Five Tripleseat Sip-Sational Cocktail Contest Finalists to Appear in EventCamp 2023 Sip-Off
Tripleseat customers and cocktail enthusiasts across the country submitted their best summer cocktail recipes. The Tripleseat internal voting team narrowed down the submissions to a list of 12 semi-finalists based on flavor, creativity, and alignment with the summer theme. The public voted for their favorite cocktail over the span of 10 days, which determined the top five finalists. Each of the five finalists is invited to EventCamp on May 3 in Boston, where their cocktails will participate in the final Sip-Off during the EventCamp reception.
The five finalists’ cocktails will be created by the on-site bartenders at EventCamp, and attendees will sip each cocktail in order to vote on one favorite. The winner of the Sip-Off will be the grand winner of Tripleseat’s Sip-Sational Cocktail Contest and receive the winning $500 prize!
It is time to introduce the five finalist cocktails. If you are attending EventCamp, these are the cocktails you will get to sip very soon. Congratulations to these five finalists for making it to the final round!
1. Garden of Eden
Created by: Danilo Costa
Submitted by: Katie Alden
Company: Somewhere Nowhere
Location: New York City
Recipe:
2 oz Hendricks Gin
½ oz Cointreau
Splash fresh lemon juice
½ peach nectar
½ passion fruit juice
Garnish: Black cherry/peach wedge
Glassware: Old-fashioned glass
Method: Shake all ingredients with ice cubes, strain the drink into an old-fashioned glass over ice cubes.
About the cocktail:
“I came across this recipe after searching for some cocktails that could potentially use passion fruit as the main flavor. My idea was to incorporate the passion fruit flavor, as it is one of my favorite fruits in Brazil. In Brazil, we have a popular drink called Caipijá (made with Caipirinha and Maracuja (passion fruit in Brazilian Portuguese), which uses the spirit cachaça (Brazilian rum), giving a Brazilian touch in this crafted cocktail.
“I used Hendricks gin as a request per our partner brand, so I had to find the right ingredients to make this cocktail simple but at the same time well-balanced between the gin’s particular flavor, the acid, citrus, and sour from passion fruit. The name was suggested by our team. I believed that this drink would be one of our best sellers in the summer and that I couldn’t have made it any better!” Costa said.
2. A Rose by Any Other Name
Created by: Jimmy Hibbard and Emily DeKanter
Company name: Gage Hospitality Group (The Dawson)
Location: Chicago
Recipe:
1 oz grapefruit zest Infused – Casa Noble Blanco Tequila**
1 oz Aperol
1 oz Dolin Blanc vermouth
1.5 oz Topo Chico soda water
2 oz dry sparking rosé (Preferably Italian or French)
**Zest 1 grapefruit using a vegetable peeler and set on 1 L of tequila for 24 Hours
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a wine glass.
Fill with ice.
Stir to chill.
Garnish with dehydrated grapefruit, edible flowers, and festive straw.
Spritz with rose water.
About the cocktail:
“This cocktail was originally created as a riff on a tequila negroni, also known as a Rosita, as a transitionary cocktail between our winter and spring menus at The Dawson. While delicious in its original construction, we began to notice a need for a spritz on the menu. We began playing around with a few different ideas, but nothing stuck.
“However, when a guest sent back the original cocktail saying they loved the flavor but wanted something ‘not as boozy.’ We pivoted, and the Rose by Any Other Name was created. It ended up being the most popular selling cocktail during our 2021 patio season and the favorite from our Pride menu, which benefited a non-profit organization supporting Chicago’s LGBTQ+ youth.
“Perfect for brunch through happy hour and into the evening, this refreshing cocktail has just a bit more kick than an Aperol Spritz while serving the exact same function. A Rose by Any Other Name is not only a reference to the famous Shakespeare quote but also to the cocktail’s origin story. In taking a boozy and bitter creation and turning it on its head as the refreshing pink patio crusher, we kept the integrity of our original creation while creating something incredibly approachable. Cheers!”
3. Airplane Mode
Created by: Irving Gonzalez
Submitted by: Carly Stein
Company: Snake Oil Cocktail Company
Location: San Diego
Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 oz Plantation pineapple rum
1 oz Sol Tarasco extra aged charanda hongos
1 oz gardenia mix
1 oz banana infused vanilla syrup
.75 oz lemon juice
.5 oz tangerine juice.
Add all the ingredients into a shaken tin with ice.
Shake for 10 seconds.
Strain over a Hurricane glass and top it off with pebble ice.
Garnish with an edible orchid and a banana leaf.
About the Cocktail:
“POV: The pilot announced the plane is ready for take-off, you close your laptop after setting your out-of-office email and let out a big exhale. We all know that feeling — the euphoric bliss that gets your heart fluttering — the moment we all are waiting for at least once a year: vacation time!
“Finally, you’re ready to sit back and turn on airplane mode. Shortly after dozing off, you land and step out of the plane. You can feel the stress of the emails slipping away as you head to the beach resort to set up under a cabana umbrella. Whirling with excitement and relaxation, you look down and realize your phone is still on airplane mode. You smile at the thought of keeping your phone on airplane mode the rest of the trip to enjoy the holiday and not be distracted by work. So that’s what you do. Ready to savor every moment, you toss your silly little phone in your beach bag, and run into the crystal blue waters in front of your cabana.
“From the cabana-style garnishes to every flavor and aroma, this tropical cocktail will give you that airplane mode vacation we all need to get us ready for the warm season,” Gonzalez said.
4. Ho’omaluhia Mai Tai
Created by: Rylen Komeiji
Submitted by: Rebecca Gullixson
Company: Caviar Bar
Location: Las Vegas
Recipe:
Stonefruit-infused Bacardi 10-year Rum
Cachaca
Pistachio and almond orgeat
Fresh lime juice
Spiced coconut water
Ohia Lehua blossom honey
Tiki and burlesque bitters
Salted coconut foam
About the cocktail:
“The name Ho’omaluhia translates to make peace and tranquility. I created the cocktail for the World’s Best Mai Tai Competition back in 2019. It was a time of turmoil in Hawaii as there was a big controversy over the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope. I used the differences between the two sides: the builders and scientists versus the Native Hawaiians who were concerned with the desecration of the mountain and their land. I wanted my cocktail to showcase numerous flavors from different places that come together to create a harmonious blend of flavors,” Komeiji said.
5. Blackberry Margarita
Created by: Cristen Gros
Company: B&B Beverage Management’s Happy Cocktail Company
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
4 limes
Jalapeno simple syrup
Fresh blackberries
Chili lime salt
Jalapeno slices
Blanco tequila
Bar tools needed:
Knife and cutting board
Strainer
Shaker tin
Jigger
Juicer
Rimmer
Prep:
Jalapeno simple syrup:
Yields 2.5 quarts. Takes 24 hours.
Ingredients:
1 qt jalapeno infused water
2 qt sugar
5 fresh jalapeno
Directions:
Cut 5 jalapenos into ~1/4 in slices and place into a quart container.
Fill a quart container with water and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Dump contents into a pot and bring to a boil.
Add 2 qt of sugar and return to boil until the sugar has melted down.
Remove from heat.
Strain out jalapeno slices.
Slice 1 lime into wheels.
Cut 3 limes in half and juice into a small container.
Pour Jalapeno Syrup onto Small Plate
Pour Chili Lime Salt onto Small Plate or Rimmer
Dip the glass into rimming syrup and then chili lime salt
Blackberry Margarita
Build in shaker tin
1.25 oz blanco gequila
Add 6-7 blackberries and muddle
1 oz jalapeno syrup
2 oz lime juice
Add ice and shake
Strain all contents in chili lime rimmed rocks glass with fresh ice
Garnish with lime wheel
About the cocktail:
“In 2020, when the event industry came to a complete halt, our company had nine days to do a complete 360 with our services and had to figure out how to bring the hospitality industry into people’s homes. With this need, we developed the Happy Cocktail Company brand, where we send deconstructed cocktail boxes across the country for clients to learn how to be their own favorite bartender at home. Each Happy Cocktail Box included the ingredients to make four, eight, or 12 cocktails, a recipe card on how to use the ingredients, and fun cocktail accessories like ice molds, glassware, and tools. This cocktail helped launch this brand and kept us afloat throughout COVID,” Gros said.
Vote for the winners in person at EventCamp
Tasting the five Sip-Sational Cocktail Contest finalists is just one of many reasons to join us in person for EventCamp. The EventCamp conference, organized by Tripleseat, brings together more than 200 event professionals to learn about best practices and trends from our 24 speakers and network with industry peers. Register now for the best conference for hospitality and sales managers.
