OK. Here’s the deal.
April Kimler, a bartender at Sapphire, garnishes her restaurant's entry with a swirl of honey on top.
My friends and I have been the judges (note: anybody can be a judge!) in the past three Market Mixer contests. These are the rules: on the third Saturday of every month, the good folks at the Market Square Farmers’ Market select an ingredient, distribute it to local restaurants, and challenge them to make a drink featuring the item. Regular folks like us purchase a ticket, sample all the drinks and vote on the winner. This month the ingredient was honey. Last month it was herbs. In August it was tomatoes for Bloody Marys.
This is what I’ve learned:
- Garnish is important. The winning drinks almost always have great garnishes;
- Glassware is important. I don’t think a drink served in a plastic cup has ever won;
- Name your drink! It shows you care. It makes people smile. This month, two of the entries either didn’t have names, or the bartender changed the name while we were at the bar! Come on, folks. You can do better than that.
This is such a fun Saturday activity because it runs from noon until 9 p.m., meaning you can take your time. You can be sure you will run into various friends at the different restaurants as you go from one to another, checking them off your list as you go. Here was the core group I was with this month.
Jennifer Holder of First Tennessee Bank, Scott Bird, center, of Moxley Carmichael, and Kevin Wright, of Vinyard Flooring Co., start the judging at Sapphire on Gay Street.
You can start your judging at any restaurant — there were five this month — and we started at Sapphire. The drink was called “The Jockey” and featured bourbon, honey syrup and apple juice, with honey drizzled on top and a lemon twist for garnish. It was invented by Amie Snyder, an assistant manager there.
"The Jockey," Sapphire's entry
Next up: the S&W Grand, where we ran into these pals.
From left, Kenley Smith, Steve and Kendra Rudder, sample the entry at the S&W Grand.
The S&W Grand has won the Market Mixer the past three months in a row, so our expectations were understandably high. Bartender Kris Greeson created his concoction out of green tea, honey, fresh ginger, lemon zest, bourbon and soda water. He at first named it “Kris’ Happy Time Tea” but changed its name to “House of the Rising Hun” as we sipped. He described it as a “play on a julep.” It was garnished with a mint leaf and it was good.
S&W Grand's entry
Then it was time to head to Latitude 35. We had heard rumors about Latitude’s drink before we got there. Some folks said it tasted just like a Werther’s Original candy. I think that “Werther’s” would have been a good name for it, actually. But its inventor, Latitude manager “Tommy D,” named it “Latitude Honey.” The bartender described it as “a butterscotch schnapps-bourbon-honey thing.” It, unfortunately, was served in a plastic cup.
Meaghan Estes of Latitude 35 checks off our drink ticket.
I swear this drink tasted exactly like a Werther's candy.
I've noticed that whenever I go to a restaurant with friends these days, this is what it looks like! Everyone is on his or her device.
Interestingly, Oodles Uncorked, our next stop, presented mulled wine and called it “Christmas in October.” (If you want to see the issues I’m having with Christmas preparations this year, click here!) It contained honey, wine, allspice, cloves and nutmeg.
Oodles bartender Melanie Mullins served mulled wine created by the manager, Lauren McDonald.
Kevin and Scott at Oodles
We headed across Market Square to our final destination, La Costa, one of our favorite restaurants. And in the middle of the Square, we ran into this!
Don't ask me! I have no idea! The beauty of downtown, I guess.
La Costa’s drink was an orange spiced tea made with caramel vodka infused with orange zest and mixed with honey, orange juice and iced tea.
La Costa's entry
Our friends Daniella Cracknell and Art Carmichael at La Costa.
La Costa bartender Jamie Ooten is a delight.
Among ourselves, we decided that our favorites were the drinks at La Costa and Sapphire. And guess what — those two tied for first place in the official judging, as well! Yay, us!
The special ingredient from the Farmers’ Market in November will be apple cider. Remember, contestants: use good garnish, use good glassware and name those drinks!
(By the way, I think the same principles apply when making drinks at home. That’s why I’m thinking about the garnish for the special drink I’ll be serving Friday when I host a Halloween-themed dinner party. It already has a great name: Devil’s Punch.)
If only you could find plastic drink stirrers in the shape of a little pitchfork… 🙂
That would be awesome! If I had the nerve to venture into one of those Halloween shops, I bet I could find some. But too scared to do that!