Sponsor: Black Star Farms

Summary: A unique agricultural destination that features two winery production facilities with adjacent tasting rooms, a distillery, an Inn, and an equestrian facility. Our winery and distillery produce some of the most sought after and awarded Michigan wines and spirits. Our luxurious Inn is the perfect place to host private special events including weddings, corporate retreats, and family celebrations. Enjoy culinary offerings including dinners at the Inn or wood-fired pizzas at the Hearth & Vine cafe both located on our Suttons Bay site.

Spirits: The group makes a number of fruit spirits including; Pear, Apple, Cherry, Pear, Apricot, Plum & Grappa. They donated a number of free passes for their tasting room.

Sponsor: Civilized Spirits (Northern United Brewery Co.)

Summary: Civilized Spirits — a family of liquors created for the woodland gentleman of yore; the sort of man who cut wood for a living and wrestled grizzlies for fun, but still found time to wax his mustache and comb some pomade through his hair. Although the grizzlies may be gone, the dedication and appreciation of artisanal spirits lives on in every Civilized Spirit we hand-bottle.

Spirits: The brewery makes a number of fine beers along with Vodka, Whiskey, Rum & Gin. They’ve donated a bunch of goodies for the prize package.

Sponsorship: Journeyman Distillery

Summary: Journeyman is excited to offer handcrafted artisan spirits with a focus on whiskey. Our products are unique because we’re dedicated to producing something that takes time and pure ingredients. While whiskey is what we originally fell in love with, all of our products have a special place in our heart. Variety and quality are what motivate us. We’re excited about this adventure of the spirit; we hope you are, too. We hope you’ll give all of our products a try.

Spirits: Journeyman also offers a full range of spirits; Vodka, Gin, Whiskey, Rye and Rum with a bunch of new whiskey’s soon to debut. They have provided some swag and other surprises for the prize package.

Sponsor: Valentine Distilling Co

Summary: Inspired by this rebellious swagger, Valentine Vodka Founder and Master Distiller Rifino Valentine decided to take a stand against mass-produced vodkas by using old world techniques and equipment to create a hand-distilled vodka with a proprietary multi-grain blend. This defiant approach has won awards at international competitions for its special taste and smooth drinkability.

Spirits: Valentine offers both vodkas and gin including special vodka flavors such as White Blossom. They have provided some swag and goodies for the prize package.

The post Mixology Madness: A Word from Our Sponsors appeared first on Nick Drinks.

The Finals! 3 weeks of Mixology Madness and we are up to a showdown between the burbs and the D. Chris v. Travis in a throwdown showdown. This week will determine the winner of the first ever Mixology Madness. Please review all the cocktails they have presented and make your vote based on creativity, presentation and taste (if you can).

The voting isn’t a perfect system. I’m sure there are ways to throw the vote. We would encourage everyone to play fair. You are allowed one vote per person per challenge per week. Voting will close Monday at midnight. While voters don’t win anything, the grand champion will win a gift basket of booze and swag provided by the following Michigan Spirit Companies: Black Star Farms, Civilized Spirits, Journeyman Distillery, & Valentine Vodka. Please check out their products. More to come on a future post.

Round 12: Chris Vanderginst v. Travis Fourmont

Rites of Spring – Chris Vanderginst – Café Muse

• 1 oz chamomile infused Journeyman Bilberry blackhearts gin
• .75 oz green chartreuse
• .75 oz St. Germain
• .75 0z Lime juice
• Barspoon of Mallory’s Busy Beehive Michigan Honey (Silverwood, MI)
• 6 mint leaves.
• Top w/ ginger beer

Add the mint and green chartreuse into a tin and muddle. Then add the other spirits, honey, and ice and shake. Pour into a Collins glass. Top with 2 oz of ginger beer. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

The post Mixology Madness: Week 4 – Finals! appeared first on Nick Drinks.

It’s a slow start to the final four but we are seeing some early winners. It’s a round in the ‘Burbs and a round in the D. Chris from Cafe Muse is ahead of Kaytee from The Oakland. While, Travis from Roast has also taken a strong lead against Francesco from Atlas.

Get your votes in before the polls close Monday at midnight. Next week is the finals. Burbs v. The D.

The post Mixology Madness: Week 3 Update appeared first on Nick Drinks.

Today is the final day to vote for Week 1 of the Mixology Madness. Winners are starting to be determined but it is not too late for an upset.  Round one has keep a consistent spread with 20 more votes since day one and the same voting ratio.  30 new votes on Round two have given Kaytee a good lead. It a very high volume race, David has picked up a 3% points but still has a way to go against Giancarlo. Travis with the biggest lead of the tournament. He picked up 7%. Finally, in Round 5, Les and Lester duke it out but Les has kept a strong lead over the week.  Click here to Vote.

The post Mixology Madness: Week 1 – Last Day of Voting appeared first on Nick Drinks.

Day 1 of the Mixology Madness event and there is some stiff competition.    Detailed numbers below for the day overall Detroit & Ann Arbor representatives have a solid lead with Royal Oak & Novi taking a beating. Ferndale is in a dual that ended at 50/50 last night. There is still 5 days left to vote so get the word out. Click here to Vote.

The post Mixology Madness – Day 1 Summary appeared first on Nick Drinks.

After months of preparation, I have assembled some of the best bartenders in Michigan to challenge each other in a cocktail championship. These 13 competitors will test each other to see who has the best bartending chops. The goal was to present a cocktail featuring at least on Michigan spirit. Each competitor submitted a picture, description and title for their drink.

As visitors of NickDrinks.com, it is your job to pick who is the best. Use your keen talents of deduction to select your winner from each challenge. You are encouraged to seek out these bars and try their drinks. We know that might not be possible. You could also try them out at home based on the recipe. If that fails, the last option is to use your mind to taste them. Don’t forget to take presentation into consideration, when you vote as well.

In Week 1, we will have 5 votes to make. You will see a small blue and white voting box for each challenge.  In Week 2, we will have 4. In week 3, there will be 2. Finally, in Week 4, we will select the grand champion. Competitors & bye weeks have been selected at random.

The voting isn’t a perfect system. I’m sure there are ways to throw the vote. We would encourage everyone to play fair. You are allowed one vote per person per challenge per week. Voting will close the Monday of every week. While voters don’t win anything, the grand champion will win a gift basket of booze and swag provided by the following Michigan Spirit Companies: Black Star Farms, Civilized Spirits, Journeyman Distillery, & Valentine Vodka. Please check out their products. More to come on a future post.

With out further delay, I present your 2013 bracket. Please review each of the challenges below and vote on your selection. Three lucky bartenders got a bye week for the first round.

Round 1: Phil Attee v. Dave Kwaitkowski

Old Yeller – Phil Attee – Alley Bar

• 1.5 ounces Journeyman Distillery Featherbone Bourbon
• .75 ounces Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
• .75 ounces Yellow Chartreuse
• 1 dash Fee Brothers Black Walnut bitters

Stir. Serve up and garnish with a flamed orange zest. Enjoy.

Round 2: Andy French v. Kaytee Querro

Bacon takes Manhattan – Andy French – GO Comedy!

• 1.5 parts apple and vanilla infused New Holland’s Beer Barrel Bourbon,
• 1 part bacon infused simple syrup
• 1/4 part sweet vermouth
• 1/2 apple brandy.

Garnish with sugar and black pepper rim and and apple dipped in sugar and pepper.

Round 3: David Porcaro v. Giancarlo Aversa

I left my hog in Traverse City – David Porcaro – Pizzeria Biga

a re-imagining of the whiskey old fashioned in four savory steps

• 2 oz Bacon-Fused Traverse City Whiskey Co. Bourbon
• 4 Dashes Bacon Bitters
• 0.6 oz Bacon & Arbol Chili Infused Piloncillo Sugar Syrup
• Dry Cured Vanilla Candied Pork Belly (garnish)

“Begin with 12oz. of uncured bacon. Slow render the bacon at a low temp (around 275 degrees) until done (30-45 minutes). Put the meaty pieces into the Bourbon in a sealable container and shake vigorously from time to time. Add some of the fattier pieces to 1:1 ratio Piloncillo syrup with several chiles (to taste, they are not very spicy, but flavorful). Strain both and freeze for about 30 minutes until the fat turns solid and then strain this too. The bacon bitters is my secret, sorry!”

The Osborn – Giancarlo Aversa – The Last Word

Bye Week: Chris Vanderginst

Rites of Spring – Chris Vanderginst – Café Muse

• .75 oz of fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 oz Bilberry Black Hearts Gin from Journeyman Distillery (Three Oaks, MI)
• .75 oz Green Chartreuse
• .75 oz St Germain Elderflower Liquor
• Bar spoon of Mallory’s Busy Beehive Honey (Silverwood, MI)
• 6 mint leaves muddled

Add all ingredients to tin. Shake. Pour into a collins glass. Top with 2 oz Ginger Beer.

Round 4: Tony Murelli v. Travis Fourmont

Nain Rouge – Tony Murelli – Toasted Oak Grill & Market

• New Holland’s Knickerbocker Gin
• Skinos
• splash of fresh squeezed lime juice

Round 5: Lester Burke v. Les Molnar

An Em Aye Martini – Lester Burke – Inn Place Bar & Grill

• 2 oz Valentine Vodka
• 1 oz Dekeyper Cherry Liqueur.

Shake vigorously with ice, strain into chilled martini glass and garnish with lemon.

Bye Week: Francesco Samoyoa

Bye Week: Jon Foley

William’s Embellishment – Jon Foley – The Laundry

• 2 oz Liberator Gin
• 3/4 oz Cocchi Barolo Chinato
• 3/4 oz Averna Amaro

The drink is called William’s Embellishment (after William Hogarth’s Gin Lane illustration). The primary spirit is Valentine’s new Liberator Gin.

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