The Colorado Cocktail Project

What does Colorado taste like?  The Colorado Cocktail Project is seeking an answer to that question in the form of a unique cocktail created by Colorado mixologists featuring Colorado spirits.  That sounds like a cool competition to me!  As New Orleans has the Sazerac and New York has the Manhattan, so too will Colorado have an official cocktail.

The rules, according to esteemed libations expert and creator of the Colorado Cocktail Project, Sean Kenyon, are:

-The base spirit (at least half of the spirit in the cocktail) must be a Colorado spirit — one produced by a Colorado distiller.

-There is a seven-ingredient maximum, including garnish

-All ingredients must be commercially available

-The cocktails must be available at the bartender’s establishment, preferably on a menu, from April 1 through June 10.

Boulder has some representation in this project-

Justin Lavenue from Bombay Bistro submitted “The Rocky Mountain Wildfire”

Caroline Johnson from The West End Tavern submitted “The Western Slope”

Evan Faber from SALT submitted “The Diamondback”

And there are a lot of entries from great mixologists in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and a number of mountain towns.  This is going to be fun, and I wish I could be an official judge!  But, I still have a lot to learn about cocktails before I’d be judge-worthy.  Guess that means I should head out to a number of establishments and order some Colorado cocktails as I refine my cocktail palate.

Check out the list of mixologists and their cocktails on the Museum of Contemporary Art’s website, and then go drink cocktails and get a taste of Colorado!

More details:

Sunday, June 26, 2011 12-6PM
Drop-In Colorado Spirits Tastings & Lecture Marathon Series
Food Trucks. Drinks. Colorado Cocktail Experts.

Monday, June 27, 2011 5-9:30PM
Meet the Bartenders and help the judges decide which will be the winning Colorado Cocktail. Learn. Drink. Vote.

Tickets:
$40 per day
$70 two-day pass
available at www.coloradococktailproject.com or by calling 303-298-7554

Cheers!