In anticipation of Art of the Cocktail – happening this weekend – we asked Calgary’s best bartenders, mixologists, and drink aficionados to submit their most original cocktail recipes as part of the Calgary Cocktail Competition.
After the judges sampled an assortment of new drinks, they narrowed the results down to two finalists: Anthony Cuthbert and Dani Moore. Wowing the panel with their creative take on a Calgary-inspired cocktail, the two will be attending the Art of the Cocktail Grand Tasting on Saturday night, during which guests will be asked to taste and vote on their drink of choice.
If you’ve already got tickets to this fabulous event then here’s what you have to look forward to:
Majestic Prince
First up is Anthony with his Majestic Prince, a drink that’s name is inspired by the horse on the bottle of Alberta Premium Dark Horse. This iconic horse was born and bred in Calgary and won the Kentucky Derby in 1969, making this cocktail sure to be a Calgary favourite.
The cocktail starts with equal parts Canadian Club 100% and Dark Horse Whisky, a splash of Galliano, dark syrup reduction, and a few dashes of both angostura and cherry bark vanilla bitters. And of course, there’s no better way to top this of than with a maraschino cherry. With so much flavour and class, this cocktail inspires us to Race On, right in time for springtime derby season.
The Sunaltan
Our next finalist, Dani Moore, has created a little something called The Sunaltan, referencing the Southwest neighbourhood that’s known to be a little rough around the edges but still popular with the young crowd. To quote Dani: “The Sunaltan gives off a show of elegance with a splash of sweet roughness” – a great way to refer to the neighbourhood.
If the thought of lemon vodka, citrus liqueur, Baby Duck (to add a touch of class, obviously), frozen raspberries, and a dash of lime sounds like your kind of cocktail, then you’ll want to get in line to taste this one. With so many light and refreshing ingredients, this might be the new patio drink of choice this summer.
Who could resist these cocktails? If you haven’t bought your ticket yet, you could be missing Calgary’s next big cocktail craze.
See you at the Grand Tasting.
#NOTABLE
Want more updates on the most Notable things happening so you know before your colleagues do? Get our exclusive newsletter here and follow us on Twitter for all the latest.