Wow! It has been way too long!! Sorry for the long break...
I went and got married since my last blog – not as the result of a drunken
bartender stupor in a Vegas chapel, but
the real deal – but also spent a week in Mauritius and NOT on my honeymoon!
Hahahaha! I had the great pleasure of being selected by Pink Pigeon Rum as one
of the finalists from South Africa to compete in a little Mauritian
Cocktail Competition, as well as a brand
trip visiting the Medine Destillery where the rum is made.
The drink that saw me
win the South African leg of this competition, was the Pigeon Royale – a twist
on a Kir Royale, but made with Rum and MCC. One of my better creations, it is
dry with just a hint of sweetness from my homemade Cherry Blueberry and Sage 15 Minute Jam. The recipe for this
drink can be found in one of my earlier blogs. Worth a try. As you can see below - I think the judges liked this one, as much as I did! :P
A huge thanks to Luigi Barzini from Pink Pigeon for an
informative, yet relaxing brand trip to be remembered! If you are a bartender,
you will know that brand trips are very easily so jampacked, that we hardly
actually get time to relax or sober up for that matter! This trip was the exact
opposite! It was incredible to get to
spend time with my fellow competitors. Guys like the infamous Gareth Evans,
Leon Dallaway and Johan Balauw.
Le Suffren Hotel hosted the finals during which the public
voted and the Mauritian team took home the glory! Well, kept the glory home, is
probably the better term! Team UK produced a great effort coming to the comp
with a gutsy Tiki drink! Go boys!
Johan Blaauw from the One and Only Hotel Bar in Cape Town
and I produced, in my opinion, an amazing drink, called the Tribute Punch. A wonderful
balance of Pink Pigeon Rum, Tamarin and Strawberry Tea Syrup, fresh Lime Juice, Dehydrated Campari, Allesverloren Port and a
Cape Town produced Coconut, Berry and Vanilla tea! We tried to keep as much of
our drink Safa style, but brought in some local flavour by the implementation of
the Tamarin Syrup!
Until the next trip... Cheers to Pink Pigeon Rum!
No comments:
Post a Comment