It was like a riff on a Bamboo, a classic sherry and vermouth cocktail.Cocktail revolution, meet can revolution! Canned cocktails are booming right now, and it seems like new ones are popping up constantly. Alba wanted something low ABV and stirred with sherry and vermouth, so I used Cocchi Americano, Lustau fino sherry, apricot liqueur and bitters. “Chris Shepherd just wanted an American bourbon-forward drink, so I made a bourbon, Cynar and dry vermouth cocktail - kind of an Old Pal situation. Those drinks are like wild cards that allow competitors to show their creative sides as well as what’s in their overall arsenal of cocktail and spirits knowledge. To impress the judges, competitors had to make randomly selected classic cocktails (there’s a list of 60 that they have to memorize) as quickly as possible while still being accurate with measurements and garnishes.įor the last round that secured her win, Troxell had to make two classic cocktails - a Last Word and a Vieux Carre - as well as two “called” dealer’s choice cocktails by judges Shepherd and Huerta. The judges were Tales of the Cocktail executive director Caroline Nabors Rosen, executive chef-owner Chris Shepherd of UB Preserve, One Fifth and Georgia James 2012 South Central regional winner Alba Huerta of Julep (who went on to place second in nationals that year) and Kam Franklin of nationally recognized Houston band The Suffers. The support this city has shown me is insane and I wouldn’t be doing this without them,” she said. That feeling was almost better than winning Speed Rack. The second they said my name, the room erupted. “The moment that sticks out in my head is that before the first round, introduces you and say where you work. They weren’t the only ones as many of Troxell’s vocal fans showed up, too. In a show of support this year, Troxell’s employer Nobie’s shut down for the evening so that everyone there could attend the competition. She hosted nine practice sessions to prepare for this year’s Speed Rack competition and often donated her tips to The Rose, a local organization providing breast health options for women in Houston. Needless to say, every year for the past three years, Troxell put in weeks of practice, often inviting friends and Nobie’s customers to join her for practice rounds where they could get four cocktails for $25. “She also volunteered on stage and it was nice to see her every round. “She was at almost all my practices and helped prep garnishes the morning of the competition,” said Troxell. Making the top eight really is the hardest part.” Troxell’s normal methodology in bartending is to measure accurately - which she did during the judged rounds - and probably benefitted from a rule change that added penalties for diluted drinks, temperature and whether the glass is properly full.īlechman encouraged Troxell through 2019, too. “So, I really focused on free-pouring for that round. The preliminary round happens before the live event and that’s where I lost last year,” she explained. “Last year, I didn’t free-pour the preliminary rounds and most people do. Sadly, that year Troxell didn’t even place in the top eight. Blechman helped mentor Troxell when she went for the prize again in 2018. The winner, Elyse Blechman, who at the time worked at Tongue-Cut Sparrow, went on to place second in the nationals that year. In 2017, she placed third in the regional competition. Troxell’s win has much to do with perseverance, as this is the third year she competed. This year was Houston’s turn in the rotation. The South Central competition is held in a different major city each year past host cities include New Orleans, Austin and San Antonio. The competition is closing in on Mix and Marrero’s original goal of raising a total of 1 million dollars for breast cancer charities. The competition started in 2012 and was founded by New York bartenders Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero to raise money for breast cancer charities as well as shine the spotlight on other talented female bartenders.
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