Park City Signature Cocktail Contest

"Mountain Derby" is the king of the cocktails this winter. 

Congratulations to Dave Wallace of the Montage Deer Valley for mixing up the winning Cocktail! It was an exciting competition and a close contest with a huge crowd, and The Sidecar was the perfect location for our contest!

Dave Wallace took home a $100 cash prize and a trophy, plus a measure of local renown: The Mountain Derby will appear on drink menus at the Montage Deer Valley as well as Park City restaurants and bars through the rest of fall and winter. 

The Mountain Derby won with a winning score of 444 (a perfect score being 500). It received high marks for taste, originality and presentation.

Once again, the competition was extremely close, It just goes to show that Park City is home to some of the best cocktails, best bartenders, and best bars in the world.

Ticket sales for the event raised funds for the People's Health Clinic, a full-service health center for uninsured individuals and families in Utah's Summit and Wasatch counties. Together, the Park City Area Restaurant Association cocktail contests have raised more than $7,000 for the clinic.

For those who wish to try the Montage Deer Valley's Mountain Derby cocktail at home, here's the recipe:

Spirits:
1 ½ oz. Woodford Reserve

Other Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. Fresh Grapefruit Juice
1 oz. Lavender / Chamomile Honey
¼ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Method: Shake, strain and serve up. Garnish with a Lemon Wheel

Glassware: Martini Glass with ½ of the rim sugared

Lavender/Chamomile Honey:
2 cups organic clover honey
2 cups water
2 ½ cups ‘loose' chamomile tea
1 cup ‘loose' lavender Earl Grey (or English Breakfast) tea

Heat honey and water until honey is fully dissolved and incorporated
Add chamomile tea...steep for 8 minutes...then add Lavender tea (with chamomile)...let steep for 10 minutes (all steeping to taste)
Strain (double china cap)...refrigerate

The 2012 Spring & Summer Signature Cocktail Contest  -  "Flower & Pine."   

"It was an exciting competition," said Ginger Ries, executive director of the PCARA. "We had a close competition tonight with a huge crowd.  Ciseros's was the perfect location for our contest and brought in many just off the slopes for an après ski libation."  Deer Valley Grocery Café took home a $100 cash prize and a trophy, plus a measure of local renown: Flower & Pine will appear on drink menus at Park City restaurants and bars through the rest of spring and summer.

Flower & Pine, which blends Beefeater Gin, St. Germaine Liqueur, Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur and Peychaud's Bitters, won with a score of 474. It received high marks for taste and presentation.

"Once again, the competition was extremely close," PCARA executive director Ginger Ries said. "It just goes to show that Park City is home to some of the best cocktails, best bartenders, and best bars in the world."

The judges, who included Mary Malouf (food editor, Salt Lake Magazine), Ted Scheffler (food editor, City Weekly), Kristen Case (food editor, Park City magazine), Casey Metzger, (Owner of Top Shelf) and Chris Wadell (Paralympian), evaluated each drink based on its presentation, taste and appearance. The entries varied widely, from the Phat Beetz presented by The Farm and offering beet puree (incidently this was also the runner up in the competition), to Elderflower White Lady presented by Stein Eriksen Lodge including Tanqueray Gin, St. Germaine, pasteurized egg white, lemon wedge and topped with Pop Rocks.

For those who wish to try the Flower & Pine cocktail at home, here's the recipe:

"Flower & Pine"

Presented by September Bickmore and Bonnie Ulmer, representing Deer Valley Grocery Cafe

1 ½ oz. Beefeaer Gin

½ oz. St. Germaine Liqueur

½ oz. Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur

2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

1 Lemon Wedge

Sugar for rim in Martini glass

Look for it on a drink menu in Park City this summer.

The 2011 Fall Cocktail Contest was an amazing night full of libations and master mixologists, all of which helped raise money to benefit the People's Health Clinic. Bartenders mixed and mashed, concocted drinks and entertained the crowd while judges enjoyed uncovering the best concoction that would capture the spirit of Park City for 2011.

WINNING LIBATION CHOSEN AT PARK CITY
COCKTAIL CONTEST
Drink Represents Official Cocktail of 2011/2012 Winter Season

PARK CITY, Utah (October 26, 2011) - Cody Childers from Easy Street was awarded local bragging rights at the Park City Area Restaurant Association (PCARA) Cocktail Contest last night with his award winning concoction, The Pommard. The Pommard was dubbed Park City's official winter cocktail for the 2011/2012 season by a panel of local judges and will be available in restaurants and bars throughout Park City. The recipe for The Pommard is included below.

"The Pommard"
Presented by Cody Childers representing Easy Street/Sky Blue

1.5 oz calvados
1.5 oz cinnamon simple syrup (recipe follows)
1.5 oz freshly pressed unfiltered apple juice
.5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled martini glass thats been rimmed with a mixture of equal parts sugar and cinnamon. Garnish with a whole star anise.

Recipe for cinnamon simple syrup:
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup ground cinnamon
3 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp ground clove
2 cups boiling water

Sift all dry ingredients together until completely mixed and pour into a medium saucepan. Add boiling water and stir over medium heat until mixed through. Allow to cool.