Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/23459
NOSE-ABLES Say Something in 2011 I t’s a new year, and there are new bars to explore and drinks to be tasted. But 2011 also packs great potential for future cocktails that “say” something, thanks to Medea vodka, the brand with the unique, programmable LED-light bottle that takes the words right out of your mouth with a bold blaze of sparkling lights. We turned to NYC’s Johnny Utah’s, where bartenders Tom Phillips and Jenny Aspinwall came up with some cocktails with a literal message of hope for good things to come in 2011 with the help of Medea, the vodka that speaks volumes. —Rachel Burkons DREAMEDEA 2½ oz. Medea vodka ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 1 ½ oz. Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur Splash of triple sec Cherry garnish Shake and serve up in a Martini glass. WILD RIDE ■ ■ ■ 2 ½ oz. Medea vodka Fill glass with pineapple juice Serve on the rocks with a grenadine drizzle around the rim. ■ Garnish with lemon. Jenny Aspinwall serves up the DreaMedea, which her coworker Tom Phillips describes as a cocktail meant to remind customers to “always keep dreaming, and make it happen in 2011!” On Cue with Don Q B Tom Phillips created the Wild Ride in homage to Johnny Utah’s famed mechanical bull, but also as a reminder to “have fun, let go and let loose in 2011, instead of holding on to the past.” . . . with Medea ringing together five of Los Angeles’s top mixologists, Don Q and Black Beard Eric Tecosky, winner for Black Beard Spiced Rum cocktail, works at Jones Hollywood. Spiced Rum hosted the ultimate Holiday Mix Off in December at the sprawling, illustrious 9,000-square-foot Esquire House in the Hollywood Hills. With its vast and stunning views, The Esquire House—also known as the ultimate bachelor pad—feels like it’s on top of the world. And, between the radiance of the twinkling city lights far below, the glow from the fire pits and the warm evening breeze, the setting was ideal for the night’s festivities. The hand-selected mixologists, chosen not only for their talents behind the bar, but clearly for their charisma, spent as much time charming and entertaining the Hollywood hipsters and industry buffs as they did pouring their signature drinks created just for the event. The contenders included Alex Straus of Hemingway’s, Allan Katz of Cana Rum Bar, Eric Tecosky of Jones Hollywood, Danielle Crouch of The Tar Pit and Danny Lane of Café Habana. In addition to the five mixologists above, Esteban Ordonez, the National Brand Ambassador for Don Q was on hand, serving up drinks at the main bar. The winning cocktails were Eric Tecosky’s “Root for Me,” made with Black Beard Spiced Rum, and Alex Straus’s “The Berlin” with Don Q Rum. —Amy K. Fellows Esteban Ordonez, National Brand Ambassador for Don Q, and John Katopodis, Serrallés USA West Region Manager. 96 / the tasting panel / january–february 201 1 PHOTO: AMY K. FELLOWS PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG