A £1,000 cash prize is up for grabs for the winner of this year’s Coco Lopez & El Dorado Cocktail Challenge, in association with Hamilton Beach , to be staged at The Liar’s Club in Manchester on Tuesday, March 18 from 3pm, on the first day of the Northern Restaurant & Bar Show.
Bartenders and mixologists should register as soon as possible for the competition, organised by Bennett Opie, which distributes Coco Lopez, a natural cream of coconut product, in the UK .
Opie’s cocktail expert James Coston said: “Competitors will need to submit two drinks. One must be a Twisted Pina Colada, the mixologist’s own twist on the classic cocktail, containing Coco Lopez and either three-year-old or five-year-old El Dorado Rum.
“The second can be a cocktail invention of their choice, though it must contain at least 20ml Coco Lopez, and again the three or five-year-old El Dorado Rum. Both drinks must be blended with a Hamilton Beach Tempest blender, which will be provided.”
James said the Coco Lopez & El Dorado Cocktail Challenge was a test of all-round skills, imagination and wit.
“Banter and performance will score highly and ingredients, measurements, garnish and vessel are all determined by the bartender and can be as outrageous as you like,” he said. “The use of Bennett Opie cocktail cherries for garnish is highly recommended.”
Entrants should email James with their recipes. Judges will pick their 10 favourites and their creators will be invited to demonstrate them in the final.
“The best cocktail in the top 10 wins its creator the £1,000 prize and a bottle of 21-year-old El Dorado Rum,” said James. “The creator of the best Pina Colada wins a Hamilton Beach Tempest blender.”
Entrants should email James Coston at jcoston@b-opie.com with their recipes by midnight on Saturday, March 1 with the following information:
Name of competitor
Name and location of the bar where you work
Email address
Contact phone number
Ingredients in ml
Vessel
Garnish
Method (of second drink)
Cocktail names
The top 10 entrants will be contacted by email at noon on Saturday, March 8 and invited to the March 18 final.
For further information visit the Coco Lopez Cocktail Challenge Facebook page.
Coco Lopez is available from good stockists including http://www.thedrinkshop.com. For more information about the product, contact the Bennett Opie sales team on 01795 476154 or visit http://www.b-opie.com.
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