Hiram Walker Gingerbread Contest Winner: Bronze Autumn Cocktail Bubbles to the Top
Hiram Walker announced the winners in its “Bloggers-Only” Gingerbread Cocktail Competition today. Alas, this Intoxicologist isn’t receiving a favorite hard-to-find spirit as bounty for winning, but I did round out in the top five for my entry. It was a battle fought through liqueur, tequila, brandy, bourbon, ports and various other spirits while a little boy ran through the bar yelling “you can’t catch me, I’m the Hiram Walker Gingerbread Man.” Ok, I made that all up.
Seriously, bloggers follow bartenders who enter big stakes cocktail competitions all over the world and we report on it daily. We tell our readers about what goes on in our local cities and what we hear about on a national level. We bring you exciting new recipes and trends we read about and hear about. Seldom do we have the opportunity to participate in a cocktail competition. So, yes it gets interesting to see what fellow bloggers who are out there reporting and creating will think up and enter. Wow! Bloggers are an innovative bunch.
For a look at the official winner’s announcement: Hiram Walker Announces a Winner in Its “Bloggers-Only” Gingerbread Cocktail Competition. For a look at all the fabulous recipes that came pouring in cruise down the list below. For a real treat, click the link under each cocktail name afterward for a look at the behind the scenes story featured on Cocktail Culture and possibly a few more recipes.
The Bronze Autumn Cocktail by Shawn Cox
The Bronze Autumn Cocktail by Shawn Cox :
2 parts Apple vodka
1 part Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
splash dry champagne
Shake the apple vodka and Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur together with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with champagne and garnish with an apple slice.
After crafting eight different potential cocktail entries with the Gingerbread Liqueur, Cox says he was “tempted by other complex and decadent creations, but in the end the simplicity and complementary flavors won the day.”
Honorable mention must be given to Lance Mayhew, whose November Rain Cocktail was a close second. Mayhew’s submission matched Rye whiskey and a touch of orange bitters with the spiciness of the Gingerbread Liqueur.
November Rain by Lance J. Mayhew:
3 parts Rittenhouse 100 proof rye whiskey
1 parts Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
3 dashes Regans Orange Bitters
Chill, serve up with an orange twist.
Rounding out the top five were Cheri Loughlin of The Intoxicologist with her Mexican Café de Jengibre, Ted Munat of Le Mixeur and his Grandaddy Howe, and Darcy O’Neil of Art of Drink with his Fameuse Cocktail.
Mexican Café de Jengibre by Cheri Loughlin
Mexican Café de Jengibre by Cheri Loughlin:
(Yes, this is me, but you can still read what Cocktail Culture wrote.)
1-1/2 parts Anejo Tequila (El Tesoro)
1/2 part Kahlua Especial
1 part Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
1/2 part Half & Half
Build in a rocks or old-fashioned glass over ice. Stir. No garnish.
Granddaddy Howe by Ted Munat
Granddaddy Howe by Ted Munat:
1 part bourbon
2 parts ruby port
1/2 part Gingerbread Liqueur
1/2 part Cherry Heering
1 whole egg
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake ingredients for about 15 seconds. Add ice and shake for about 10 more seconds. Strain into a goblet and grate fresh nutmeg over the top.
Fameuse Cocktail by Darcy O
Fameuse Cocktail by Darcy O’Neil:
1 part Bourbon
½ part Gingerbread Liqueur
½ part Jerez Fino Sherry
3 parts Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
In a double old fashioned glass packed with ice, add all of the ingredients and stir until chilled. Garnish with an apple slice. This drink can also be served warm, but I prefer it chilled. It’s versatile.
Hansel’s Bane by Gabriel Szaszko (Cocktailnerd):
1.5oz Angostura 1919 Rum (or other aged gold rum)
.75oz HW Gingerbread Liqueur
.5oz Fresh grapefruit juice
.5oz Licor 43
.5oz Simple Syrup
1/4t Pernod
1 egg white
Cinnamon
Shake all ingredients thoroughly with ice. Strain (double-strain if able) into a cocktail glass and finely-grate cinnamon over the drink until an even dusting appears.
Fall Sunshine by Camper English (Alcademics):
2 ounces Hornitos Anejo tequila
1 ounce Hiram Walker Gingerbread liqueur
¼ ounce Cointreau Noir
¾ ounce orange juice
Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake thoroughly. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice.
The Untitled Fall Dessert Drink by Jacob Grier (Jacob Grier’s Drink Blog):
2 oz Scotch
.75 oz Hiram Walker gingerbread liqueur
.5 oz whipping cream
Shake over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Ginger Frost by Blair Frodelius (Good Spirits News):
2 oz. Appleton Special Rum
0.75 oz. Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
0.75 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
0.25 oz Turbinado simple syrup*
1 egg white
fresh grated nutmeg
snowflake stencil
Pour rum, gingerbread liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled martini glass. Lay snowflake stencil over rim of glass and gently tap fresh grated nutmeg onto drink. Remove stencil and serve!
*To make Turbinado simple syrup take one cup of Turbinado sugar and slowly dissolve into one cup of boiling water. Add tsp of vodka to preserve. Keep refrigerated.
Shropshire Sling by Rick Stutz
Shropshire Sling by Rick Stutz (Kaiser Penguin):
1oz Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
1oz Port
1oz blood orange juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
club soda, to top
blood orange peel and cinnamon stick, for garnish
Shake with cracked ice and pour into an appropriate vessel. Top with club soda and garnish.
Port is often served with gingerbread cookies, so I thought it the perfect accompaniment. Since both components are sweet, I wanted to add a bit of tartness, so that’s where the now in-season blood orange came in, and a bit more spice in the form of bitters.
Gingerbread is said to have been originated in the county of Shropshire, in England. Hence the name.
Autumn Frappe by Chris Stanley
Autumn Frappe by Chris Stanley (Rookie Libations):
1 oz. Brandy (Raynal VSOP)
1/2 oz. Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
1 1/2 oz. Apple cider
1 1/2 oz. Apricot nectar
1/2 oz. Heavy Cream
1 dash: Fee’s Whiskey Barrel-aged bitters (or substitute Angostura)
Combine ingredients with plenty of ice & shake well. Strain into an Old-Fashioned glass half-filled with ice cubes & grate a little fresh Nutmeg on top to garnish.
The Clever Fox by Charles Munat (Le Mixeur):
1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco (I used Herradura)
1 oz. Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
1 oz. heavy whipping cream
1/2 oz. Ramazzotti amaro
1 medium egg (optional)
Freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon
Mix the tequila, gingerbread liqueur, whipping cream, amaro, the whole egg, and two pinches of freshly ground nutmeg in a mixing glass. Use a hand blender to whip into a froth. Add ice to the mixing glass and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with a sprinkling of freshly ground cinnamon. Enjoy.
Getränkuchen by Blair Reynolds
Getränkuchen by Blair Reynolds (TraderTiki):
1 oz Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
1 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Half & Half
1 oz Allspice Syrup
1 tsp Molasses
2 dashes Fee Bitters
Shake without Ice for thirty seconds. Add Ice to the shaker and shake until well-frosted. Strain into a Coupe, garnished with Spice Drops.
Allspice Syrup
8 oz Water
16 oz Sugar
2 Tablespoons Allspice Berries
1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
Set water and Allspice in a pot over high heat until boiling. Add sugar and reduce heat to medium, stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool for 30 minutes covered, and strain into jar or bottle. Makes about 2 cups.
Autumn Gingerbread Flip by Meaghan Dorman
Autumn Gingerbread Flip by Meaghan Dorman (Spirit Me Away):
1.5 oz farmer’s market apple cider
1.5 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
.5 oz Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
.5 oz egg white
Rinse a cocktail glass with Cherry Heering liqueur. Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass and dry shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. Add ice and shake again. Strain into rinsed cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange zest.
Enjoy!
Can’t Catch Me by Sam Meyer (Cocktailians):
1 oz. rye whiskey (I used the baby Sazerac);
3/4 oz. Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 oz. Vya sweet vermouth (use a spicier one like Punt E Mes or Carpano Antica Formula if you can’t find Vya)
1/4 oz. maple syrup
1 healthy dash aromatic bitters (I used Fee’s Whisky Barrel Aged, but Angostura bitters would work just fine)
1 healthy dash orange bitters (I used Angostura Orange Bitters.)
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with candied ginger.
The Time Change Cocktail by Marleigh Riggins (Sloshed!):
1 oz Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
3/4 oz ginger syrup
2 tsps Stroh 80% rum
dash Angostura bitters
2 1/2 oz sparkling wine (cava)
Shake liqueur, syrup, rum and bitters over ice. Strain into a cocktail glass or champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.
Special thanks to Hiram Walker for the opportunity to sample the Gingerbread Liqueur and Cocktail Culture for keeping the spirit alive. Thanks to Samantha, Social Media Marketing Manager at Nova Marketing for inviting me to participate along with this fantastic bunch of creative bloggers.
