Welsh bartenders clear up on the WhistlePig ‘No Historical past No Guidelines’ competitors South West regional warmth
On Tuesday this week, BarLifeUK travelled to Bristol, one of many UK’s most reliably glorious cocktail cities, for the South West warmth of WhistlePig’s ‘No Historical past No Guidelines’ competitors.
For readers unfamiliar with this comp, WhistlePig, which was based in 2007 and due to this fact comparatively younger in distillery phrases, determined to buck the development of seeking to the previous for its first cocktail competitors, and as an alternative requested bartenders to create a Rye Whiskey cocktail which focussed on the artistic expression of complementary flavours. As you’ll anticipate, bartenders embraced this temporary with enthusiasm and the competitors was inundated with entries. Nearly 15 years of BarLifeUK expertise has taught us that Bristol all the time delivers on the flavour entrance, so we had excessive hopes for this warmth, and weren’t disenchanted.
The warmth passed off at Bristol cocktail-landmark Milk Thistle on a superbly sunny day, with the opponents greeted by a WhistlePig Highball and a contest briefing by model ambassador Dan Priseman. The logistics have been easy – every competitor had 5 minutes to prep, and eight minutes to make their drink, which might be scored on style, aroma, and look; chat; originality; replicability; bar craft and timekeeping.
I used to be joined on the judging panel by Ben Alcock, operator of Bristol bars Filthy XIII and HMSS, and Jake O’Brien Murphy, bartender, author, and drinks marketing consultant for Moët-Hennessy. We settled in on the bar to look at, pay attention, and style as the primary 4 opponents – Mike Charles, Scarlet Lantern (Bristol), Seb Fileccia , Milk Thistle (Bristol), Liam Jones, The Libertine (Cardiff), and Theo Millar, Unfastened Canon (Bristol) offered their drinks.
Proceedings paused at this level for a very tasty lunch ferried in from native Asian diner 4 Clever Monkeys; the meals was glorious and the restaurant is now a shoe-in go to subsequent time we go to Bristol. It can also’t be overstated how useful it’s to have correct meals available for each opponents and judges throughout a comp, it retains nervous and probably booze-filled stomachs lined and blood sugar ranges steady – different manufacturers take observe, this format is the way in which ahead for comps.
Suitably fortified, we acquired again to enterprise and the ultimate 4 opponents – Welly Jones, Lab 22 (Cardiff), Joe Clarke, Milk Thistle (Bristol), Henry Woodgate, Flight Membership Darts (Bristol), and Joel Hughes Lab 22 (Cardiff) – took their turns behind the bar, and the judges then decamped to the pub subsequent door to debate the displays and tot-up the scores.
It’s honest to say Bristol lived as much as it’s repute for producing good competitions, as whereas we regularly encounter one or two ropey drinks in a regional warmth, that was not the case right here. Each cocktail we tasted was prime drawer, and it was improbable to see a various vary of method and drink sort – all the things from fairly Bristolian ‘stirred-down-and-brown’ to brightly-coloured Tequila Dawn-esque lengthy drinks.
The judges have been unanimous on the highest three, however as solely two opponents from every warmth robotically qualify for a spot within the ultimate, a spirited dialogue was required to reach at a consequence. And that result’s… We actually must plan a go to to Cardiff, as a result of some fascinating and really tasty issues are occurring there. Each South West warmth winners hail from the town, and an honourable point out additionally goes to a Cardiff bartender – Welly Jones of Lab 22 – who would have positioned third if the comp had awarded a prime three. So congratulations then to Liam Jones of The Libertine, and Joel Hughes of Lab 22, who have been declared the South West warmth winners, we look ahead to seeing you on the WhistlePig ‘No Historical past No Guidelines’ ultimate subsequent month.
The Successful Drinks
Liam Jones
Bacon and Pancakes
40ml Canadian bacon fats washed WhistlePig
20ml Frangelico
10ml Canadian Maple Syrup
2 Dashes of cinnamon bitters
Stir and pressure
Mini pancakes skewered and maple drizzled on prime
Joel Hughes
Pistachios Freedom Cream
40ml WhistlePig
10ml Velvet Falernum
10ml Cacao Blanc
50ml Pistachio Orgeat
Vanilla whipped cream garnish
Pistachio filling Oreo-style cookie
*images by Gareth Aldridge
