G’Vine Gin Cocktail Competition at Epernay

Ever since I helped judge Cocktails in the City (you can see the review HERE) I’ve been yearning to be asked to do more cocktail judging. Whilst I love writing reviews of bars and cocktails for 4ManchesterWomen it’s not quite the same and I was secretly hoping I could get to don my judges cap again in the near future. And then it happened… the guys from G Vine asked if I could help them judge a competition over at lush champagne bar Epernay. In my element? Me? You bet! And having heard that morning that I had gained a first class honours degree I was in the mood for celebrating. Epernay was the perfect place!

The only brief was that the contestants had to use either the Nouaison or the Flouraison G Vine gin. I’ve not written about these guys before but this gin totally converted me. Always a vodka or fizz girl prior to being introduced to this brand, I love the flouraison which, is made with grape spirit giving it a lovely fresh taste. The nouaison is also good and slightly stronger with a spicier aftertaste. I was looking forward to this massively.

First up was Barrie with his version of a gin fizz… he chose the flouraison gin and combined it with orange flower water, pear syrup, sugar syrup, egg white and a splash of champagne. To give it a twist the cocktail was served with a side order of lemon sorbet in beautiful vintage glassware. What a way to start the competition! Now you know I love champagne, it was a lovely touch in this drink. I did feel the gin was a little lost in this one though and perhaps a heftier shot or the nouaison may have worked better?

Bryce went next with his ‘Opulence’ cocktail. He mixed nouaison with lillet rouge, blackberry cordial and syrup, topped with soda water. The blackberry was a lovely choice but the soda watered it down a bit too much for me. The champagne of Barrie’s cocktail may have made this one a winner…

Up steps Susie with her ‘Divine’ cocktail… the minute she got the candy floss out I was sold. So much so that I only just managed to scribble down what went into the delightful pinkness of her cocktail. Nouaison was mixed with poppy liquer, rose cordial and pineapple juice. The drink was sweetened with candy floss served with a pink cat lollipop, more candy floss, a sprinkling of glitter and a retro pink paper straw. Something I think I have kept secret from you all so far is how girlie I can be. I’m a sucker for anything pink and sparkly… who’d have known? The flavours worked perfectly together with the pineapple contrasting perfectly with the spicy tones of the nouaison. Charlie was quick to steal the lollipop so I didn’t get any of that unfortunately. I had to settle for another of these beautiful creations.

Poor Miriam was cajoled into entering last minute so served up a ‘Kill Joey G&T’ mixing flouraison with tonic water, twist of lemon and a raspberry for garnish. Considering this was so simple it was incredibly effective with the flouraison working well with the raspberry when muddled slightly in the glass. Not a bad effort considering she had seconds to come up with something. I look forward to seeing what Miriam can do when she has some prep time.

Last but, by no means, least is Joey. He fashioned his ‘Jazzy Jeff’ cocktail using both flouraison and nouaison, ginger and lemongrass cordial, mint, luxardo, bitters and a splash of langlois champagne. The combination of both gins in the same drink really should not work but it did, oh boy it did. The ginger gave this drink a wonderful spiciness with the champagne just giving a dry, fresh taste to the creation.

I was expecting the judging to be close, we all had different ideas on who should win and battled close to death for our favourites. Once we had the competition narrowed down to 2 contestants we just couldn’t decide, the battle was too close and we eventually agreed to go with a tie. 2 winners!!

Both Joey and Susie walked away with a prize for their outstandingly different yet tasty creations. Huge thanks to G Vine and Epernay for letting me help pick a winner.

If you have read this and are now craving some G Vine then you are in luck! They are hosting a gin and canape night at Room on 7th August from 5pm until late. Tickets are £15 and selling fast so get them whilst you can! You can reserve your ticket by calling 01618392005.

It is set to be a great night with a number of different cocktails to try and, believe me, they are special. Oh and I’ll see you there… where else would I be?

(Huge thanks to Charlie for taking all the photographs. I was far too busy donning my judging cap and being all serious, as you do.)

I attended this event as a guest of G Vine Gins. Any other drinks, other than competition entries on the day, were paid for.