ChopTails 2023: A Cocktail Competition Like No Other!
Monday, March 27th | Portland, ME | 6pm – 8pm | Benefitting Maine Needs
What do you get when you take all the creativity, intensity, and competitiveness of your favorite cooking competition shows and give the contestants booze instead of food? ChopTails!
Join us for our second annual ChopTails Cocktail Competition on Monday, March 27th! Once again we are welcoming five allstar bartenders from the Southern Maine region, inviting them to square off in the ultimate test of mix mastery.
Your admission gets you a welcome cocktail, an up-close and personal view of our all-star cast of cocktail pros in action, passed apps, a buffet of snacks, and a sample of the Round 2 cocktail! Sip easily knowing this event is benefiting Maine Needs in their mission of helping local Mainers.
Come hungry and ready to cheer on your favorite bartender!
The Competition:
Round 1 – Classic Cocktails
Our 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
Contestants will be challenged to create a custom, creative cocktail using ingredients they select from The Pantry. There are no rules for these cocktails and creativity is the name of the game. The Pantry will contain unique ingredients such as spirits, fresh fruits/veg, bitters, syrups, shrubs, and more to help make unexpected and delicious cocktails. Do our contestants have it what it takes to come up with a perfectly balanced, innovative cocktail in just 20 minutes?
The Winner
Judge’s Choice: 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 our April cocktail menu!
Crowd’s Choice: Vote for your favorite cocktails and have a part in crowning the runner up!
But wait, there’s more – $1.00 of every ChopTail sold in April will go to the winning bartender’s charity of choice!
The Host:
Porltand’s favorite Drag Queen…Chartreuse!
The Judges:
Jon Quade, Head Distiller of Batson River
Jacqueline Cain, Boston-based food + drink journalist and editor of The Food Lens
Jordan Milne, Hardshore Distilling
The Contestants:
2022 ChopTails Winner Rob Roy returns to defend his title!
Rob Roy – of Primo
Jake Bosma – of Cocktail Mary
LyAnna Sanabria – of Papi
Sylvi Roy, of Twelve
Bailey White – of The Danforth
NEW THIS YEAR: VIP TABLES! Secure seats in a private alcove facing the bar, with seating for up to 8 people and exclusive table service. (A portion of proceeds goes to benefit Maine Needs)