Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/723381
64 / the tasting panel / september 2016 Winner! Bill Whitlow, Beverage Director, Wiseguy Lounge in Cincinnati What do you like best about work- ing with Ole Smoky at Tales of the Cocktail? Everyone is a blast to work with! This was one of the most fun and exciting two days I have ever had. Everyone worked really well together and just made it happen. What is your favorite bar tool? A spoon! If you could make a drink for any person dead or alive, who would it be and what would you make them? Warren Buffett. He doesn't drink alcohol, but he loves ice cream and Coca-Cola. I would make a non- alcoholic drink, which can be just as hard to create as any other. I would do some sort of an infused Mexican Coke reduction with cream and vanilla to hit all of his favorites. Maybe garnish it with a side of cheeseburger. What do you like about Ole Smoky Apple Pie? The apple pie flavor is bold but still leaves room for modifiers. When working with it, I never felt it to be overbearingly dominant— just present. What is your favorite bar tool? Most definitely my apron, as it can hold the majority of my other tools if needed, saves my shirts from splash back (as if I ever splash!) and it's super slimming (duh!). If you could make a drink for any person dead or alive, who would it be and what would you make them? I would love to be able to claim that I was the bartender who mixed the Flaming Volcano at some Chinese restaurant in Athens, GA that led later that night to the formation of the B-52s. That specific Flaming Volcano is my dream drink. What was your favorite part about Tales of the Cocktail and working in the Ole Smoky Tasting Room? Honestly, just being part of that group of bartenders and having the opportunity to form relationships with like-minded colleagues from all over the country was definitely the best part. What advice do you have for next year's Masters of Moonshine contestants? Don't miss your flight. Don't drop your phone in a toilet. Do fix up and look sharp, and if you want to win, it doesn't hurt to add a visual element to your presentation. Meet the Masters Moonshine through the Porthole ◗ 2 oz. Ole Smoky Moonshine Apple Pie ◗ ½ oz. ginger syrup ◗ ½ oz. vanilla syrup ◗ ½ oz. half and half ◗ ½ oz. Graham's Six Grape Porto Garnish with smoked cinnamon. Bohdan Darway, Lead Bartender, SOUTH Kitchen and Jazz Parlor in Philadelphia Pie in the Sky ◗ 1½ oz. Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine ◗ ¼ oz. allspice dram ◗ ½ oz. ginger syrup ◗ ¾ oz. lemon juice ◗ Egg white ◗ Angostura float