Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/977771
may 2018 / the tasting panel / 81 W ith a venencia poised over- head, the first of six American bartender finalists deftly dispensed a near-perfect pour as a long stream of Sherry struck its mark in the glass below. This gallant flair heralded the beginning of the U.S. final of the Tío Pepe Challenge, a global educational initiative and cocktail competition created five years ago by family-owned Sherry producer González Byass. Its mission is twofold: to inspire mixolo- gists and promote the merits of Sherry as a base for innovative cocktails. Held March 20 at Leyenda, a pan- Latin cocktail bar in Brooklyn, New York, the first-ever stateside finale tested the bartenders' knowledge and skills in three categories: demonstrat- ing their technique with the venencia, a traditional implement for extracting Sherry from a barrel and transferring it to a glass; participating in a blind tasting of four Sherry wines; and performing successful execution of their cocktail. In addition to myself, the judges included Tío Pepe Brand Ambassador Álvaro Plata, Julie Reiner and Ivy Mix of Leyenda, and mixologist Zane Harris. winner Born and raised in Italy, Valentino Longo launched his career at Rome's Hotel de Russie and later moved to London. Longo's cocktail creativity soon drew the attention of The Ritz Hotel, which recruited him as a head bartender. Longo moved to Bam Bou Speakeasy and Restaurant the following year before joining La Moderna, an Italian restaurant chain with outlets in Rome and Miami. Longo, who currently serves as the Head Bartender for the Surf Club at the Four Seasons Miami, says the story of Christopher Columbus inspired his cocktail. "Columbus was an Italian guy—like me—who never abandoned his dreams," Longo said. To emulate Columbus' famous voyage, Longo built his cocktail with layers of flavor and aromat- ics ("because memories are preserved in aromas!" he explained) which pay homage to both the Old and New Worlds. VALENTINO LONGO The Surf Club at the Four Seasons in Miami, FL Call Me Cristoforo ◗ 2 oz. Tío Pepe Fino ◗ ¾ oz. González Byass Néctar PX ◗ 1 oz. tomato-strawberry shrub ◗ ½ oz. Yellow Chartreuse ◗ 1 oz. Cedrata Tassoni Garnish with dry yellow toma- toes, corn shoots, and essence of rosemary. Nicolas Bertino, CEO and Country Manager for González Byass USA; Claire Henderson, Senior Brand Manager for González Byass USA; U.S. winner Valentino Longo, Head Bartender at The Surf Club at the Four Seasons in Miami, FL; and Tío Pepe Brand Ambassador Álvaro Plata at Leyenda in Brooklyn.