On an early summer eve the members of Voodoo Martini gathered at one of their favorite watering holes — DEN OF THIEVES in downtown Manhattan — to judge the three drink recipe finalists in the "Voodoo Martini Drink Contest". The band members were joined by various expert 'guest judges': Cocktail Angst members Toby Williams and Tom, Lo-Fi Lee and The Jills.
Tending bar was the man who is considered one of the most respected and creative bartender in town — Gus. Using his masterful skills he mixed the beverages (as he calls them) and also contributed some of his own special concoctions to affair (his Cosmopolitan is to die for). After an evening of drink and testing, the final decision was made. The winners are listed here for the first time publicly, along with their recipes:
FIRST PRIZE WINNER
- Double shot of Barbancourt Haitian Rhum
- 6 oz. of pink lemonade, served over crushed ice
from Allen Starzec of
Duryea, Pa.
SECOND PRIZE WINNER
- Absolute Citron in a chilled glass
- carve a sugar cube to look like a miniature human skull
- add a dash of bitter on top
- drop into drink. sprinkle in a small palm full of Pop Rocks
- drink while it fizzles
from Bob Brault of Oceanside, Ca.
THIRD PRIZE WINNER
- splash of tabasco
- 2 giggers of gin
- splash of vermouth
- slice of jalepeno
from Carlos Powell of Carrollton, Tx.
The three winners' entries were judged on
these criteria: color, flavor, texture, kick, and finish.
The prizes awarded to the three finalists are as follows:
- A one-of-a-kind Voodoo Martini watch
- Voodoo Martini T-shirt
- A free telephone conversation with colorful and articulate Voodoo Martini bassist
Pablo Merengue
This letter just in! A satisfied contest winner writes...
Hi Phil,
I received the watch yesterday and it's really out a sight. The band
was too small for me so I replaced it with a gold band I had and now it
looks like a 5 hundred dollar watch. I've got the drink, the watch, now
I need the music and a shirt. I'll be sending a check for the CD, but if
you could tell me how much an XL shirt would be also so I can include
that.
Thanks a bunch, Al
Dear Al,
Glad to see you enjoy the watch. The T-shirt given to the second prize winner was from an
extremely limited edition (only 2 T-shirts were made -- and there was only ONE Voodoo Martini
watch made -- the one now on your wrist!). Plans are in the works for a massive quantity of T-shirts
to be printed in the near future. We will contact you as soon as they are available. By the way Al,
a key element in your drink recipe winning the contest was our bartender Gus using FRESH SQUEEZED
LEMONADE he made himself (a tip for all you home bartenders).
Keep swingin', Voodoo Martini
