Hosts of the Miami Rum Fest Grand Tasting events, held April 20-21 at the Doubletree Miami Airport Hotel Convention Center presented a robust schedule of informative and entertaining rum-themed programs.
T
he annual gathering of experts and enthusiasts at the world’s largest rum festival featured a expanded roster of celebrity seminars presented by luminaries of the rum category from around the globe.

Among the presenters were UK Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell from London, noted tiki author Jeff “Beachbum” Berry from New Orleans, Smuggler’s Cove owner Martin Cate from San Francisco, Hemingway Cocktail Companion author Phil Greene of the Museum of the American Cocktail, Master Blender Alexandre Gabriel of Plantation Rum in France and noted spirits expert and international judge Bernhard Schåfer of Berlin.

Scheduled programs for Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21 included:
• Ian Burrell – The Tale of Two Rum Islands, presented by Anchor Distilling
• Phil Prichard – Classification of Rum by Feedstock
• Paul McFadyen – Navy Rum
• Ram Udwin – Rum Drinkers Guide To Bitters
• Martin Cate – History of the Tiki Bar and the Rise and Fall of the Exotic Cocktail
• Phil Greene – “To Have and Have Another — A Hemingway Rum Cocktail Companion” presented by Papa’s Pilar rum
• Jeff “Beachbum” Berry – Battle of the Ambassadors
• Nicole Ciani and Trevor Alberts – Rum & Sherry
• Stephen Remsberg – London Dock Rum
• Bernhard Schåfer – How To Taste Rum Like A Judge
• Master Blender Alexandre Gabriel presented by Plantation Rum
• David Cid – Bacardi Rum presentation “What’s in the Bottle?!”

According to festival organizer Robin Burr, “the seminars at Miami Rum Fest feature a veritable Who’s Who of world-class talent in the rum category offering their most engaging and informative presentations.”

A new feature at the Miami Rum Festival is an opportunity to “Ask A Rum Expert” questions about all things rum.
“Stop by and ask us a question about rum. We enjoy engaging in lively discussions about our favorite subject.”

The Miami Rum Festival, which takes place in mid-April with hundreds of fine rums on display in a 40,000 square foot exhibit hall at the Doubletree Miami Airport Hotel is also an annual gathering of major proportions — now a tradition — for many of the world’s most experienced rum experts.

In addition to their blind tasting sessions in their RumXP competition, the judges of the International Rum Expert Panel announced they will be on hand at the 2013 Miami Rum Fest Grand Tasting events on Saturday and Sunday, to field questions from consumers attending the event.
“Ask The Rum Expert” is a new feature of this annual cane spirit gathering. Participants will tap into the combined expertise of these notable rum hounds — these world travelers and collectors of fine rums — while browsing the isles to evaluate rum samples.

Participants were invited to visit the RumXPs at their “Ask The Rum Expert” exhibit. All questions are welcome, from the most basic to in-depth inquiries about specific products, distillers, brands or countries of origin. They might just have the answer to your rum-related question.

Paul McFadyen is one of the resident rum experts. He’s traveled to many distilleries, tasted hundreds of rums, and operates a very successful rum bar in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London. Along the way, he has learned how to appreciate fine spirits and picked up secrets and techniques for making rum. “We enjoy sharing our knowledge and passion for all things rum with people that are interested in the subject,” said McFadyen, a member of the International Rum Expert Panel. “We’ll be hanging out at the festival, enjoying the great selection of rums and talking to rum enthusiasts. Stop by and ask us a question about rum. We enjoy engaging in lively discussions about our favorite subject.”

Tickets to the event were $50 per day, which includes evaluating hundreds of fine sipping rums and sampling great rum cocktails, attending celebrity seminars, watching rum competitions on the main stage, browsing the island lifestyle exhibits — and playing stump-the-band with the rum experts.

For more information about the festival and the rum experts, call Miami Rum Fest at 305-443-7973 or visit the web site at www.MiamiRumFest.com

The annual Miami Rum Festival is attracting a growing list of top-shelf rums and popular cocktail spirits to be sampled April 19-21, 2013.

At the Miami Rum Festival the number of leading rum brands exhibiting their spirits at Miami Rum Festival is growing, according to festival organizers. The fifth annual gathering of rum experts, professionals and enthusiasts landing in Miami in April showcased many more products than previous years.

More than 150 expressions were entered into the International Rum Expert Panel tasting competition April 16-18. A larger number of leading brands have chosen to support the event as prime exhibitors with expanded display space, including Diplomatico, Prichard’s, Debonaire, Santa Teresa, Plantation, Papa’s Pilar, Abuelo, Bacardi, Miami Club Rum, Serralles (DonQ) and the Rums of Puerto Rico.

“Leading brands are lining up to participate in our biggest showcase of great rum products,” said festival organizer Robin Burr. “Luckily, our new expanded Doubletree hotel and convention center venue near the Miami Airport offers twice the space as last year’s event. We’ve also expanded the time exhibits are open from two to three days to accommodate the growing legions of rum lovers attracted to this unique event.”

The Miami Rum Festival invited members of the spirits trade to attend Friday, April 19 from 3 to 7pm for exclusive previews of the exhibits before the public grand tasting events of Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21 from 2 to 7pm. VIP guests earned early admission at noon on Saturday and Sunday.
“Brands are bringing their products to Miami from all over the globe. It’s the most complete assortment of top shelf sipping rums and popular cocktail spirits under one roof — in the whole world,” said Burr. “We advise rum producers to bring their best products to Miami Rum Fest to let the ever-expanding universe of rum lovers know about them.”

Among the products sampled by attendees were Abuelo 7, Abuelo 12, Abuelo Anjeo, Abuelo Centuria, Appleton Estate 12 year old, Appleton Estate Reserve, Atlantico Platino, Atlantico Private Cask, Atlantico Reserva, Bacardi 8 Años, Bacardi Gold, Bacardi Oakheart, Bacardi Pineapple Fusion, Bacardi Superior, Barbancourt 3 Star, Barbancourt 5 Star, Barbancourt 15 year Estate Reserve, Barbancourt Pango, Barbancourt White, Barcelo Gran Añejo, Barcelo Imperial, Barcelo Imperial Premium Blend 30 Aniversario, Barrilito 3 Star, Barritt’s Ginger Beer, Blackbeard Spiced, Blackheart, Black Roberts Spiced, Botran Reserva, Botran Reserva Blanca, Botran Solera, Brugal 1888, Brugal Blanco Especial, Caliche, Carta Vieja Añejo, Centenario 7, Deadhead, Debonaire Private Reserve 5, Debonaire Very Special Reserve 8, Debonaire Grand Reserve 15, Debonaire Premium Reserve 21, Debonaire Special Reserve Coffee, Debonaire Special Reserve Honey, Dictador 20, Diplomatico Ambassador, Diplomatico Añeja, Diplomatico Blanco, Diplomatico Reserva, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, Domain de Canton, Don Papa, DonQ Añejo, DonQ Coco, DonQ Cristal, DonQ Gold, DonQ Gran Añejo, DonQ Limon, DonQ Mojito, DonQ Pasion, Don Zavier Mamajuana, Dos Maderas 5+3, Dos Maderas PX 5+5, Dzama Amber Nosy-Be, Dzama Amber Cuvée Noire Prestige, Dzama Cuvée Blanche, Dzama Cuvée Blanche Prestige, Dzama Cuvée Noire, Dzama Vanilla 1 yo, Dzama Vanilla 10 yo, Dzama Vieux Rhum XV, Dzama White Nosy-Be, English Harbour 5 YO, English Harbour 10 YO, English Harbour 25 YO, Flor de Caña Centenario Gold 18, Flor de Caña Centenario 12, Flor de Caña Grand Reserve 7, Florida Old Reserve, Fresh Coconuts by Coconut King, Hampden Estate Gold, Libre Rum & Cola, Miami Club Rum Plantino, Montanya Oro, Montanya Platino, Mt Gay 1703, Mt Gay Black Barrel, Mt Gay Eclipse, Mt Gay XO, Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça, Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça, Ocumare, Origenes Reserva Don Pancho, Origenes Reserva Especial 18, Papa’s Pilar Blonde, Papa’s Pilar Dark, Pink Pigeon, Plantation 20th Anniversary XO, Plantation Barbados 2000, Plantation Grande Reserve 5 year old, Plantation Grenada 2003, Plantation Guatemala Gran Añjeo, Plantation Jamaica 2000, Plantation Nicaragua 2001, Plantation Original Dark, Plantation Original Dark Overproof, Plantation Panama 2002, Plantation Three Stars White, Plantation Trinidad 1999, Poesia, Prichard’s Cranberry Rum, Prichard’s Crystal Rum, Prichard’s Fine Rum, Prichard’s Key Lime Rum, Prichard’s Private Stock, Prichard’s Spiced, Prichard’s Sweet Georgia Belle, R. St Barth, Real McCoy, Roble Viejo, Ron De Jeremy Reserva, Ron De Jeremy Spiced, Rum Fire, Santa Teresa 1796, Santa Teresa Añejo Gran Reserva, Santa Teresa Araku Coffee, Santa Teresa Claro, Santa Teresa Rhum Orange, Santa Teresa Selecto, Shellback Silver, Shellback Spiced, Trigo Reserva Añjea, Veroes, Viejo de Caldas 3, Viejo de Caldas Grand Reserva, Vizcaya Cask 12, Vizcaya Cristal, Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21, Wicked Dolphin Silver, Wild Geese Soldiers & Heroes Golden Rum, Wild Geese Soldiers & Heroes Premium Rum, Zacapa 23, Zafra 21, and Zaya.

Starting a conversation with “I’m sorry…” is usually the domain of errant boyfriends and husbands, naughty children, and dirty politicians at press conferences. Now, add to that list, very fortunate (yet guilty) editors.

You must know, we mean it. We really are feeling a little guilty about spending an entire “Don’t Miss” column telling you about a product you’ll possibly never taste because it was produced in such a limited quantity that only 1,000 bottles total made it to the US.

But we can’t help it. Why? Because, even if you can’t find it at your favorite bar or track down one of the bottles still on liquor store shelves in NYC and CA you need to know about the existence of the deliciousness that is Jean De Lillet 2009; the vintage aperitif made from grapes ripened in what was a very good year in Bordeaux.

The juice, which was aged in French oak, offers up a lot of the wood on the nose, producing a slightly more bitter product than the traditional Lillet blanc. The extra aging process results in additional variances from its blanc cousin, such as a fuller and richer mouthfeel thanks to extra viscosity. The expected bittersweet and floral notes do come through on this golden hued Jean de Lillet 2009 just as they do on the blanc.

Tempting, right? We hope you’ll find it somewhere. If you can’t, at least you may want to understand why…Lillet’s brand ambassador, Amanda Boccato, comments on the limited supply limited and what to do if you can get some, “The grapes come from a single vineyard in the Sauterne region and with single vineyard growth there is a limited amount of grapes available for production. It is definitely a bottle you can put away for 15 years. Buy two. Put one away for 15 years and enjoy the other with someone you care about. If you can get your hands on them.
Unlike the other variations of the product I don’t recommend it on ice. Keep it chilled in a wine glass. 3-4 oz pour. You can get fancy and drop a star anise in it and that really opens up the flavor.”

The good news is that while 2009 was known to be a great year for Bordeaux it wasn’t the only good year for grapes in that region; so you have something to look forward to-there will be a 2010 vintage bottle available next year. And we hear the quantity will be greater than the just 1,000 bottles of the 2009 that were made available for the entire United States.

As a balm to your sadness (or maybe we’re just trying to make up for our guilt) we’d like to remind you that even if you can’t enjoy Jean de Lillet 2009 there are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy Lillet and other aperitifs. Every day. And what’s a better day than today, National Aperitif Day, to start exploring the joys of aperitifs? Check out all these places around the country offering special aperitif cocktails.

Philly:
Emmanuelle – www.drinkemmanuelle.com

Square 1682 – www.square1682.com

Caribou Café – www.cariboucafe.com

Dallas:
The Standard Pour – www.tspdallas.com

The Marquees – www.marqueegrill.com

Miami:
The Broken Shaker – http://thefreehand.com/venues/the-broken-shaker/

Fontainebleau’s Bleau Bar – www.fontainebleau.com/web/nightlife/bleau_bar/

Boston:
Petit Robert – www.petitrobertbistro.com/

San Francisco:
Taverna Aventine – www.aventinesf.com

Elixir – www.elixirsf.com

Grand Café - www.grandcafe-sf.com

Café Des Amis – www.cafedesamissf.com

New York:
Beaumarchais – www.brasseriebeaumarchais.com/

Revel – www.revelnyc.com/

Cercle Rouge – www.cerclerougeresto.com

Le Singe Vert – www.lesingevert.com

Jules Bistro – www.julesbistro.com

Bar Tabac – www.bartabacny.com

Clarkson – www.clarksonrestaurant.com

Pigalle – www.pigallenyc.com

Sweetleaf **Serving a special Jean de Lillet Reserve 2009 cocktail! – www.sweetleaflic.com

Want to celebrate the elegance of the aperitif hour at home? Open up your palate and pair your aperitifs with one of these recipes from Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian.

Bon appétit!

Marinated Watermelon with Olives, Feta, and Basil

Pairs with Lillet Rouge

Serves: 4 canapés

Ingredients:

4 each Red Seedless Watermelon, cut into 1″x1″ cubes

2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

½ teaspoon Shallots, finely minced

½ teaspoon Chives, finely sliced

¼ cup Feta Cheese, Crumbled

1 teaspoon Nicoise olives, pitted and chopped

½ teaspoon Basil, Finely Minced

Procedure:

1. In a small bowl, combine the watermelon, olive oil, balsamic, and shallots. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. In a separate small bowl, combine the chives, feta, olives, and basil. Top each watermelon cube with the mixture and serve on a skewer or at the end of a small fork.

Oyster on the Half Shell with Pickled Husk Cherry and Lillet Rosé Gelée

Pairs with Lillet Rosé

Serves: 4 canapés

Ingredients:

½ cup White Wine Vinegar

¼ cup Granulated Sugar

¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds

¼ teaspoon Cardamom

½ teaspoon Salt

½ cup Lillet Rosé

1 sheet Gelatin, Soaked in Ice water and Drained

4 each Husk Cherries (goose berries), cut in half

4 each Oysters, on the half shell, chilled

Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Procedure:

1. In a small sauce pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, cardamom, and salt. Add 3 turns of fresh cracked pepper. Bring to a boil and pour over the husk cherries and chill completely.

2. Bring the Lillet Rose to a boil and whisk in the gelatin. Strain the liquid and set in a small cup. Chill the mixture until a jelly is formed.

3. To serve, spoon a small amount of the jelly between each oyster and garnish with two halves of the pickled husk cherries.

White Gazpacho with Lillet Blanc

Pairs with Lillet Blanc

Serves: 10 canapés

Ingredients:

½ teaspoon Shallots

½ cup Almonds

1 cup Green Apples, peeled

1 cup English Cucumbers

1 cup Green Grapes

1 slice White Bread, crusts removed

½ cup Lillet Blanc

1 teaspoon Sherry Vinegar

½ cup Sparkling Water

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Procedure:

1. In a blender, puree the shallots, almonds, apples, cucumber, bread, Lillet Blanc, sherry, and sparkling water. Season to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

2. With the blender running, emulsify the olive oil into the mixture. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and serve very chilled.

Proving that the Manhattan Cocktail Classic isn’t just all about feeling good courtesy of good drinks, Small Screen Network presents a Chef’s Table charity cocktail benefit on Saturday, May 18th from 7-10 as they partner with anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength to support their No Kid Hungry campaign which works to end childhood hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. (www.nokidhungry.org)

With one in five children experiencing food insecurity it’s imperative that funds be raised to put an end to this unacceptable reality. Hopefully Saturday night’s benefit and live auction will put us one step closer to that scenario when we can say that no child in America will go to bed hungry.

Please join Small Screen Network, host mixologist Charlotte Voisey of William Grant & Sons (www.grantusa.com), Chefs Fredrik Berselius of Aska (www.askanyc.com), Anna Boiardi of E! Networks Playing with Fire www.annaboiardi.com/bio.html, Kathy Casey www.kathycasey.com and Linnea Johnsson linnea-johansson.com, along with the ever lively host and auctioneer Billy Harris (www.billyharris.com) for a memorable evening of nibbles, libations and unlimited opportunities to open your pocketbooks liberally for such exclusive prizes Small Screen (www.smallscreennetwork.com) has curated as:

Rare Bottle of Scotch Tun 1401 & Trip to LA for Private Tasting, Dining and Bagpipe Lesson

Music provided by David Higgins www.davidhigginsband.com

Tickets available here in limited quantity: www.secure.strength.org/site/Ecommerce?store_id=6301&JServSessionIdr004=uix67gcxk2.app205b

This is a battle you don’t want to miss; a handful of the country’s most thirst-quenching mixologists re-creating their grown up version of lemonade. All in an effort to help end hunger.

Check out this event on May 20th during the 4th Annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic (www.manhattancocktailclassic.com).

While Hemingway’s prowess with the pen and his penchant for drink are widely acknowledged and celebrated by fisherman and imbibers alike (for goodness sake, the man has a cocktail named after him- the Papa Doble aka a Hemingway Daiquiri) this prolific author isn’t the only notable one with something to say about living a spirited life.

As attention turns to today’s opening of the Baz Luhrmann screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby it certainly seems evident that if anyone should get credit for popularizing drinking culture it seems most fitting that the honor goes to F. Scott Fitzgerald; the Jazz Age writer who conjured up an aspirational way of life that quietly masked a sense of despondency and unspoken truths behind the glittering allure of vicarious adventures.

Fitzgerald’s Gatsby lived a life that seemed carefree; the ideal escape from the everyday- much the same as release from cube city and a night out with friends represents today.

Always something to look forward to as a reward for hard work, cocktails, and the culture Fitzgerald created around them, have as much relevance today in this improving economy as they did when the Princeton graduate wrote about them decades ago. Stores like Tiffany are celebrating the era with jewelry collections m.tiffany.com/Shopping/Category.aspx?cid=2605758&mcat=148206″ target=”_blank”> and even the venerable clothier Brooks Brothers is involved in this revival. The store’s archives were mined for period appropriate pieces on which the men’s costumes in this new movie were based. www.brooksbrothers.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-brooksbrothers-Site/default/GGSearch-Show?cgid=gatsby&cid=collaboration” target=”_blank”>

It’s likely you’ll find some dapper Brooks Brothers-inspired bartenders and spirits industry leaders flowing through the streets of New Orleans this summer if you head down for Tales of the Cocktail July 17-21st (www.talesofthecocktail.com) as this year’s Spirited Awards are Gatsby themed. Tales founder, Ann Tuennerman, explains, “The Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards production team [Claire Bertin-Lang, Michelle Dunnick, Simon Ford-who is also our host, and I] wanted a fun and relevant theme to add to the excitement of crowning the best of the best in our industry. While some consider Prohibition a dark period in our nation’s history, The Great Gatsby evokes an aura of nostalgia for the time, full of the glamour, music, parties and – of course – drinks. We thought this theme would offer guests an opportunity to return to one of America’s Golden Ages, get jazzed up, enjoy Prohibition Era cocktails from our amazing sponsors and toast the winners of the 2013 Spirited Awards. The book’s author F. Scott Fitzgerald was a notorious imbiber, making the theme doubly appropriate.”

If after seeing this film you are looking for a theme to intrigue your guests next time you host a party or need to draw a crowd on an otherwise quiet night at your bar or restaurant here are some Gatsby(movies.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/movies/the-great-gatsby-interpreted-by-baz-luhrmann.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) inspired cocktails.

It’s unlikely that Leonardo DiCaprio (or even Robert Redford, the 1974 film’s Jay Gatsby) will show up to help you shake a few, but one can always hope. Just make sure to keep that green light on at the end of the pier to guide him in.

Photo by Ken Goodman Photography

TUXEDO REDUX
By James Menite

1 1/2oz. Bootlegger 21 Vodka
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/3 Maraschino Liqueur
Dash of Absinthe
Dash of Regan’s Orange Bitters
Lemon twist for garnish

Method: Shake all ingredients over ice, strain into rocks glass. Add
bitters and lemon twist.

Menite created this drink using Prohibition Distillery’s Bootlegger 21 Vodka for fundraiser Taste of the Nation which works to end childhood hunger via its NoKidHungry campaign (www.nokidhungry.org). The distillery, which is open to the public for tours and liquor purchase, is located in the town of Roscoe, NY (population- approx. 608), well known as the country’s favorite fly-fishing destination. Visit the intersection of Fitzgerald and Hemingway. www.roscoeny.com and www.prohibitiondistillery.com.

THE FAIRBANKS
By Ryan Kahl

1 ¾ oz Bootlegger 21 NY Vodka
½ oz Dry Vermouth
2 dashes Orange Bitters
1 dash Crème de Menthe
Sparkling White wine
Cherry for garnish

Method: Shake all ingredients (but wine) with ice and serve in coupe. Top with Sparkling white. Garnish with Cherry.

THE ROARING TWENTIES
Courtesy of Purity Vodka

2 oz Purity Vodka
0.5 oz Pomegranate liqueur
Spoon of fresh pomegranate
Champagne

Build into an ice-cold champagne glass.

JUICE BOX
Courtesy of Whiskey Park

1 ½ ounces Voli Orange Vanilla
2 ounces Lemonade
½ ounce Agave Nectar
½ ounce Pineapple Juice
Instructions:
In a mixing glass, add all ingredients & shake over ice. Strain into rocks glass over ice. Garnish w/ orange wheel.
While Gatsby doesn’t drink, some speculate that he’s a bootlegger. Keep your consumption under wraps with this unassuming speakeasy cocktail served at Whiskey Park – (www.gerberbars.com)

MICHELADA
Courtesy of Pig and Khao

16 ounce pint glass
Ingredients:
1 oz. P & K Sangrita
½ oz. lime juice
1 Singha Lager
1 lime wedge
Adobo rim
Kalamansi
Thai chili salt

Method: Using lime juice, rim the pint glass with adobo. Fill glass ¾ of the way with ice. Add sangrita and lime juice. Add beer until ¾ up the glass. Stir briefly to incorporate all ingredients. Add more ice and more beer making sure not to disturb the adobo. Garnish with a lime wedge and straw for drinking/stirring.
Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s reluctant, arrogant East Egg husband, drinks ale; making him diametrically opposed to his West Egg neighbor from across the bay. (www.PigandKhao.com)

SILVER PEPPERED STARS
By Charlotte Voisey of William Grant & Sons

1 ¼ oz Hendrick’s Gin
¼ oz Luxardo Maraschino
¾ oz French Vermouth
2 dashes House-Made Orange Bitters
Lemon Peel
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and gently stir. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a squeezed lemon peel.

$16 at the Todd English Food Hall “Prohibited” Cocktail Menu The Plaza’s history is intrinsically tied to this timeless American novel and its author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who, with his wife Zelda, was a devoted Plaza patron. Epitomizing the Lost Generation, Fitzgerald’s exploits were notorious and he regularly drew inspiration from everyday life for his novels. The hotel’s enduring presence on the New York social scene made it a natural setting for the most climactic scene in the novel and the upcoming film. This spring, guests and visitors can toast the Jazz Age with a collection of 1920s style cocktails at The Plaza’s various restaurants and lounges. www.fairmont.com/the-plaza-new-york/

GREEN DREAM
Ingredients:
2 oz Organic Avenue apple juice
1 oz. Organic Avenue Giving Green juice
½ oz. Organic Avenue lemon juice
1 ½ oz. Crop Harvest Organic Cucumber vodka

Method: Combine ingredients, shake, strain over ice and garnish with cucumber fans

The color of the light at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s waterside dock, this green concoction invigorates Jay Gatsby’s lovesick yearning and leaves you in anticipation for more. www.TheLCLnyc.com

Every two years, the bodegas of Jerez, Spain, join together to host the International Copa Jerez Competition, where chef and sommelier teams representing eight nations compete to see who can create the perfect food and Sherry matches.

Submissions are now being accepted from chef and sommelier teams nationwide to earn the right to represent the USA at the International Competition in Jerez, Spain, in October of 2013!

Now in its fifth year, Copa Jerez has become a world-renowned event that crowns the chef / sommelier team who create the best food and Sherry pairings. The competition attracts the best chefs and sommeliers from Spain, the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, the United States, Denmark, Belgium, and Japan, with each participating country sending their national team to compete at the 5th International Copa Jerez Competition in October of this year.

Participants must be a chef/sommelier team from a working restaurant, who are challenged to create the perfect food and Sherry match for each of three courses — a starter, main course, and dessert. Teams may select any style of Sherry to match with each course, but no more than two wines can be from a single bodega. To enter, teams must submit the name of each dish with a detailed recipe, the specific paired wine, and an in-depth explanation for why the pairing was selected.

During the live finals, an elite judging panel with experience and expertise in Sherry, wine pairing, and the culinary arts, will evaluate the dishes based on presentation, marriage of Sherry and food, and the most articulate description and knowledgeable explanation of the match. Past judges have included Juan Mari Arzak, Juli Soler, Jancis Robinson, MW, Pontus Elofsson, Jordi Roca, Heston Blumenthal, and our own Julian Serrano, Michael Franz, and Doug Frost MS, MW.

Past sommelier /chef teams from the USA, who have competed at the highest level and made us all very proud, include: Seamus Mullen and Roger Kugler of New York, Andy Nusser and Nancy Selzer of New York, Tim Fitzgerald and Curt Hermann from Tulsa, and last year’s US National competition winners and international representatives, from the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Bertrand Bouquin and Tim Baldwin.

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED at winegeek@akawinegeek.com by NO LATER THAN MAY 7th, 2013.

For more information about the competition and for the complete rules and regulations please contact Kate Burgess at kate@akawinegeek.com.

“Never even thought about it.” That’s the answer you might get from David Pickerell, if you ask if he always dreamed of making whiskey. Interesting to hear, no doubt, especially from the mouth of one of the industry’s greatest icons and most prolific distillers, who, probably more than anyone alive, has helped to shape the face of modern American whiskey, particularly craft distilled whiskey, and make it what it is today.

Pickerell is probably most recognized for having been the Master Distiller at Makers Mark for 14 years, a job he backed into after Makers Mark owner Bill Samuels saw his promise and his meticulous attention to detail, and asked if he’d take the job. Of course, that appointment didn’t come out of the blue, Pickerell spent years setting himself up for it, he just may not have realized that distilling whiskey would be the outcome of his plan.

Born in Fairborn, Ohio to a middle class family that “didn’t have all that much,” Pickerell showed a talent for analytical thinking at an early age. “From the age of five, my obsession was anything chemistry,” he says. By high school, he was at the top of his class in math and chemistry (two cornerstones of distilling), and also in football, making the All-State team. This led to a scholarship to attend West Point Military Academy, at which he earned a BS in Chemistry upon graduating in 1978. Post-graduation, he spent another 5 years in the Army as a cavalry officer, before being asked by his alma mater if he’d like to teach. Accepting, Pickerell attended the University of Louisville (while there, possibly drinking some bourbon from nearby Bardstown while studying, thereby seeding his interest in the chemical process of distillation?) before returning to West Point as a professor. Eventually, Pickerell realized that a career in the military was not for him, and thankful for all the Army had given him, he left the service to make his own way in the private sector.

One of his mentors at Louisville had been Dr Charlie Plank, a professor in the chemistry department who taught thermodynamics, the branch of physical science that deals with the relations between heat and other forms of energy (thermodynamics play a key role in the distillation process). Upon leaving West Point, Pickerell touched base with Plank and through inquiries based on his advice, started working on consulting projects around the world building stills in distilleries for large companies like Beam Global (Jim Beam), Brown-Forman (Jack Daniels), and other assorted companies. As his knowledge of the distillation process grew, so did his fascination with the product it created; and when a consulting gig with Makers Mark presented itself in 1989, Pickerell took it gladly, knowing it would allow him the opportunity to learn more. That job eventually led to his being tapped by Samuels to move from the equipment side into the distillation side of making whiskey, and five years later, now on payroll fulltime, Pickerell accepted the Master Distiller title, which he kept until his departure in 2008.

“At the time, Makers (as he calls it), only had the one product, and the formula had not changed in decades,” says Pickerell. “And I kind of felt like I needed to start learning again. The craft distilling concept was just starting to take off, and I thought it was the right time.”

So, Pickerell threw his hat in the ring by opening Oak View Consulting, and has never looked back. His most notable project has probably been Vermont-based Whistle Pig Rye, a concept, bringing an ultra-high quality straight rye whiskey to the market, he achieved with huge success along with owner Raj Peter Bahkta. Other ventures of note include Woodinville Whiskey Company in Washington State, Old Smoky in Tennessee, and most recently, the resurrection of George Washington’s distillery at Mt Vernon, which he’s helped put together from the ground up, and which Pickerell considers to be one of his most gratifying achievements. A fitting testimony, and show of gratitude, perhaps, from a West Point Grad to his country’s founder and first Commander in Chief, who, along with fellow patriot Thomas Jefferson, also founded the school which by his own admission, gave Pickerell so much.

These days, Pickerell, who is still based in Louisville and a married father of four grown children, has about two dozen projects going at any given time. Most are whiskey based, but he’s also starting to branch out into other categories (with some consulting help of his own) like rum and gin.

I had a chance to sit down with Dave on the front porch of the revolutionary-era farmhouse in New York’s Hudson Valley which is the backdrop for his latest project, the country’s first ever Solera method whiskey, Hillrock, released to critical acclaim in the Fall of 2012, and ask him a few questions:

Q. With so many projects, how do you A: find the time, and B: keep them all straight?
A. Most of the work I do is front-loaded to get the distillery up and running, including perfecting the formula for the product and making sure the still is tweaked to produce that product consistently time after time. Once that is accomplished, it’s really maintenance, and I can move on to other concepts. I, of course, do check back regularly, and am always available for questions or to evaluate samples. And on that note, I also find myself giving advice to people I’m not consulting with on a fairly regular basis. I’ve no problem with that. It makes whiskey better.

Q. What are your big projects right now?
A. Well, I’m still heavily invested, time-wise, in Whistle Pig. I spend about 15% of my time there. I’m also at Mt. Vernon and Hillrock a lot, as they are really just getting started. Places like Woodinville, etc. are further along, so require less of my time.

Q. Are you doing other spirits these days, as well?
A. Yes, I’ve started working with a few folks to play with Gin, Vodka and Brandy. I’m a big fan of Gin, so of course am interested to learn more about it. This affords me the opportunity to do so.
I’ve also done some Rum work. I tend to ask for pointers of my own from experts in those categories, when working to define the distillation of those spirits. My latest venture, Solbeso, is a New World spirit I am helping develop in South America based on cacao extracts. Totally different, and I’m really excited about it.

Q. Any favorite brand of Gin?
A. Probably Tanqueray. I like Plymouth, too.

Q. You have a hand in so many products, I would assume you never get tired of it because you simply love it so much. Do you have a favorite brand at home?
A. Probably Russell’s Reserve. It’s just a great product.

Q. Favorite cocktail?
A. I’m a sucker for a well-made Sazerac.
Q. My dog’s name is Sazerac. Can you guess how I might answer that one?
A. (laughs…)

Q. What are your thoughts on the craft movement?
A. Craft distilling is what driving the industry right now. The big guys are not only looking to the small producers for inspiration, Jack Daniels just released a white whiskey for instance, but are also in the process of starting to acquire some of them. That tells me two things: craft will continue to grow with at least 2-3 more years of rapid openings, and the big guys will continue to buy more and more of them.

Q. If you could pick a rising star in the craft movement, who would you pick?
A. Chip Tate of Balcones. He’s doing some amazing things.

Q. What’s the next big innovation in the spirits industry?
A. In whiskey, Solera will be a big hit. In other categories, Gin and Genever will hit, finally.

Q. Favorite beer?
A. Any well-made hoppy IPA.

Q. When not on a plane or in a distillery, what do you like to do for fun?
A. That doesn’t happen much, but when I get some downtime, I love to go hiking in the Great Smokies.
Q. To get closer to that great whiskey-making spring-fed limestone-filtered Appalachian water you find down in the Holler, not doubt.
A. Something like that…