Advice From Cocktail Contest Veterans
In April 2020, the ABV Network introduced their monthly cocktail contest. Each month, they provide a list of 3 ingredients, which usually includes at least one ‘unusual item’ for cocktails, such as black pepper, hot sauce, jelly or condensed milk. Your original cocktail must use at least 2 of the ingredients. For amateur mixologists, this contest is a great way to step outside of your comfort zone and have fun.
Adina Ewaldz, Kevan Majors and I have all entered every month. Adina won 1st place in April and July, while Kevan and I are still striving for that #1 spot. Keep reading to see our thoughts on the contest, what we’ve learned and advice to other amateur mixologists.
What is your first thought when you see the ingredients?
Adina: I wonder if I was accidentally put on an episode of Chopped. Hopefully, we will find out at the end why these were chosen.
Kevan: I can rock this!
Chris: Who came up with these and why!?
Do you come up with a recipe first or do you start mixing things together until you find something that you like?
Kevan: Combo, I think in my mind what should work and start from there... mix & taste
Chris: I usually come up with the recipe first and try to envision what the final cocktail will look and taste like.
Adina: I have some ideas in mind and then I go through tasting the individual components to mix. Then it is just a matter of refining the proportions or seeing what I need to add or change. I have been playing around with different bitters with my experiments.
If you have a recipe, do you continue to refine It until you are happy or have you switched recipes completely?
Chris: I try to refine my original recipe. July was the first time I completely switched it up. My first cocktail combined Old Bay hot sauce, Bourbon, Cherry Heering, lime juice and seltzer – it was not good and changing the proportions did not help.
Adina: I usually just refine it, but my big change came with the June challenge. I started out planning to make something like a White Russian inspired drink, but then I had the crazy idea to turn it into Jell-O shots. Which is really crazy because I have never made a Jell-O shot before.
Kevan: I tweak; I want the vast majority to like it. (Note for Chris: Kevan usually creates and shares several cocktails before he decides which one to submit.)
What ingredient stumped you the most?
Kevan: None, you only need to use 2 of 3 features, so I'm good.
Chris: Hot sauce since I am not a fan of spicy stuff.
Adina: The black pepper threw me a bit but I think the bigger challenges are coming up.
Do you have an official taste tester or do you do all your taste tests?
Adina: My husband, Dave, and I usually are the only testers.
Chris: My husband is my ‘volun-told’ taste tester. He gives extremely important feedback – I don’t like it, it’s missing something, it tastes off or I like it.
Kevan: My wife, my kid, my niece, my friends and myself.
Is there any cocktail that you wish you could do over?
Kevan: Nope, but I did have to change the one with beer (April) because someone else used the pineapple rum so I just made a different drink.
Adina: The Jell-O shots. They take days to make and I knew they would probably not make it to the finals but I just had to try it. They were delicious but will probably not appear again.
Chris: June with the black pepper. My cocktail was overly complicated and I can’t see anyone making it. I did like offering it as a slushy or a frozen cocktail, like a milkshake.
What have you learned from this cocktail contest?
Adina: I have learned so much. I have never been one to create a cocktail but rather refine another recipe that I have found. This contest has been the best thing to focus on in these trying times and I am so thankful to the ABV Network for this opportunity. It has been fun getting to know Chris and Kevan and seeing what they come up with. I look forward to trying more of their recipes too! I've also been communicating with one of the other winners too, as I had met her at other bourbon events in the past.
Chris: There are so many ingredients that you can use in a cocktail that I never considered. Before the contest, my go to cocktail was bourbon, lemonade, flavored simple syrup and ginger ale. If I wanted to be creative, I would add different bitters. Now I’ve learned to make shots, slushies and coolers.
Kevan: DAMN liqueurs are expensive! (Note from Chris – Kevan has more mixers and liqueurs than anyone that I know and he’s not afraid to mix stuff together)
What has been the most challenging thing in this contest for you?
Chris: Naming my cocktails. I shared my cocktail recipe with friends and the Maryland Bourbon Society and asked them to come up with a name. That’s how I ended up with Down By The Old Bay for the July cocktail.
Adina: Chris is right about the naming. Mine have just started taking on a music theme and I think we will stick with that. Dave had that idea for the 2nd challenge and it has worked so far. We've had fun coming up with stories for each one. I have also never done a video before so this is pushing my comfort zone a bit too.
Kevan: Finding the time to do it and decide on which cocktail to submit.
Any advice for other amateur mixologists?
Kevan: JUST DO IT!
Adina: Get some ingredients together that you think you would like and taste them individually, then start adding some together. For my May entry (When Jake Met Lola) I came up with the base then tasted a few beers until I found the one that I thought would work. Just have fun with what you are doing.
Chris: Have fun and make what you like. Then change one component, you may like it even more. Get creative when making simple syrup, depending on what flavor you use, they can change the overall cocktail.
I hope this inspires you to get out your mixing glass and have fun with cocktails.
If you want to join the ABV Network Cocktail Challenge, the ingredients for September are:
Molasses
Worcestershire Sauce
Cherry Liqueur or Cherry Juice
You can also find out more about the contest by following this link. Don’t forget to tag me so I can see what you created.
