November’s been a good month to be thirsty in this town. For the past few weeks, a slew of the city’s best bartenders have been competing in our cocktail contest to make the city’s best whisky-based and seasonally inspired drink. Among the prizes? Prestige, an Edible profile and $2,500.
Lucky for us drinkers some of the city’s best talent are in the running including Pietro Collina of The NoMad Bar, Dave Mandery of Blue Smoke and Brian Smith of Colonie. They’ve realized their own whisky visions to make four distinctly different cocktails: the NoMad Blinker, the Apples to Apples, Pera Pasado and the Red Red Rye.
Watch below as the guys demonstrate each of the competing cocktails, and get yourself to their bars to taste in person. Once you’ve found a favorite, be sure and vote on our contest page so that they might bring home the goods. We’re closing the polls on Monday, November 30, so get these limited-time cocktails while you can.
Collina’s NoMad Blinker includes 0.25 oz cane syrup, 0.5 oz lime juice, 1 oz grapefruit juice, 0.25 oz raspberry syrup and George Dickel Rye whisky.
Smith serves two different cocktails, including the Apples to Apples with 1 oz George Dickel No. 12 whisky, 0.5 oz Dolin Genepy, 0.5 Laird’s Bonded Apply Brandy, 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.25 oz simple syrup, the juice of half an apple and approximately 1 oz of Eve’s Cider from the Finger Lakes.
Pera Pasado, his second cocktail, includes 1.25 oz George Dickel No. 12 whisky, .75 oz Maestro Dobel Diamante Tequila, 0.5 oz Crema de Mezcal, 0.25 homemade pear syrup and 10 drops Bitterman’s mole bitters.
Lastly, Smith whips up a Red Red Rye with 1.25 oz of George Dickel rye whisky, 0.75 oz Aquavit, 2 oz Red Jacket Orchards’ cranberry apple juice, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup and 1 egg white.
