SAN FRANCISCO’S OWN SKYY SPIRITS AWARDS SF CHEFS. FOOD. WINE. BEST COCKTAIL 2009 AT “SKYY’S THE LIMIT” COCKTAIL COMPETITION
Posted: August 20th, 2009 under SKYY Corporate, Wild Turkey.
Skyy Spirits Honors Local Bartender Nick Varacalli of RN74 San Francisco for Winning Cocktail Recipe
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 14, 2009) – As part of this past weekend’s first annual SF Chefs. Food. Wine. festival, Skyy Spirits, a San Francisco-based wholly owned subsidiary of Gruppo Campari and the definitive marketer and distributor of super-premium and luxury spirits brands in North America, hosted the Semi-Final and Final rounds of the SF Chefs’ “Skyy’s the Limit” cocktail competition, where one innovative cocktail recipe was selected as the SF Chefs. Food. Wine. “Best Cocktail 2009.” Local bartender Nick Varacalli of RN74 San Francisco was honored for his “Ambassador Pepper” cocktail featuring Wild Turkey® Rare Breed Bourbon, selected as the definitive cocktail to represent San Francisco’s culinary best in 2009.
Nick Varacalli’s winning cocktail was created on-the-spot during the final round of the competition. “Ambassador Pepper” featured a unique blend of Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon, lemon juice, orange curacao, Falernum and Luxardo Maraschino, highlighted with a dash of orange bitters and muddled red pepper. Varacalli also produced several other high caliber cocktails during the qualifying and semi-final rounds to earn his place in the Final round of “Skyy’s the Limit” competition.
“Nick Varacalli’s ability to create such a delicious cocktail using very unique ingredients in an on-the-spot, on-the-fly mix-off is a wonderful representation of the true innovation taking mixology by storm right now,” says Gerry Ruvo, Chairman and CEO of Skyy Spirits. “Skyy Spirits is happy to be supporting San Francisco bartenders through the ‘Skyy’s the Limit’ cocktail challenge, inspiring new and creative ways to use some of our most renowned spirits such as Wild Turkey Bourbon, SKYY® Vodka and Campari®.”
In June, local bartending talent was invited to submit to submit their cocktail recipes for a chance to compete in the “Skyy’s the Limit” cocktail competition. Six talented local bartenders were selected by a panel of members of the United States Bartender’s Guild to compete in the semi-final rounds on Friday, August 7 and Saturday August 8. Held in the main tasting tent at the SF Chefs. Food. Wine. culinary festival in Union Square, each “Skyy’s the Limit” semi-finalist was asked to produce a cocktail using at least one of the spirits within the Skyy Spirits portfolio, while integrating one other secret ingredient revealed on-the-spot. The secret ingredient, fresh herbs on Friday; white peaches, cherries, plums and apricots on Saturday; and peppers on Sunday, tested the mixologists’ talents in front of a crowd of festival guests and a prestigious panel of judges.
Each semi-final round produced one finalist, who was invited to return on Sunday, August 9 to compete in the final round to win two round trip air tickets within the continental United States provided by Virgin America. The “Skyy’s the Limit” Finalists were Nick Varacalli of RN74 San Francisco and Carlo Splendorini of Gitane: Restaurant & Bar. Each of their impressive cocktails were carefully sampled and analyzed by the final panel of judges, who awarded the highest honor of Best Cocktail at SF Chefs. Food. Wine. 2009 to Varacalli.
A long list of mixology talents and industry professionals served on the expert panel of judges throughout the weekend including Danny Ronen, Creator of the BIT for Tasting Panel and Grand Ambassador for Domaine de Canton; Joey Altman, Chef/TV Host/Musician/Restaurant Consultant; H. Joseph Ehrmann, Owner of Elixir and Founder of Cocktail Ambassadors; Melialani James, Partner of Nirvino; and Kevin Westlye, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.
About Skyy Spirits, LLC
Skyy Spirits, LLC is the US-based wholly owned subsidiary of Gruppo Campari (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM) and the definitive marketer and distributor of super-premium and luxury spirits brands in North America. Launched in 1992 with the introduction of its flagship brand, SKYY® Vodka, Skyy Spirits has grown exponentially, building a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers. Skyy Spirits manages Gruppo Campari’s portfolio in the US of such leading brands as SKYY® Vodka, SKYY90®, SKYY InfusionsTM, Campari®, Cabo Wabo® Tequila, Ouzo 12®, X-Rated® Fusion Liqueur® and Jean-Marc XO Vodka®. Skyy Spirits is also the exclusive US distributor of Cutty Sark® Scotch Whisky, The Glenrothes® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Bowmore® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Auchentoshan® Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Glen Garioch® Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Flor de Caña® Rum, Carolans Irish Cream®, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey®, Irish Mist® Liqueur, Midori® Melon Liqueur, ZEN Green Tea Liqueur TM and The Yamazaki® Single Malt Whisky.
Skyy Spirits was founded and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. More information on the company can be found at www.skyyspirits.com and www.camparigroup.com. Please enjoy Skyy Spirits brands responsibly and in moderation.
About Gruppo Campari
Gruppo Campari is a major player in the global beverage sector, trading in over 190 nations around the world with a leading position in the Italian and Brazilian markets and a strong presence in the USA and Continental Europe. The Group has an extensive portfolio that spans three business segments: spirits, wines and soft drinks. In the spirits segment its internationally renowned brands, such as Campari, SKYY Vodka and Wild Turkey stand out. It also has leading regional brands including Aperol, Cabo Wabo, CampariSoda, Cynar, Glen Grant, Ouzo 12, X-Rated, Zedda Piras and the local Brazilian brands Dreher, Old Eight and Drury’s. Its wine segment boasts the global brand Cinzano, as well as important regional brands including Liebfraumilch, Mondoro, Odessa, Riccadonna, Sella & Mosca and Teruzzi & Puthod. The soft drinks segment comprises the non-alcoholic aperitif Crodino and Lemonsoda as well as its respective line extension dominating the Italian market. The Group employs over 2,000 people. The shares of the parent company, Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM), are listed on the Italian Stock Exchange. www.camparigroup.com
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