USA, April 2009 METAXA Cocktail competition in USA

METAXA teamed up with the leading cult magazine IMBIBE to host a cocktail competition. 100 Mixologists from around the USA have been contacted, the rules were simple - create a great METAXA cocktail. The stakes were high - a fabulous trip to Greece was on the table.

The finals were held in New York City at Apotheke and in Portland at Imbibe Magazine. Judges included Karen Foley, founder of Imbibe Magazine, Seattle cocktail writer Paul Clarke and New York City writer Michael Anstendig.

  Each cocktail was scored in five categories on a scale of 1 to 5, with five being the highest score.

The categories were:

- Use of METAXA: How well did the recipe highlight METAXA as the primary ingredient, and how well did the recipe balance other ingredients with METAXA?

- Flavor: How balanced was the cocktail's overall flavor? Did it have depth and a good flavor from start to finish? Was it nuanced and refined? Did the METAXA shine through yet intermingle well with all other ingredients?

- Creativity: Was there any unique inspiration behind the drink? Did the drink contain any surprising or unexpected ingredients? Was the appearance particularly creative or original?

- Appearance: How visually appealing was the cocktail? This includes drink appearance as well as garnish and glassware.

- Process: How easy/difficult was the recipe to reproduce? Think of this in the context of both bartenders and home bar enthusiasts.

The winner is Jonathan Pogash, with Aegean Fizz cocktail. If you are interested in trying new things and experiencing flavours, you will find below the recipe.

Ingredients:

50 ml METAXA 7*

25 ml Fresh Blood Orange Juice

20 ml Cinnamon Bark Syrup**

1 egg white

Club Soda

Garnish: blood orange twist and cinnamon stick

Glass: Collins

Instructions: Dry shake the METAXA with the blood orange juice and egg white for 20 seconds. Then add ice and the cinnamon bark syrup and shake again very well for 20 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass and top off with club soda. Add the twist by squeezing the peel side down atop the drink and rubbing around the rim. Lay the cinnamon stick across the top of the glass.

 **To make cinnamon bark syrup, for every 1 cup of water, add 1 cup of sugar in the raw and 3 cinnamon sticks and allow sugar to dissolve over high heat. Then simmer for 5 minutes, chill, and bottle.