Happy New Year!
Last month we said to toast the holidays with Cava Avinyó but we're not done with Cava or toasting. Now it is time to toast the New Year with the winners of our Cava Cocktail Contest.
The competition was stiff and the judging was brutal (hey, someone has to sit around and drink cocktails all day). We narrowed the entries down to our three winners plus an honorable mention. The mixologists who created these winning cocktails will each receive a hand painted porron by featured artist Fausto Morales.
And now, the winners of the Cava Cocktail Contest are...
First Place: Saint 75
by
Neyah W. of Nopa Restaurant in San Francisco, California
4 oz Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva
1 oz St Germain Elder Flower Liquor
1/2 oz Creme de Violete
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
Shake and strain liquor and juice into a flute, top with Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva and garnish with a lemon twist.
Second Place: Nemi Setenta y Cinco
by Matt M. of Encore in Los Vegas, Nevada (recipe originally created for Nemi in Mexico City)
Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva
1 & 3/4 oz English Cucumber infused Vodka
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
In a mixing glass, filled 3/4 of the way with ice, combine English cucumber infused vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva and garnish with a thin cucumber slice.
Third Place: Carolina Classic Cocktail
by Liza R. of South Carolina
4 oz Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva
½ oz Triple Sec
1 oz freshly muddled pineapple juice
Lemon-lime soda
Combine Triple Sec and pineapple juice, fill with Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva and top with a dash of lemon-lime soda.
Honorable Mention: Bocce Ball
by Allison and Fernando A. of New Jersey
5 oz Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva
Chilled Lillet Rouge
Bitters
Pour Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva into a chilled wine flute. Gently stir in chilled Lillet Rouge until you achieve the color of pomegrate. Add a few drops of bitters and garnish with a paper-thin slice of mango.
We like to thank everyone who submitted a recipe last year, we enjoyed all of them and we invite you to submit a new recipe for our upcoming 2009 Cocktail Contest. In February we will be unveiling our second annual Cocktail Contest so check back next month for our official announcement and all the details.
Also New...
In the Press
Bruce Schoenfeld quotes André in his article "Five Trends in Spain's Wine Industry" found in the lastest issues of Santé Magazine and Wines From Spain News:
"What I'm seeing now is an unprecedented sense of regional pride. People all over Spain are proud of their land, and they want to take care of it. That manifests itself in sustainable farming, and the use of native varieties, and winemaking in ways that shows off a sence of place, so lower alcohol and less evident oak."
Links of Interest
>What's New Archive
>The De Maison Selections Newspost
>André's Travel Blog
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