Last Wednesday, Al and I attended Cocktail Wars (sponsored by DISHCRAWL) in Adams Morgan. The event was held at the Carriage House, which neither of us had ever been to before.

The event included 5 local mixologists from slightly different backgrounds, but all with the talent of creating incredible drinks. So many amazing cocktails, from white smoke flowing over the glass, an apple and spice drink, and a Handful of Raspberries that was so much more than just a fruity drink.

The event was designed to allow all those in attendance to sample each of the 5 cocktails that would be competing, while also allowing the contestants to craft each cocktail for the panel of 3 guest judges during the competition. The contestants and their cocktails were Justin Gellert (Winter Wonderland Vesper), Ronald Flores (Giving Tree), Greg St. Clair (Handful of Raspberries), Dwayne Sawyer (Kentucky Royalty), and Kyle McNeel (Papa’s Last Stand). The 3 guest judges were Clyde Davis, Jr. (Team Spirits Imports), Laura Hayes (Best Thing On The Menu), and Aparna Krishnamoorthy (contributor to Dining in DC, among other things).

In full disclosure we only tried 4 of the 5 drinks, but spoke to some people who had ordered the 5th drink gathering their thoughts. I started with the Handful of Raspberries, served in a smaller cognac glass, and Al started with the Kentucky Royalty. Awards were handed out for a variety of things including Best Presentation, which Kentucky Royalty ran away with. Imagine a chilled red drink, that bursts white smoke filled bubbles, giving the perception that your drink is more than just a hot choice at the bar.

“Handful of Raspberries” might not have been our drink of choice, but it wasn’t far behind. The drink comes from Greg St. Clair, who we had a chance to talk to just before things kicked off to hear a little about some of his other drinks as well. He recently had his book published, entitled Drinks & Sex, which offers a variety of … ahem…..stories…. and their related drink.  St. Clair and Dwayne Sawyer, the creator of the Kentucky Royalty, were the big winners on Wednesday night, though several of us who got to try their drinks certainly were winners as well.

In the end, Kentucky walked away with the most medals and we aren’t arguing with their decision. All of these cocktails are worth checking out, if you get the chance. Though we haven’t been to an event of this kind, we certainly would never pass up the chance again!

Cheers!

Scott