A little friendly competition for a good cause! Batson River Brewing & Distilling will be hosting their 2nd Annual ChopTails Cocktail Competition this upcoming March 27th from 6PM – 8PM at their Portland location. A portion of the event proceeds to benefit Maine Needs.
Mixing the creativity, intensity, and competitiveness of the hit cooking competition show Chopped and replacing it with booze instead of food, ChopTails will have five of Portland’s best bartenders square off in the ultimate test of mix mastery.
This is a ticketed event with a portion of the event proceeds benefiting Maine Needs in their mission to help local Mainers meet their basic needs. An $80 ticket will get you a welcome cocktail (winning cocktail from last year), an up-close and personal view of their all-star cast of cocktail pros in action, a buffet with a variety of Batson snacks and shares, and a sample of all five Round 2 cocktails! Opt for a VIP table for 8 and enjoy seating + beverage service.
How the Competition Will Work:
This year the competition will be broken down into the following rounds:
Round 1 – Classic Cocktails
The five contestants will have ten minutes to create a classic cocktail of their choosing using Batson River Spirits as a base and present it to the judges. Judges will then vote and the contestant with the winning recipe will receive a special advantage for Round 2.
Round 2 – The Pantry
Creativity is the name of the game for this one! With no rules, contestants will be challenged to create a custom, creative cocktail using ingredients they select from The Pantry – which contains ingredients such as spirits, fresh fruits/veg, bitters, syrups, shrubs, and more to help make unexpected and delicious cocktails. The goal is to make a perfectly balanced, innovative cocktail in just 20 minutes.
The Winning ChopTail
Broken down into Judge’s Choice (winner) and Crowd’s Choice (runner up), the cocktails in each round will be ranked in 5 categories; timing, presentation, taste, creativity/naming, and ingredient utilization. The contestant that earns the highest score will earn the 2023 Batson River ChopTails Champion trophy, bragging rights, along with a spot on Batson’s April cocktail menu where $1.00 of every ChopTail sold in April will go to the winning bartender’s charity of choice.
This year’s judges are as follows:
Jon Quade, Head Distiller of Batson River
Angie Bryan, Bar Guide reporter of the Portland Press Herald
Jordan Milne, Owner of Hardshore Distilling
Meet the Contestants:
LyAnna Sanabria – Papi, 18 Exchange Street, Portland
Jake Bosma – Cocktail Mary, 229 Congress Street, Portland
Sylvi Roy – Twelve, 115 Thames Street, Portland
Bailey White – The Danforth, 211 Danforth Street, Portland
Rob Roy – Primo, 2 Main Street, Rockland
Remember to come hungry and ready to cheer on your favorite bartender for this one-of-its-kind event!
