Booze News: Boston's Schuyler Hunton Named the Northeast's Most Imaginative Bartender

Cheers and Congrats

USBG & Bombay Sapphire's Most Imaginative Bartender Competition Participants - Courtesy Image

A few days ago, we attended the United States Bartenders' Guild's finals for the 10th Annual Most Imaginative Bartender Competition, sponsored by Bombay Sapphire Gin in Manhattan. Held at Pier A, the competition challenged 10 of the top bartenders from New York, Boston, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia to create cocktails that made memorable first impressions, not only in flavor, but also presentation.




















There was a cocktail inspired by one contestant's recently-deceased Kung Fu master, which featured tea as a main ingredient and was presented in a beautiful mini garden. Another bartender created a cocktail to help "reduce the ethanol footprint of the alcohol," with raw honey and bee pollen among its ingredients. Then there was the cocktail that infused manzanilla sherry with seaweed. We think they were all amazing. However, the judges were apparently blown away by Schuyler Hunton's presentation, which was inspired by a classic English breakfast and featured toast and jam with his "Breakfast in Bombay" cocktail taking the place of the egg. Here's the cocktail and its recipe.

"Breakfast in Bombay" by Schuyler Hunton

Breakfast in Bombay
2 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
¾ oz Grapefruit Earl Grey Oleo Saccharum
½ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Egg White
Tea Pot Bitter Spritz

Hunton will move on to the North American Finals in England, where he'll face off against 9 of the top bartenders across the U.S. and Canada. That batch of candidates will get visit the Layerstoke Mill Distillery— the brand home of Bombay Sapphire Gin, where they'll compete for the 2016 North American title. The grand prize winner will get a trip to Tuscany to learn about the special blend of botanicals that make up Bombay Sapphire's recipe and will also be featured on the cover of GQ Magazine's December issue.

We salute all the entrants and look forward to seeing who wins. Cheers!

No Mess Monday: Monika Chiang Aramid Sandals

 

You Knotty Girl, You…

 

Am I the only one who often feels an odd knot at the pit of my stomach on Monday morning? You too? We’ll call it go-getter anxiety. Turn angst into sartorial achievement in a pair of knotted rope sandals, like these Aramid sandals by Monika Chiang. The feminine spin on this season’s nautical trend shows you’ve got your sea legs and can weather whatever waves come your way- even in skyscraper heels and platforms. The fact that you can tie them at the ankle or lace them up the calf nods to your appreciation of versatility in your life. Depending on where you live, it may rain today, so be sure to carry a back up pair… the cream suede on the platform won’t do well in nasty weather.

 

This evening at happy hour enjoy a drink that looks and tastes as fun as your shoes look. I suggest a Sapphire East Dragon. It’s bright, complex and just sweet enough- like you.

Recipe:

1.5 oz Bombay Sapphire East
1 oz fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz cinnamon simple syrup
Dash of Bittercube Bolivar bitters
Float of POM dragon fruit pomegranate juice
Dragon fruit slice garnish

 

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