The four contenders!
So, last night I was asked to serve as a judge for one of the Eat Drink Read Write Festival’s (BPL) newest and coolest events–a cocktail competition! Who could say no to four free artisan cocktails, inspired by Latin American literature, and crafted by gifted bartenders?
Last night’s winner, after Like Water for Chocolate…named after las lagrimas de Tita, who cried as she made quail with a rose sauce.
After One Hundred Years of Solitude; the discovery of ice.
I had a great time, and I really enjoyed the cocktails, each totally creative and full of interesting flavours. The winner was the Like Water for Chocolate-inspired aromatic rosey one (seen with a rose petal), but I was really torn between it and the One Hundred Years of Solitude cocktail for first place.
But then, the third one, inspired by The Alchemist, had GOLD in it. GOLD! And a peachy flavor/smell, which was delightful. The fourth one, after The Savage Detectives, was pretty brilliant, too, but I don’t think my palate is sophisticated enough to really enjoy the aftertaste of bitters.
GOLD! “The Elixir of Life”
Unfortunately, I didn’t catch all of the bartender’s names, nor did I have a list of the cocktail names, so I only remember the books that inspired them (and as a literature person, that’s about all I needed to get a feel for them).
What I learned? 1) Picking winners is hard, and 2) I need to learn more about the art of the cocktail. I’ve got books galore, and a collection of spirits that rivals any other novice bartender, but I really don’t know much about the science of the cocktail.
I got a sweet shirt out of the deal, too: 
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