The intense program requires an absolute understanding of the gin category,. But beyond that, competitors must be excellent hosts, technically skilled bartenders, creative mixologists and engaging personalities.

Any bartender, anywhere, can enter the Gin Connoisseur Program. It doesn’t matter which gin your bar pours or whether G’Vine Gin is available in your country. Every gin-loving bartender has an equal chance of making it to the World Finals in Cognac, France in June 2012.

Besides that trip to Cognac, additional prizes include:

- An intercontinental bar tour to a couple of the spirits industry’s biggest events: Tales of the Cocktail and Bar Convent Berlin
- A year’s supply of G’Vine Gin for your bar
- Platinum vine flower pin
- $3,000 and recognition as the finest gin bartender on the planet

More details –

All entrants must complete an online exam at www.legcp.fr on or before May 1, 2012.

Bartenders who can attend a preliminary contest hosted in the UK, Scotland, France, Spain, Canada & the USA throughout the spring can qualify for the World Finals in Cognac in June. The preliminaries will begin with a seminar – How the Gin Business Works (e.g. sales figures, calculating margins, etc.) – and the challenges include creative mixology and blind nosing and tasting.

Bartenders who can’t attend a preliminary contest can enter as wild cards by completing the same online exams but making an Xtranormal cartoon video using the theme “French Classics.” (An example.)

World Finalists will be announced May 15, 2012.

Best of luck to all competitors, and for more info or to sign up, visit http://www.legcp.fr/.

Nosing and tasting spirits isn’t easy. It’s fun, but it isn’t easy. And according to NEAT creators George Manska and Christine Crnek, typical tasting glasses make it even more difficult. Most tasting glasses are tulip-shaped and direct all of a spirit’s aromas directly upward to the nose. This results in strong alcoholic top notes, which can hinder one’s assessment of the spirit.

Enter NEAT (Naturally Engineered Aroma Technology), a newly-designed glass based on scientific principles of evaporation and aroma technology. In describing the glass, engineer George Manska explains –

The widely flared lip and its proximity to the surface of the liquid allows ethanol to escape before nosing and positions the nose directly over the concentrated vapors. Size and proportional relationships are everything in the design.

Does it work? UNLV thinks so. Studies prove that the glass dissipates the ethanol, and only the flavorful esters and aromas remain. This allows the drinker to smell the spirit underneath its alcohol, which means more detectable and definitive characteristics and a more accurate assessment of the spirit.

Sounds good to us. If you’re interested in trying them for yourself, a NEAT two-glass package costs $40.

The new whiskey gets its name from its double aging process. Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is first aged in toasted, charred barrels created at Woodford’s cooperage. This initial maturation provides much of the color and flavor, but the second step is what makes the spirit unique. It’s moved to another custom barrel – one that’s been toasted twice as long as the initial barrel, and then very lightly charred. The heavy toast qualities impart lots of soft, sweet oak characteristics to the whiskey.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is sweet and spicy on the nose, with lots of vanilla, honey, chocolate and cinnamon. The entry brings more vanilla, plus caramel, baked apples and baking spices. Mid-palate it becomes quite creamy and hints at marzipan before finishing with lingering notes of oak and honey. Though the oak is very present throughout, the whiskey remains well-balanced and smooth from start to finish, never killing the drinker’s palate with too much oak.

Look for Woodford Reserve Double Oaked on store shelves beginning in March. It clocks in at 90.4 proof (45.2% alcohol by volume), and is expected to retail for $50 per bottle.

Like that? Drink this:
- Woodford Reserve Maple Wood Finish Bourbon
- Maker’s 46 Bourbon Review
- Jefferson’s Bourbon Review

A recent University of California study examined the endorphin release that results from drinking alcohol and the particular regions of the brain affected by this release. Scientists hope to better understand how alcohol affects the brain, and to one day use this knowledge to combat addiction.

The study pitted heavy drinkers against non drinkers and found that both parties experience increased endorphins when drinking, which leads to feelings of pleasure. But the brains of heavy or problem drinkers are actually changed in a way that makes them more likely to find alcohol pleasant. Thus, problem drinking can ensue.

Some fun facts from the study –

- Drinking alcohol makes people feel better because it produces the same chemicals in the brain as exercising and laughing.

- Alcohol is addictive because it releases endorphins, which are the body’s way of making us feel pleasure and reward.

- The stress and pain-relieving proteins that are naturally released in the brain when consuming alcohol produce similar effects to opiates like morphine.

Click to read the full article.

Many of us have witnessed this bartender at work – the one who scoffs at your light beer request or bristles at your inability to shoot Fernet. Or the patron with encyclopedic knowledge who tests your knowledge of 1860s French aperitifs and refuses to drink any cocktail not sitting on Kold-Draft ice. Hell, some of us might even be that guy, mustache included.

Regardless, this spoof is a good time. Click below to view, then share it with your cocktail-swilling pals and bartender “call me a mixologist” friends.

“I brought my own ice!”

Hot Buttered Rum is one of our favorite seasonal drinks and is a nice change-of-pace from egg nog and spiked cider. Rum is the perfect base for this buttery libation, which is spiced up with allspice dram and apple cider. There are several quality recipes for Hot Buttered Rum, but this year we’re making the below recipe, courtesy of Kenneth McCoy and NYC’s Rum House.

Hot Buttered Brugal

2 oz Brugal Añejo Rum
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon butter
4 oz hot apple cider
½ oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Add all ingredients to mixing glass. Stir vigorously, then pour into heated coffee mug. Grate fresh cinnamon on top, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Like that? Drink this:
- Rum Punch Recipes
- Ron Abuelo 7 Anos Rum Review
- Old Monk Rum Review

The winner will receive a trip for two to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen in June 2012, plus $2,000 and the opportunity for their recipe to be presented in front of thousands of attendees at the Grand Tasting Tent. The winning recipe will also be featured on PAMA’s website.

The contest asks interested parties to submit a recipe and photo of their original drink, which will be judged on the following criteria:

- Originality/creativity
- Unique use of PAMA
- Ingredient combination
- Appropriateness of the cocktail name

The top 25 entries, as determined by the PAMA judging panel, will be posted to PAMA’s website and Facebook page for visitors to vote on their favorites. The 10 entries receiving the most votes will then be judged by a panel of cocktail professionals, including Kate Krader (Food & Wine), Darryl Robinson (The Cooking Channel’s “Drink Up!”) and Eben Freeman (master mixologist and PAMA spokesperson).

If you haven’t tasted PAMA, it’s a low proof (17% ABV) pomegranate liqueur that’s made from pomegranate juice, vodka and a touch of tequila. It’s both sweet and tart and blends easily with white spirits and sparkling wine. PAMA is a less natural fit with darker spirits, but it’s still a pretty friendly mixer.

For more info, check out www.PAMALiqueur.com/HomeBarStar.

The Macallan makes two 18-year-old Scotch whiskies – the Sherry Oak, which is aged exclusively in Sherry oak casks, and the Fine Oak, which is aged in three different types of wood.

The Macallan 18-year-old Sherry Oak is mahogany in color and has pleasant aromas of sherried fruits, vanilla, cinnamon and citrus. Drink up to find dried fruits with orange peel, faint wood smoke and a hint of ginger, plus sweet toffee, chocolate and more wood on the finish. From beginning to end, it’s light on the palate and goes down the hatch without the slightest trouble.

I’ve never been a Macallan drinker. Fans of the spirit tout its smoothness, but it’s that same easy-going nature that always leaves me wanting more. Perhaps it’s my unabashed love of smoky Islay whiskies that taints my view of this gulpable Speyside dram.

That said, it’s difficult to knock The Macallan 18. The sherry oak contributes tons of lush fruit and delicate spice to the whisky, and one smooth sip tells you that it’s a meticulously-produced spirit. So while it goes against my personal preference baseline, it’s very easy to appreciate The Macallan for what it is: an exceedingly approachable whisky that even the Scotch-phobic seem to enjoy. That alone is an impressive feat, and certainly one to be respected.

Stats:
- 43% Alcohol by Volume
- $130+

Like that? Drink this:
- Highland Park 18-Year Scotch Review
- The Dalmore 18 Year Old Scotch Review
- Springbank 10 Year Old Scotch Review

The Brandy Crusta wasn’t the first drink to utilize citrus and liqueur, but it’s one of the few 1800s-era cocktails to do so and really stand the test of time. For that, Brandy Crusta, we salute you.

As Brandy and Cognac cocktails have made a resurgence in bars across the country, classics like the Brandy Crusta are becoming easier to find. And with its stable of simple ingredients, it’s a quick fix to at-home sobriety.

Brandy Crusta

2 oz Cognac
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup
.25 oz triple sec
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake all ingredients and strain into a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

For the best results, use a good, highly-mixable Cognac like Deau or Pierre Ferrand.

Like that? Drink this:
- Pierre Ferrand Introduces 1840 Original Formula Cognac
- Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal Cognac
- Apple Brandy Old Fashioned

Photo: Esquire Drinks

Espolon Reposado Tequila is crafted at the San Nicolas Distillery in the Highlands region of Jalisco, Mexico. After distillation, it’s aged six months in American oak barrels. The result is a golden-hued spirit that’s full of roasted agave, spice and caramel on the nose. Drink up to taste flavors ranging from brown sugar and vanilla to tropical fruits. It’s less agave-forward than the blanco, and those six months in barrel give the Reposado some dry oak notes on the finish.

Espolon Tequilas aren’t incredibly complex, but at their $20-$25 price point, they’re quite the bargain. The Reposado is easy-going as a sipper and solid in Margaritas and other cocktails.

Espolon Blanco and Reposado were reintroduced to the United States in 2010 after a three year market hiatus. Originally, the lineup also included an Anejo, but for now the brand is only producing the Blanco and Reposado.

Stats:
- 40% Alcohol by Volume
- $25

Like that? Drink this:
- Sauza Blue Tequila
- Cinco de Mayo Cocktails
- Olmeca Altos Reposado Tequila Review