Leblon Cachaça is proud to announce the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) Caipirinha Competition at the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail, the premier cocktail and culinary festival that celebrates the history and culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans July 8 – 12th.
The USBG Caipirinha Competition at Tales of the Cocktail will be held at Pat O’s on the River on Friday, July 10th starting at 8:30PM. Hosted by Tony Abou-Ganim, this year’s cocktail competition will have USBG chapter members from across the country muddling their way to victory as nine teams compete against each other with two cocktails representing each chapter.
“If this year’s competition is anything like the past, you can expect the unexpected…attendees will be delighted by the imagination and ingenuity of the competitors,” said Paul G. Tuennerman, Executive Director and CEO of Tales of the Cocktail.
“Caipirinhas aren’t made just with limes anymore. We like to create twists on the classic caipirinha by using fruits, herbs, and various bitters so I am looking forward to see what creative cocktails come our way,” says Naren Young, judge of the Caipirinha Competition.
This years judges include: Junior Merino- The Liquid Chef; Naren Young- of New York City’s bobo Restaurant; Tony Abou-Ganim- The Modern Mixologist; and Francine Cohen-Editor in Chief of Food & Beverage Magazine (media partner). Tickets are on sale now at the event web site, www.talesofthecocktail.com.
“Cachaça is the hot new spirit and I am looking forward to tasting what the top mixologists from across the country have created,” says Tony Abou-Ganim, host of the Caipirinha Competition, and a celebrity judge.
This year’s finalists that will be representing their respective USBG chapters competing in the New Orleans are:
Austin, TX
Minday Kucan and Bill Norris
Chicago, IL
Christina DeLucca and Tim Lacey
Las Vegas, NV
Tobin Ellis and Andrew Pollard
Los Angeles, CA
Pablo Moix and Matthew Eggleston
Milwaukee, WI
Nate Newbrough and Matt Simonis
New Orleans, LA
Danny Valdez and Maksym Pazuniak
New York, NY
Tad Carducci and Christopher Stanley
Phoenix, AZ
Trudy Thomas and Corey Jansen
San Francisco, CA
Gabrielle Barnes and Chase Williamson
About Leblon Cachaça
LEBLON is an ultra-premium cachaça (pronounced ka-SHAH-sa) produced in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The rum-like spirit, the most award-winning cachaça on the market, is made from fresh pressed Brazilian sugar cane that is then rested in cognac casks and blended to create superior complexity and taste. Cachaça is the main ingredient in the Caipirinha (pronounced kai-pur-EEN-ya), the national cocktail of Brazil. LEBLON is the leading luxury Cachaça in high-end establishments and a 2007 Double Gold Award Winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Best in Class at the Rum Experience International Tasting Competition – London. LEBLON is now available in all 50 U.S. states and CULTURAL capitals around the world such as Sao Paulo, London, Paris, and Bangkok. For more information, visit www.liveloveLEBLON.com.
About Tales of the Cocktail
Tales of the Cocktail is an internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine and culture held annually in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event brings together the best and brightest of the cocktail community–award-winning mixologists, authors, bartenders, chefs and designers–for a five-day celebration of the history and artistry of making drinks. Each year offers a spirited series of dinners, demos, tastings, competitions, seminars, book signings, tours and parties all perfectly paired with some of the best cocktails ever made.
About the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society
The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society is a non-profit organization committed to preserving the unique culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans and the storied bars and restaurants that have contributed to the city’s world-wide culinary acclaim. This organization supports members of the hospitality industry through education and the production of events like Tales of the Cocktail and, most recently, Trails of the Cocktail, a scholarship program for emerging talent in the New Orleans cocktail industry.
For more information on Tales of the Cocktail, visit www.TalesoftheCocktail.com.
