#manhattan experience

[esquiremarketing-blog]

Woodford Reserve

Client: Woodford Reserve

Timing: October 2013 - January 2014

For the 6th year in a row, Woodford Reserve and Esquire partnered to create The Manhattan Experience - an annual nationwide search inviting the top bartenders from around the US to create the best new Manhattan cocktail.

Custom Digest

Esquire created a custom 8-page digest showcasing Woodford Reserve and The Essential Manhattan in Esquire's 80th Anniversary Issue.

Contents included:

A Brief History of the Manhattan

The Basics of the Manhattan

The Ultimate Bourbon, Woodford Reserve

The Setting: Where & When

Chris Morris, Master Distiller, Woodford Reserve

Pictorial Recap of Previous Manhattan Experiences

The digest was mag-stripped in Esquire's 80th Anniversary Issue (October 2013)

Consumer Sweepstakes

Esquire hosted The Manhattan Experience Finale Sweepstakes on Esquire.com

One lucky consumer and a guest won a trip to NYC for the Manhattan Experience Finale, including airfare for 2 and hotel accommodations

Massive Consumer Response:

3,878 total entries received in 4 week window

Social Promotion

Esquire promoted The Manhattan Experience and the consumer sweeps to our dedicated Twitter following of enthusiasts

Two (2) postings drove consumers to Esquire.com to register for the sweepstakes

Esquire Twitter: 231,000 Followers

Woodford Reserve + Regional & Finale Events

In 2013, Woodford Reserve + Esquire co-hosted 31 Regional Manhattan Experience events.

To create buzz and excitement for the Manhattan Experience Finale Event, Esquire secured Esquire writer, Food Network & TV Host Ted Allen to be the Master of Ceremonies.

On Monday, January 13th in NYC, Woodford Reserve and Esquire crowned this year's Master of the Manhattan at the NYC gala finale event of the Manhattan Experience cocktail competition.

Master of Ceremonies Ted Allen guided the energetic crowd as top regional bartenders displayed their mixology expertise for a panel of notable industry judges. Miami's Virginia King took home the title with her masterful creation, Look At Me Like You Don't Want Me To Go. View the winning recipe at www.woodfordreserve.com/manhattanexperience

[esquiremarketing-blog]

Woodford Reserve & Esquire 'Manhattan Experience' Finale

Date: Monday, January 13, 2014

Location: New York City

Woodford Reserve and Esquire crowned this year's Master of the Manhattan at the NYC gala finale event of the Manhattan Experience cocktail competition. Master of Ceremonies Ted Allen guided the energetic crowd as top regional bartenders displayed their mixology expertise for a panel of notable industry judges. Miami's Virginia King took home the title with her masterful creation, Look At Me Like You Don't Want Me To Go.

View the winning recipe at www.woodfordreserve.com/manhattanexperience

[cabinetbeer-blog]

Are You Experienced?

Last week I had the good fortune of being one of the judges of the Manhattan Experience, a Manhattan cocktail contest sponsored by Esquire Magazine and Woodford Reserve. The event was held at Chistine Lee's at the Gulfstream Race Track and Casino, and even though I'd never been there before (the restaurant, not the casino; first time I went to the track was on Easter with this guy), and had no idea what to expect, I've got to say, they dolled the place up pretty nice. I headed past the fat-ass Buddha statue waving at the entrance, past the requisite Wall-O-Celebrity where I noticed an inordinate number of pictures of Cher spanning what I could only guess were at least six different eras, past the Woodford flavor station where nobody could be bothered to sniff representations of the five integral elements that go into their bourbon, past the mountain of free cheese, past the bar serving up nothing but Woodford; neat, on ice, or in three different Manhattan spin-offs, and past the stage where the evening's mixologists would soon battle it out for Miami Manhattan supremacy, and was met with an expansive wall-to-wall window overlooking the race track with a view that was simply gorgeous. A crystal clear night. Perfect for boozing. There were four judges--three writers and a bartender--and four finalists. They were, in order of their appearance, Cameron Scholderer (The Sunset Lounge at The Mondrian), Heath Chamberlain (Tatu, The Hard Rock), Robert Ferrera (STK Miami, Gansevoort) and Nick Nistico (Mojo Lounge). I'll save you the suspense and tell you Nick won with his Mr. October Manhattan (no reference to Reggie Jackson, I asked) and it was a pretty good cocktail. Here's the recipe, . . Mr October Manhattan 2 1/2 oz Woodford Reserve ('natch) 1 oz Mandarine Napoleon Orange 1 oz ginger syrup 1/2 oz Carpano Antica (got my bottle in the fridge) 2 dashes Peychaud's 2 dashes orange bitters ...and here's a fairly nice picture of Nick holding it.

Congrats to Nick. He was warm and generous and humbled to have won and now headed up to the Big Apple to see how his drink fairs against Manhattan masters from around the nation. It was a good drink, Nick's. I think it'd make a party of people pretty happy. But for my tastes, there was too much in the way of citrus in this. Orange liquer, ginger syrup, orange bitters, and a lemon peel? All I remember about this drink was smelling it. Smelling it smelling it smelling it. Again, it was a good drink. But was it a great Manhattan? I didn't entirely think so. The winners in my book were Robert Ferrera and Cameron Scholderer. The Manhattans they made were evocative of the original spirit of the Manhattan, a boozy bourbon (originally called for rye, but, we'll ignore that,..) drink that I always imagined being born eight floors below Broadway, that I always imagined being equal parts steam heat, top hat and butcher's block. A Manhattan should be dark and ominous, an impressive stranger that you didn't invite to the party. The Manhattans these gentlemen made that night were unlike any Manhattan I'd ever tasted. We'll start with Cameron's recipe: The Early Harvest Manhattan 2 oz Woodford Reserve 1/2 oz of Noilly Prat infused with coffee cocoa, fennel and star anise* 1/2 oz Charbay Nostalgie Black Walnut Liquer dash of Angostura Orange maraschino cherry orange twist *While preparing his drink, Cameron explained how he ground the cocoa seeds, the fennel and the star anise, stuffed them in a tea bag and steeped them in the vermouth over low heat to get the desired infusion. After the contest, I asked him about it and he poured me a small taste of the vermouth alone and it was stellar. The fennel and star anise smelled wonderful and the coffee and cocoa seeds provided depth in the taste. If he ever bottled this, I'd be the first in line. And here's Robert's: The Holland Tunnel Manhattan 2 oz Woodford Reserve 3/4 oz chai tea-infused Carpano Antica 1/4 oz brandied cherry syrup Bittercube's Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters* brandied cherry *First I'm hearing of these bitters. Already ordered me the variety pack. What I liked about Robert's drink was the complexity of flavors. The combination of the vanilla bitters, brandied syrup and chai-infused vermouth was spicy, sweet, and aromatic. It was a whirlwind of flavors, but flavors that each held their own distinctly within the drink. They didn't bottleneck at your throat like they were tied together in a three-legged race. In short, the drink tasted pretty damn masterful. As for Heath Chamberlain, well, I'm sure there are folks who would really love what he did with the Manhattan, but I was not one of them. In preparing his drink he committed two cardinal sins. 1) He prepared his Manhattan with a rim. A bacon rim. Do with that as you will. 2) He shook it. You do not shake a Manhattan. You stir a Manhattan. Trust me, I know these things. I'm a "spirits blogger."

[cabinetbeer-blog]

Shake It Up

In anticipation of next week's Manhattan Experience, we caught up with Woodford Reserve's Master Distiller, Chris Morris, and asked him a few questions regarding bourbon, the Manhattan, and what to expect this coming Monday. CBBC: You're the Master Distiller for Woodfoord Reserve Bourbon. For those that may not know what that means, can you explain what a Master Distiller is and what a Master Distiller does? CM: A Master Distiller is responsible for the quality of their distillery's product, for product development, planning and more. Quality assurance requires the Master Distiller to be a trained whiskey taster. The products to be tasted include grain, water, new distillate, maturing bourbon and the final mature barrel samples and the batch they create. CBBC: Master Distiller sounds like one of the greatest jobs on the planet. Can you describe your path through the world of bourbon and how you came to land at Woodford Reserve? CM: I became Master Distiller after 28 years of training and experience. I worked in the grain lab, yeast lab, distillery, warehousing, R&D lab, package lab, barrel cooperage and more as I learned the trade along the way. CBBC: For someone who's never tasted Woodford Reserve, what should they look for when tasting your bourbon? CM: When tasting a bourbon you should be looking for a balanced representation across the five areas of bourbon flavor - sweet aromatics, fruit, spice, wood and grain. Very few bourbons have aroma and flavor characteristics representing each area. Woodford Reserve is the rare exception. Its complexity and balance of flavor make it stand above the rest. CBBC: The Manhattan is arguably the most famous of all bourbon cocktails. Why do you think the Manhattan has had such staying power? CM: The Manhattan is one of three American Whiskey classic cocktails that are revered by bartenders around the world. The others are the Mint Julep and Old Fashioned. It is simple to make (that doesn't mean it's easy to make good) and has a seemingly infinite number of varieties, styles and serving options. If made correctly it is a rich, full-bodied drink, like liquid comfort food. CBBC: Do you have a favorite recipe for the Manhattan? CM: I like a Manhattan made with Woodford Reserve, preferably stirred, with orange bitters, Angostura bitters and a spicy red vermouth. 2 parts Woodford to 1 part vermouth. 2 dashes each of the bitters. Garnish with dark, marinated cherry. CBBC: Can you talk a little bit about how the idea for the Manhattan Experience came about? CM: The Manhattan Experience originated when Esquire and Woodford Reserve teamed up to promote the return to style in the cocktail world. And what better "fashion statement" to work with but that American Classic - the Manhattan. We wanted to see how today's mixologists were re-interpreting the Manhattan so the Experience was devised as a way to bring together the best of the best. CBBC: If I understand correctly, each bartender participating in the contest submitted their recipes to you and you chose the five finalists. Did you make and taste the submissions? If so, what did you find in those particular cocktails that put them above the rest? CM: We choose the finalists first by reviewing the recipes and eliminating any that were too complicated or contained extremely hard to obtain ingredients. The final winner is expected to be a drink that can be crafted and enjoyed by anyone. The remaining candidates are created at our company bar and judged by our team. The results are added up and the finalists selected. CBBC: What is it about Woodford Reserve that lends itself to great Manhattans? CM: Woodford Reserve makes a great Manhattan because it has a balance of flavors and is full-bodied and robust. Vermouth and bitters will not overwhelm it. CBBC: Lastly, for those thinking of attending the Manhattan Experience, what can they expect come Oct. 17th? CM: Attendees to the Manhattan Experience can expect to enjoy some great food, super drinks, a great setting, and a fun program. To register for the Manhattan Experience (it's free!), simply click here, then click on the link for "RSVP to an Esquire Event."