcane juice—which gives it a vegetal and earthy character. Soft, sweet and round, the flavored rhum is meant to be enjoyed over ice, with fresh juices or in tropical cocktails. The Good Neighbor from Megan Barnes, Beverage Director and Partner at Espita Mezcaleria in D.C., was her take on a Daiquiri—a cocktail thought to have been invented in Cuba during the Spanish- American War by an American mining engineer named Jennings Cox. For the cocktail, Rhum Clément Canne Bleue and Rhum Clément Mahina Coco was mixed with Lazzaroni Amaretto and a "fake" lime juice made with malic, lactic and citric acids as well as verjus. It was served over an ice ball made with grapefruit and cucumber juices, grapefruit foam and a flambéed spent lime shell. Good Neighbor by Megan Barnes, Beverage Director/Partner, Espita Mezcaleria, Washington, D.C. ◗ 1½ oz. Rhum Clément Canne Bleue ◗ 1 ⁄4 oz. Rhum Clément Mahina Coco ◗ ½ oz. lime juice ◗ ½ oz. Lazzeronni Amaretto ◗ Grapefruit zest ◗ Cucumber ice The Judges' Remarks "Beautiful presentation, great acid balance and perfect execution." —D.S. Shaun Stewart, Mixologist for Gunther and Co. in Baltimore. Megan Barnes, Beverage Director and Partner at Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, D.C.