For the third straight year, Bombay Sapphire & GQ magazine searched all 50 states to find the country’s “Most Inspired Bartender”. 40 finalists met at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas where they were judged on originality, presentation, flavor and the taste of their signature Sapphire cocktails by Bombay Sapphire’s Global Mixologist, Merlin Griffiths, GQ’s Style Correspondent Brett Fahlgren and world-renowned mixologist, Tony Abou-Ganim. Christian Sanders was chosen as this year’s Most Inspired Bartender. Sanders will be featured alongside his Sapphire signature cocktail, the innovative “Green Sour Hour,” in GQ’s December 2009 — Men of The Year issue.

Bombay Sapphire Master Mixologist, James Moreland said

“This year we saw enormous talent and creative cocktailing from participants coast to coast. The cocktails this year were more balanced, sophisticated, and elegant than ever before. The big take-home trend: large amounts of veggies and herbs getting juiced, muddled and infused.”

Sanders’ Green Sour Hour uses celery juice, dill paste, and Himalayan black salt which perfectly complement the signature 10 botanicals found in Bombay Sapphire’s recipe. We’re proud to present the recipe for this year’s Most Inspired Cocktail.

The Green Sour Hour

Bombay Sapphire 50 mls
Galliano 10 mls
Lemon Juice 17 mls
Triple Sec 15 mls
Celery Juice 30 mls
Dill Paste 1 thumbnail
Orange Bitters 2 dashes

Salt half the rim with a cracked black pepper and Himalayan sea salt.
Discard all ingredients into a Boston Shaker.
Add ice to the top and shake vigorously for 5-10 seconds.
Double Fine strain & garnish with a fine strain of Dill Sprig.

Chicago’s Peter Vestinos used inventive flavors and ingredients to win the title last year. Peter’s Imperial Sun cocktail impressed the judges with his simple but sophisticated mix of Bombay Sapphire gin, Apricot Jam & lime.

On September 1st, this year’s 40 finalists will bring their unique creations to The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas. Where James and Milo will judge each cocktail on balance, presentation, flavor, taste, and exploratory inspiration. All 40 bartenders & their cocktails will be featured in GQ Magazine, but only one will earn the title of 2009’s Most Inspired Bartender.

When the 10 exotic botanicals in BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin are complemented by some of the most unique and flavourful cheeses from around the world, the results are a true triumph of the senses.

Experience the results of this sublime partnership for yourself, by following these suggested cocktail & cheese pairings.

The gorgeous California coastline was my guide from Los Angeles down to the sunny beaches of San Diego. Looking out over the inviting sand and endless ocean, I realized why so many songs have been written about this part of the country. It’s easy to draw inspiration from a place like this!

The San Diego leg of the competition did not disappoint. It was easily one of the most pumped up and inspirational stops yet, especially among the mixologists taking part. Lots of energy, thought and practice had gone in to the majority of the recipes presented and the aesthetics alone were worth the visit. San Diego truly raised the bar to a top shelf level.

Now on to the winners! Normally, I pick three winners, but the two I mention today were truly on another level completely.

Runner-up Adam is a part owner and bar chef of a local establishment. He presented a refreshing spin on a classic, called “Harvest Punch”. Think red bell pepper combined with a spice similar to a Bloody Mary and complemented with Bombay SAPPHIREâ Gin, stirred and served in a jam jar. Why a jam jar? Adam grew up in the country, where his dad made moonshine in the barnyard out back. His dad would disappear for some time and reappear with jam jars full of clear liquid, hence the homage paid with the name and glassware.

No less inventive or talented was the winner, Teddy Wickersham. Teddy works at a local restaurant and gambled that his take on a classic would pay off. It most certainly did! His winning recipe was called the SAPPHIRE® Spirilla and I’m not ashamed to say that it floated to the top. Teddy starts with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE and adds his unique combination of ginger-beer syrup, ginger soda and a float of root beer schnapps liqueur. To finish, he garnishes with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a pinch of freshly shaved nutmeg. Surprisingly, it’s a drink that enhances, not disguises the spicier flavours of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my outstanding team in San Diego—Dalina, Sun and Natalie—who all did a great job in organizing this event.

-MR

View all the entries – click here.

My latest stop on the tour was the West Coast’s largest city, the city of angels, Los Angeles. Every year people the world over come to LA for their chance to get discovered. So I set out to discover the three most angelic cocktails LA had to offer.

The LA event was held at a hip, unpretentious watering hole in downtown Hollywood and was organized by Michael and Danielle.

Our first nominee for best cocktail was from Stephanie. Stephanie honed her craft by testing her creations on unsuspecting guests at the hotel where she worked. Her simple, yet elegant SAPPHIREâ Strawberry Lemonade received nothing but positive feedback—and I’m with them on that one!

Our second nominee was Katerina Screiner. Katerina tends bar at a very sexy Santa Monica hotspot known for its people watching. Her “Botanical Bliss” sure left a memorable impression on us with its inspired combination of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, muddled strawberry, hibiscus and grapefruit juices, agave nectar and hint of pomegranate syrup.

And the winner for best cocktail in LA goes to … Mark Sandstrom! Mark is a well-respected mixologist who is best known as the creator of the “Farmer’s Market Fresh” list of drinks at our competition venue. His winning creation was the devilish SAPPHIREâ El Diablo. Mark starts with ripe, fleshy chunks of fresh musk melon and adds a sliver of fiery Serrano chili pepper. He then adds BOMBAY SAPPHIRE and simple syrup, with just a squeeze of lime, and finishes with two chili “Diablo” horns. A delicious cocktail from a talented and adaptable chap by all accounts!

 

-MR

Chicago was back with lots of fresh talent and ideas. Not just with the cocktailing, mind you — they were dressed to impress and had the presentation to match. There were a lot of interesting new ingredients and approaches offered compared to last year’s Chicago stop. Not to say last year was bad by any stretch, of course. But this year’s pack definitely made the judging tough.

At the end of a very fun rooftop evening, Peter Vestinos with his “Imperial Breakfast” Sapphire cocktail walked away with the top marks. Combining BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® with Aperol, apricot jam and lime — this cocktail was well thought-out, creative and truly took me by surprise.

Second place was a tie between Brad Bolt’s “Smith Park Swizzle” and Shawn Meade’s “Elder Grass Lemonade”. The first, an intricate blend of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®, Irish whisky, lemon, Curacao and bitters. The second, a very inventive mix of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®, elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon juice, muddled lemongrass and a dash of orange bitters. Both outstanding cocktails in their own right but ultimately too close to call, and so we called it a draw.

Rounding out third was Adam Seger and his “Heirloom Tomato Mojitonico”. Almost like a “thinking man’s Bloody Mary” — this recipe combined BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®, chopped heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, muddled fresh herbs, tonic and lime into a pint glass rimmed with salt and pepper. The cocktail was almost as much of a mouthful as the name itself.

All in all this was a much different Chicago than the year before and I was extremely impressed with the level of talent and presentation. The local team did a wonderful job making everything happen and, short of the Chicago law prohibiting loud music on rooftops, it was perfect evening.

I’m heading back to New York, though this will be anything but a vacation. The New York GQ event promises to be quite interesting, with a large field of bartenders participating at a rather big affair. Let’s see what they have in store. Until then, I have some packing to do.

Cheers —

James