The Smash

So after a class at Tales of the Cocktail with Tony Abou Ganim, I thought I was a cocktail specialist. The first cocktail I made then was a Smash.

Muddle Cherries and in Mint (About Ten)

Strain in to shaker cup

1 part simple syrup

1 part Catdaddy Moonshine

Stir

Shake

Garnish with mint

Search For Ultimate Catdaddy Moonshine Cocktail Is Over

On July 22, hundreds of cocktail enthusiasts and the Catdaddy Bar Chef Challenge judging panel, consisting of Dale DeGroff, Paul Tuennerman, Alan Kropf & Jeff Dorenbush of Mutineer Magazine and Joe Michalek the Founder of Piedmont Distillers, gathered together at Tales of the Cocktail to declare the ultimate Catdaddy Moonshine cocktail. 

The Catdaddy Bar Chef Challenge began in April when nearly 50 recipes were submitted for consideration.  Each recipe was prepared, tasted and ranked with the purpose of narrowing the entries to the Top 3 Finalists.  These three mixologists were invited to present their recipes at Tales of the Cocktail, an internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine and culture held annually in New Orleans, Louisiana.  In addition, each Finalist received a 2 night stay at the legendary Hotel Monteleone, six complimentary tickets to Tales of the Cocktail seminars and $500. 

The Top 3 Finalists recipes and mixologists were Mountain Moonshine Punch by Jim Kearns, New York mixologist who’s worked at some of the top bars in the city including, Pegu Club, Death & Co and Mayahuel.  He is currently a bar consultant, bar manager and bartender at the acclaimed Rye House.  Last Kiss by Giacomo Cuccurullo, a native Italian who started bartending at the age of 17 and is now a Bar Chef Instructor at the Instituto Culinario de Mexico. And lastly, Chinese Bootlegger by Payman Bahmani a Brooklyn-based mixologist who runs the cocktail event and consulting company Life's a Cocktail and writes a weekly cocktail column called Happy Hour.