Each year, the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup attracts teams of the world’s best bartenders to Queenstown, New Zealand for a week of intense competition. Our regional qualifying round for the 42Below Cocktail World Cup took place Sunday January 23rd, 2011 at Lustre Pearl in Austin, Texas.
What’s on the line:
- The top two winners of this competition will be flown to New York City to compete in the semi-finals.
- The winners of the semi-finals will then be sent to New Zealand where he/ she will represent the United States in the finals.
Click here for an in depth break down of the World Cup. Why are we posting about the 42Below World Cup? Because....
We just recieved word that our guest, David Alan, The Tipsey Texan, placed Gold in our division of the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup in Austin, Texas, and is on his way to New York City!!! BUT before he leaves, David is making an appearance at The Turtle Enoteca, in Brownwood, Texas as our Guest Bartender. If you ever wanted to see a master mixiologist at work or taste some of the more estoeric and historic cocktails of our time, this is not a not to be missed opportunity. So be here - February 17, 2011 5:00pm - everyone leaves or closing time. The Turtle Enoteca, 510 Center Avenue, Brownwood, Texas 325-646-8200. Show David some Central Texan love.
Championship Punch
Alan created this burnt orange punch for New Year’s Eve and a certain national championship football game that took place on Jan. 7, 2009. “What’s cool about punch is that you’ve got something already prepared to give guests, which frees you up to be with them instead of mixing drinks,” he says. Not only can you make punch ahead of time, punch can also be cheaper than buying bottles of wine or enough spirits to make a variety of drinks.
Punch, which predates the cocktail, was originally made with rum or brandy mixed with citrus juice, tea or spices and was a communal drink at taverns. (That was a question on my final at Tipsey Tech) Alan says. “Instead of ordering a drink at a bar, you walked in and had whatever they were drinking and dipped a ladle out of the communal punch bowl.”
Uuse an old Jell-O mold or silicon Bundt pan to freeze a block of ice. A big piece of ice is better than smaller pieces because it will melt more slowly.
3 or 4 tangerines, Meyer lemons, oranges or lemons
1/2 cup demerara sugar (or white sugar)
6 oz. strong green tea, warm
24 oz. (about one 750 ml. bottle) Flor de Cañ a 4-year Aged Rum (or other aged rum, such as Mount Gay or the Texas-made Railean )
6 oz. fresh squeezed tangerine juice
6 oz. fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
6-8 dashes Angostura bitters
1 oz. St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram (available at The Depot in Brownwood and fine liquor stores)
Over a punch bowl or glass pitcher, remove the zests of several tangerines, Meyer lemons, oranges or lemons. Be careful to remove only the outer zest and not the white pith, which is bitter. Leave the zests in the bowl and add sugar and warm green tea. Stir to dissolve sugar and allow to steep a few minutes.
Add rum, fruit juices, bitters and allspice dram. Strain mixture into a punch bowl. Add a large block of ice, which you can make by freezing water in a Jell-O mold, Bundt pan or half of a paper milk carton. Makes about a dozen 4-oz. servings.
—David Alan, TipsyTexan.com