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Chris Amirault

Cox Local Video: Bols Genever Cocktail Competition at The Eddy

by David Dadekian January 27, 2014

Last November nine of Rhode Island’s top bartenders gathered at The Eddy in Providence, along with a crowd of many more bartenders, four judges and a lot of Bols Genever, to compete for a trip to Tampa to celebrate Repeal Day. Because of the Repeal Day prize the cocktails created were to all be Prohibition-era inspired.

The competing bartenders are all members of the Rhode Island chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild and it was certainly a friendly fight to see who created the best cocktail. Second place went to Vito Lantz of The Dorrance for his tobacco laced cocktail “The Nick.” The winner was The Eddy’s own Carlos Garcia with “A Bolswork Orange” also known as “Goddamn, Amsterdam” at The Eddy.

Here’s the recipe for Garcia’s winning cocktail:

7 dashes of Angostura bitters
1/4 ounce Demerara syrup
1/2 ounce Bols orange curaçao
2 oz Bols Genever
Absinthe rinse
orange twist

Cox Presents Eat Drink RI with David Dadekian is a video series produced by Cox Sports Online to showcase the vibrant and friendly food community in the Rhode Island area. Check out coxsportsonline.com for more local programming.

January 27, 2014 0 comments

chefs & restaurants news

Coming June 12 – Share Our Strength A Tasteful Pursuit Dinner at Bacaro

by David Dadekian May 31, 2011

written by David Dadekian

Share Our Strength's A Tasteful Pursuit Share Our Strength returns to Providence on June 12th with A Tasteful Pursuit dinner to benefit the No Kid Hungry Campaign to end childhood hunger in America by 2015. The dinner will be hosted at Bacaro by Chef Brian Kingsford and Co-owner and Beverage Director Jennifer Matta, along with event chairs Ken Romanzi, the Chief Operating Officer of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., and his wife Milly. Preparing the multi-course dinner alongside Chef Kingsford will be Chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in New York City, Chef Jason Santos of the soon-to-open Blue Inc. in Boston, Chef Jonathan Cambra of Castle Hill Inn in Newport and Chef Andrew Shotts of Garrison Confections. Also joining the chefs will be Mixologist Chris Amirault of Cook and Brown Public House preparing specialty cocktails for the evening’s cocktail reception.

Eat Drink RI spoke with Chef Santos, a long time Share Our Strength supporter, who said, “I have been involved in Share Our Strength since I was 19 and it only gets better and better. [I’m] looking forward to this as much as I am looking forward to ending childhood hunger. What’s better than cooking amazing food, with amazing chefs in an amazing setting, for an amazing cause!” Chef Kingsford commented, “Having a career in the food industry, it’s really hard for us to imagine children in America that don’t have access to the food they need to grow and thrive. We believe that the only hunger a child should have is the hunger for knowledge. Please join Jennifer and I to help support efforts to end childhood hunger in America.”

Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on culinary and travel items during the evening’s silent and live auctions. The cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. with dinner seating at 7 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person. You can make reservations by calling 877-268-2783 or at www.atastefulpursuit.org. You can view photos from last year’s A Tasteful Pursuit dinner at Al Forno here.

May 31, 2011 0 comments

news wine & drinks

Willa VanNostrand Wins Rhode Island Cocktail Contest

by David Dadekian April 3, 2011

written by David Dadekian

Providence Cocktail Week The finals for the Rhode Island Cocktail Contest were held at Local 121 tonight and the winner is Willa VanNostrand, bartender at the E & O Tap in Providence. VanNostrand’s winning cocktail, “The Benefit Dram,” is a perfect balance of liquor and fresh ingredients and will be served at RISD Museum of Art during their Cocktail Culture: Ritual and Invention in American Fashion 1920–1980 exhibitions, at the Museum’s Cocktail Culture Members Opening Party on April 14 and at an event at Cook & Brown Public House on Friday, April 15. In addition, VanNostrand receives a $1,000 prize.

A mix of rum, fresh lime juice, native RI honey, Carpano Antica and Peychaud Bitters, “The Benefit Dram” competed against nine other cocktails during a semi-final round last Monday at Waterman Grille which was judged by myself, David Mangiantine of La Laiterie and Susan Yund of Grad Center Bar at Brown, along with a popular ballot. Five of the ten cocktails made the finals at Local 121 and were judged by cocktail consultant Chris Amirault, Edible Rhody Publisher John Schenck, Nick’s on Broadway Chef/Owner Derek Wagner and a popular ballot. The contest was run by Bottles manager Eric Taylor.

After VanNostrand was announced as the winner of the Cocktail Contest she took to the microphone. “Thank you family, family, family, that’s all I have to say!” She acknowledged people in the crowd who taught her how to tend bar. “To local bees and local farmers . . . and booze. Thank you everybody for coming. This is really wonderful and fun.”

Kristen O’Connell of the Lighthouse Bar at Twin River Casino was the runner-up with her cocktail “The Blue Violet.” Cocktail Culture: Ritual and Invention in American Fashion 1920–1980 opens at the RISD Museum of Art on Friday, April 15. You can buy tickets online now for the Cook & Brown Public House event.

April 3, 2011 0 comments