Dustin Drankiewicz competing at the Don Q Competition with USBG President David Nepove looking on
One of the cocktail competitions I was excited to see at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic was the Don Q Mix It Up competition. I had attended the LA Regional contest as a judge.
What lurked under his bartender’s coat…sequins!
With competitors from USBG chapters from around the country, the competition lasted several hours as both technical and taste judges evaluated the Don Q cocktails. Five winners were announced including Dev Johnson in first place with his cocktail, The Jones Act. The hometown hero works at Employees Only in New York. Taking second place was Julio Cabrera, one of Miami’s finest bartenders. J.R. Starkus from Las Vegas came in third place. And Sheridan Fay (Houston) and Nicole Tyler (Reno) came in fourth and fifth respectively.
Edwin Cruz, Los Angeles Regional Winner
The five winners will receive a trip to Ponce, Puerto Rico to visit the Serralles Distillery where Don Q is made. They will also be featured in Don Q’s holiday videos.
Dev Johnson’s winning recipe:
The Jones Act
- 1½ oz. Don Q Añejo rum
- 1½ oz. Llopart Brut Cava Rose
- ½ oz. Cherry Heering liqueur
- ½ oz. Marie Brizzard Crème de Cacao (Brown)
- ½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- One Lime wheel and
- Bunch Fresh mint
Pour the rose into a chilled cocktail glass. In a shaker tin, add rum, lime juice, liqueur, brown crème de cacao and ice, then shake. Strain into the cava filled cocktail glass. Garnish with the stem of the mint top pushed through the center of the lime wheel.
Don Q Ultimate Mix Off LA Regional
The Minty’s article for Tasting Panel Magazine
Index of MCC articles by The Minty
© The Minty // LACocktails.com 2012
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