The Highball Will Serve as the Official Cocktail for This Year’s Competition
NEW ORLEANS, LA, May 14, 2019 – Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is pleased to launch its Tales of the Cocktail® 2019 Official Cocktail Competition. New this year, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation opened the official cocktail selection to an open-to-the public voting process that doubled as a fundraiser. For a monetary donation to the Foundation per vote, members of global hospitality and spirits community were able to cast their vote on one of five cocktail options: the Spritz, Mai Tai, Swizzle, Negroni, or Highball. Through this process, the Highball was awarded the Official Cocktail of the 2019 competition by popular vote. Highballs are one of the largest current cocktail trends and fits perfectly with Tales of the Cocktail 2019 and the theme: Cultivate.
“The Foundation is thrilled to highlight the versatile Highball this year,” said Neal Bodenheimer, Co-Chair of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Board of Directors. “The Highball lends itself to so many different interpretations and we look forward to seeing the bartenders’ creativity come through in their submissions.”
The winning bartender will receive a $1,000 cash prize and be honored at Tales of the Cocktail 2019 for reinventing a classic. The winning cocktail will be named the ‘Official Cocktail’ of Tales of the Cocktail 2019 and will be honored at the Toast to Tales of the Cocktail Tuesday, July 16.
The rules for the 2019 competition are few but the creative possibilities are endless. To start all recipes must include a base spirit, a carbonated mixer, and a garnish. The submitted cocktail also must be served in a Highball glass and include at least two ingredients from the participating products list. The base spirit for the submission must also come from the participating products list. Q Mixers, the Foundation’s mixer of choice, is also a sponsor and participating product for the Official Cocktail Competition. A full list of participating products can be found here and below.
Cultivate Your Entry Here
Mixers:
Q Mixers
Base Spirits:
Azuñia Tequila
Haku
Jim Beam Black
Laird’s Straight Applejack 86
Roku
Saint Luna: Charcoal Filtered Moonshine
Sazerac Rye Whiskey
Suze
The Glenlivet
Toki
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey
Modifiers:
Q Mixers
El Guapo
Founding Spirits Arroyo’s “Never Bitter” Amaro
King Floyd
Mr Black Cold Brew Liquor
Perfect Puree of Napa Valley
Suze
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey
GT’s Kombucha
The submissions will be judged by some of the top names and leaders in the spirits and hospitality industry.
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- Tony Abou-Ganim, The Modern Mixologist, Las Vegas, NV
- Daniel Victory, Owner, Victory, New Orleans, LA
- Lisa Nguyen, General Manager, Elysian Bar, New Orleans, LA
- Ryan Gannon, Bar Manager, Cure, New Orleans, LA
- Masahiro Urushido, Head Bartender/Managing Partner, Katana Kitten, NYC
- Mia Johansson, Owner, Swift, London, UK
- Paige Aubort, Founder and Director, Coleman’s Academy, Sydney, Australia
Deadline for submissions is June 3. The winner of the competition and top three runner-ups will be announced on June 14 on Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s official site. For complete Tales of the Cocktail® 2019 Official Cocktail Competition information, rules and guidelines, please click here.
For more information on Tales of the Cocktail, please visit www.tocstaging.wpengine.com.
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About Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is an non-profit organization that educates, advances and supports the global hospitality industry and creates lasting impact in our host communities. Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is the global leader in spirits education and a platform to tackle issues facing the industry. The pillars of the Foundation are to Educate, Advance and Support the hospitality industry through programs that benefit individuals and organizations in the community and to make a lasting impact in communities that host our events. For more information on Tales of the Cocktail, please visit www.tocstaging.wpengine.com
About Tales of the Cocktail
Founded in 2002, Tales of the Cocktail has grown from a small gathering of cocktail lovers into the world’s premier cocktail festival. Each year the international spirits industry is welcomed to New Orleans for a week of seminars, tastings, networking events and much more. With 300+ annual events developed specifically for bartenders, distillers and other spirits professionals, Tales of the Cocktail is the industry’s annual meeting place for the exchange of new ideas, products and techniques.
Media Inquiries:
Gia Vecchio, [email protected], 917.280.5043
Katherine Crawford, [email protected], 404.513.0528
