Averna Cocktail Competition Winners!!!

Back in December, we blogged about a great Cocktail Competition organized by Averna to come up with the best new Averna Drink. Bartenders from around the country submitted recipes from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2008. From there, expert judges Tad Carducci and Duggan McDonnell picked their favorite recipes. In April, three contests were held in San Francisco, New York and Miami, producing five winners. Judges included DSWE founder & CEO Paolo Domeneghetti, Jennifer Suskin publisher of DiningOut Miami, mixologist Angelo Vieria, Bob Drinon President of Premier Beverage, founder of Tales of the Cocktail Anne Tuennerman, Lowell Supran of Empire Merchants NY, Tad Carducci Co-founder of Tippling Bros., editor of Imbibe Magazine Karen Foley, and Young’s Market executive Joe Petraglia. The winners were chosen based on creativity and style, along with technique. The finalists included Debbi Peek of the Drawing Room at Le Passage in Chicago, Damon Dyer of Death & Company and Don Lee of PDT in New York, Jeffrey Hollinger of Absinthe Brasserie & Bar and Thomas R. Waugh of Alembic Bar in San Francisco. They will be sent to the Averna distilleries in Sicily for the ultimate competition, where the winner will receive a $1,500 American Express gift card. Not bad at all. Cheers!!!