Giffard West Cup Final Result

Damien Monestier in white

After a competition that started back in January and featured national heats in countries from Singapore to Vancouver, the winner of the Giffard West Cup 2013 is Frenchman, Damien Monestier, from Univers Speakeasy in Nantes.  His combined marks for the Creative and Improvisation Challenges totalled a very impressive 214 points and made him overall champion.

Sergio Padilla Molina

In second was Spaniard , Sergio Padilla Molina, of the Boca Chica bar, Barcelona, with a combined score of 206  points. Katerina Kluchovà of the Hemingway Bar in Prague took the third spot with a very creditable 200 points.

There were two other prizes up for grabs.  Tanguy Charbonnet collected the first for winning the morning’s Creative Challenge with his cocktail, Dream On. Then Sergio Padilla Molina won the afternoon’s Improvisation Challenge with a strong score of 115 that was good enough to secure him second place in the overall standings.

Katerina Kluchovà

Presenting the awards, Bruno Giffard said that, “This year’s Giffard West Cup had been the largest and most successful event ever.  The competition had never been closer or the standards higher.  Congratulations to every one of the competitors and in particular to the new champion, Damien Monestier.

In all, 22 finalists competed hard right through the Creative and Improvisation Challenges producing some wonderful cocktails and everyone deserved their place in the final.  The Concours de Création challenged the contestants to produce their own original short drink cocktails against a tight set of rules that demanded just one spirit base and the inclusion of at least 10ml of one Giffard Premium Liqueur.  The rules were known in advance and everyone had time to plan and prepare.

The ‘Black Box’

The second round, the Concours d’Improvisation, demanded some quick thinking from each of the finalists.  Each had to create a short drink using only the contents of a ‘black box’, a minimum of 5 ml Menthe Pastille and 10 ml of one Bigallet Liqueur – A choice between China China, Genepi Grand tetras or Thyme liqueur. Everyone had 30 minutes to conceive an original cocktail.  They then had eight minutes to present themselves to the judges, name and describe the cocktail and then produce 3 glasses for the judges to taste.  As in the morning’s Creative Challenge, only 5 liquid ingredients could be used and 5 more from the ‘black box’.  No hot mixtures were allowed.  The cocktails were judged technically and on taste.  The former included presentation, dexterity, technical skills and cleanliness while the tasting judges considered appearance, aroma and all important flavour.

Each of the contestants was presented with a ‘Black Box’ of ingredients and challenged to make a wonderful cocktail almost on the fly.  All of them rose to the challenge and produced some spectacular results.

Congratulations to Damien Monestier and all our winners. The competition has been a lot of fun and we would like to thank everyone who entered as well as those who went on to join us at the final.  There has been some wonderful creativity, a lot of laughs and one fantastic cocktail after another.

Here are all the winning cocktails that carried their creators into the final:

Winner of the Giffard West Cup – Damien Monestier of Univers Speakeasy, Nantes

Creation challenge

LA PASSION MALGACHE

Short drink—method: shaker

2 cl Vanille de Madagascar

Giffard Premium Liqueur

2.5 cl Clément VSOP rum

1 cl fresh lime juice

0.5 cl Giffard Coconut Syrup

3 cl Caraïbos exotic fruit juice

1/2 passion fruit

Garnish: passion, pineapple, strawberry, vanilla, mint

Improvisation challenge

RASPBERRY CHINA

Raspberry China
0.5 cl Menthe Pastille

0.5 cl lime juice

2 cl Bigallet China China

1 cl Giffard raspberry syrup

3 cl Caraibos strawberry syrup

Garnish : ginger and raspberry

 

2^nd Place – Sergio Padilla Molina of Boca Chica, Barcelona, Spain

Creation Challenge

UN CHIEN ANDALOU

Short drink—method: shaker & double strain

2.5 cl Ginger of the Indies Giffard Premium Liqueur

2.5 cl Brandy Mascaro Narciso

2 cl Vino Lustau Papirusa

2.5 cl fresh lemon juice

0.25 cl Menthe Pastille

Décoration: orange

Improvisation Challenge

EMILE MEMOIRES 

0.5 cl Menthe Pastille

0.5 cl Giffard Pink grapefruit liqueur

5 cl Clement Shrubb

2.5 cl Bigallet China China

2.5 cl cranberry juice

Garnish : lime twist,

 

3^rd Place 

Katerina Kluchovà of the Hemingway Bar, Prague, Czech Republic

Creation Challenge

ÉTE PARISIEN

Short drink—method: shaker

1.5 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard Premium Liqueur

4 cl Clément white rum

0.5 cl Giffard Macadamia nut Syrup

3 cl fresh lime juice

3 cl fresh mandarin juice

0.5 g dried egg

Garnish: orange peel, golden lemon grass, black olive

Improvisation Challenge

 MENTHE-PASTILLE DELIGHT

0.5 cl Menthe Pastille

4 cl City of London Gin

2 cl Bigallet Genepi Grand Tetras

1cl Giffard Elderflower syrup

5 cl appel juice

Garnish : cucumber, apple and red current

 

LITTLE MOMO by David Biron of Le Marlowe, Nantes

Short drink – method: shaker

0.5 cl Banane du Brésil Giffard Premium Liqueur

0.5 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard Premium Liqueur

2 cl Mûroise du Val de Loire Giffard Premium Liqueur

0.5 cl GIFFARD Chestnut Liqueur

3.5 cl red berry Schweppes

4 cucumber dices

Garnish: apple, grapefruit, cucumber, grated coconut

 

D’ANGERS SAUVAGE by Charlotte Boidron of Les 2’A, Angers

Short drink—method: shaker

3 cl Fleur de Sureau sauvage Giffard Premium liqueur

1.5 cl Canne Bleue Clément rum

0.5 cl Mangalore (Giffard spicy liqueur)

1 cl Giffard Raspberry Syrup

2 cl Caraïbos Maracuja juice

Garnish: basil, candy

 

POINT « GIF » by Michael Charaoui of Le Cambridge, Dieppe

Short drink—method: shaker

2 cl Vanille de Madagascar Giffard Premium Liqueur

3 cl Clément aged rum

1 cl Menthe Pastille

1 cl Giffard Cane Sugar Syrup

Fresh ginger

Garnish: cream, dark chocolate, mint leaves, ginger

 

DREAM ON by Tanguy Charbonnet of Hôtel du Golfe Barrière de Deauville, Deauville

Short drink—method: shaker

3 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard Premium Liqueur

3.5 cl Gin City of London

Some drops of Peychaud bitter

Some drops of Hellfire bitter

1 egg white

Garnish: orange, dried apricots, beurgrass

 

EMILE DELIGHT by Valentin Disson of Comptoir de la Bourse, Lyon

Short drink—method: shaker

1cl Fleur de Sureau Sauvage Giffard Premium Liqueur

2.5 cl Saké Shirayuki

2.5 cl Vermouth Blanc Dolin

2 cl Giffard Agave Syrup

0.1 g Matcha Tea

Garnish: gold leaf

 

LE JARDIN ZEN by Alexandre Gallean of Bar « Le vieux Tours », Tours

Short drink—method: shaker

3 cl Ginger of the Indies Giffard Premium Liqueur

3 cl Gin City of London

1 teaspoon of roquette–tarragon purée

2 teaspoons of sweet and sour sauce

Garnish: cigarette russe, sweet and sour sauce, roquette purée, ginger

 

THE GINGER GENTLEMAN by Scot Curry of Alta Bistro, Whistler, Canada

Short drink—method: shaker

1.5 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard Premium Liqueur

1.5 cl Ginger of the Indies Giffard Premium Liqueur

4.5 cl Clément VSOP aged rum

3 cl fresh lemon juice

1 egg white

Garnish: cracked black pepper

 

ANJOU FIZZ by Gerard McAlpine of The Keefer Bar, Vancouver, Canada

Short drink—method: shaker

3 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard Premium Liqueur

6 cl Clément VSOP aged rum

3 cl Almond Milk

1.5 cl Pinot noir Vinegar

1.2 cl Fresh lemon juice

1 egg white

Garnish: dried apricots

 

BLOOD AND STORM by Stefan Himmelbauer of Maniac Bar Artists, Wels, Austria

Short drink—method: shaker

1 cl Vanille de Madagascar Giffard Premium Liqueur

2 cl Clément dark rum

3 cl Ginger Beer

3 fresh raspberries

0.5 cl fresh lime juice

Garnish: orange zest

 

BRUNO (Bresil Rhum Unique Nouvelle OEuvre complète) by Maren Meyer of MeyFeld-Genussklubb, Hannover, Germany

Short drink—method: shaker

2 cl Banane du Brésil Giffard Premium Liqueur

3.5 cl VSOP Clément rum

2.5 cl Giffard Coffee Liqueur

1 egg yolk

2 cl fresh orange juice

Salt- Menthe Pastille

Garnish: lime zest, coffee

 

AVENUE ABRICOT by Kurrle Rike of Harry’s New York Bar, Frankfurt, Germany

Short drink—method: shaker

2 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard Premium Liqueur

1 cl Ginger of the Indies Giffard Premium Liqueur

4 cl Pisco Demonio de Los Andes

1 spray Menthe Pastille

3.5 cl Caraïbos apple juice

5 pieces of kumquat + kumquat juice

6 mint leaves

Garnish: mint, lemon zest, kumquat

 

POSITANO by Matteo Saba of Tek Bar, Arezzo, Italy

Short drink—method: shaker

3 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard

Premium Liqueur

5 cl Wild Turkey 40 ° Bourbon

0.5 cl Fresh lime juice

1 dash of Curaçao Triple Sec and rosemary infusion

Garnish: rosemary, candied apricots, ginger

 

SMOKED BANANA PANCAKES by Nazrun Arjuna of Pitmasters, Singapore

Short drink—method: shaker

4.5 cl siphoned apple cinnamon Bourbon

2.5 cl Banane du Brésil Giffard Premium Liqueur

1.5 cl fresh lemon juice

1.5 cl maple syrup

Garnish: chips marinated in honey, pepper and paprika

 

I’LL SPLIT YOUR BANANA by Paul Williams of Callooh Callay/Trailer Happiness, London, United Kingdom

Short drink—method: shaker

2 cl Vanille de Madagascar Giffard Premium Liqueur

2 cl Banane du Brésil Giffard Premium Liqueur

1.5 cl Rum

1 cl chocolate sauce

1 dash Giffard Cane sugar syrup

1 fresh egg

5 drops of vanilla bitters

Garnish: slice of fresh banana covered in caramelised sugar

 

GARDEN PARTY by Nicolas Everrard of the Grandhotel Steigenberger Brussels, Belgium

Short drink—method: shaker

1.5 cl Fleur de Sureau sauvage Giffard Premium Liqueur

1.5 cl Gin City of London

1 cl Giffard cucumber Syrup

3.5 cl Caraïbos apple juice

3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitter

Garnish: green apple, cucumber, raspberry and gold glitter

 

MUMBAI SOUR by Anu Apte of Rob Roy, Seattle, USA

Short drink—method: shaker

2 cl Fleur de Sureau sauvage Giffard Premium Li-queur

1 cl Ginger of the Indies Giffard Premium Liqueur

4.5 cl Gin City of London

2.5 cl Fresh lemon juice

1 egg white

4 saffron stands

Garnish: edible sandalwood, rose petal

 

LAST TEARS by Richard Ligner of L’Astre Aux Notes, Nantes

Short drink—method: stirred

2 cl Vanille de Madagascar Giffard Premium Liqueur

1 cl Fleur de Sureau sauvage Giffard Premium Liqueur

1 cl Ginger of the Indies Giffard Premium Liqueur

3 cl Vodka Tovaritch

2 dashes of Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitter

Garnish: orange zest , lemon zest, seasonal flowers, spices, glitter gold

 

WILD SEED FLOWER by Sorya Sao of The Monkey Club, Lyon

Short drink—method: shaker

1.5 cl Fleur de Sureau Sauvage Giffard Premium Liqueur

3 cl Giffard Amaretto Liqueur

2 cl Suze Saveurs d’Autrefois

2 cl fresh lemon juice

0.5 cl egg white

Decoration: lemon zest

 

SANTE CONFUCIUS by Anders Arnfred of the Duck and Cover, Copenhagen, Denmark

Short drink—method: stirred

8 cl Abricot du Roussillon Giffard Premium Liqueur

0.75 cl Bigallet China China

Garnish: rose petals