On Friday, July 10, the 2009 GRAND MARNIER and NAVAN “On the Fly” Competition celebrated the creativity and last-minute inventiveness of eight top bar stars, working exclusively with the ingredients found in Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s bag of tricks, which included such items as lollypops, hot sauce, pralines, and many more out of the ordinary ingredients. Confronted with a variety of challenges, the contestants pushed the limits of originality and skill “on the fly” in front of an audience of hundreds of their peers and cocktail aficionados at the W Hotel in New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail.
The mixologist who executed the most original creation was Giuseppe Gonzales of New York, creating The On the Fly Colada, a winning cocktail, featuring NAVAN Natural Vanilla Liqueur.
The “On the Fly” Competition was judged by a highly discriminating panel of judges including Bridget Albert, Antoine Gervais, Xavier Herit, Francesco Lafranconi, John Myer and Dale DeGroff. Gonzales worked alongside other contestants, including: Eric Alperin of Los Angeles, Paul Clarke of Seattle, Ricky Gomez of New Orleans, Misty Kalkofen of Boston, Todd Thrasher of Washington, Neyah White of San Francisco and David Wondrich of New York.
Giuseppe Winning Recipe:
The On the Fly Colada
2 oz. Yerba Mate tea infused Glenmorangie
¾ oz. Navan Vanilla Liqueur
1 Funkin Pina Colada Mix
Build in a Snifter and add ice.
