The 5th floor bar at the Abode Hotel in Chester was recently the battleground for an epic cocktail contest. Wednesday, November 8 saw eight of the top mixologists in Chester attempt to take home the coveted title of 2023 Taste Cheshire Cocktail Champion.
The event was sponsored by local distillery, Three Wrens Gin, which is celebrated for its outstanding spirits infused with juniper botanicals. The competition challenged all contestants to craft a signature cocktail that embodied the selected theme of “A Taste of Autumn” while using one or more products from the Three Wrens range.
The panel was made up of expert judges, which included Three Wrens’ own Haydn Gelling, We Love Good Times’ Izzy Grey and Rick Warrier of RW Training and Development. The judges were exceptionally impressed with the creativity and talent on show from the mixologists, but only one could take home the title.
The emerging champion was the Kuckoo cocktail bar in Chester’s Ryan Maughan with a cocktail called “Metamorphosis.” Featuring autumn flavours and paying tribute to the season of change, the cocktail offered a new take on a classic mixed drink, the gin martini. It blended London dry gin with a Three Wrens label with pumpkin butter, homemade using local produce and vermouth infused with sage.
Along with his title, Maughan has received recognition and many prizes, including a tour of the Three Wrens gin distillery and a chance to collaborate with it to produce his own gin.
The Kuckoo cocktail bar can be found at 58 Watergate Street in Chester.
