Spirits were flowing at Noah’s last night as ten of Greenport’s top mixologists faced off in a fierce competition to concoct the official cocktail of the Tall Ships 2015 Festival.
The winner was Dan Dhoctor of the Soundview, who created “The Marquis de Lafayette”.
Lafayette, Dhoctor said, was his inspiration. “The man is a hero in two countries because he believed in liberty,” he said. “Without him, we’d all have British accents.”
Lafayette is credited with coming to the aid of General Washington and helping him to win the Revolutionary war. He sailed across the Atlantic in the Hermione, the vessel that was lovingly recreated and is the centerpiece of this year’s Tall Ships event.
The drink, a “Dark and Stormy with a French twist,” featured rum and ginger beer, among other winning ingredients, and was topped with the quintessential garnish — a Tall Ship.
Garnering the prize for the most creative cocktail was Noah Schwartz, owner of Noah’s, who concocted “Noah’s Tropical Storm,” which included rum, grilled pineapple, basil leaves and other intoxicatingly delicious ingredients.
Judges Gregg Lewis, Melissa Martin and Chef Lia Fallon agreed all the entrants were winners.
Other area eateries whose representatives entered the competition included Claudio’s, Claudio’s Clam Bar, First and South, Front Street Station, La Cuvee, the Blue Canoe, The Market, and Brix and Rye.
The pre-Tall ships competition was aimed at showcasing the talents of local Greenport bartenders, who wee invited to enter a new, original cocktail into the contest and who personally mixed their original concoctions at Noah’s bar.
The winning cocktail is now the official cocktail of the Tall Ships event, which takes place from July 4 through 7 in Greenport. The cocktail will be served at Greenport eateries and bars throughout the Tall Ships festival.
Noah’s, said Peter Clarke, president of the Greenport Business Improvement District, is an official sponsor of the Tall Ships Festival and will cater exclusively all events. In addition, official sponsor Greenport Harbor Brewing Company will create a special ale for the event and Kontokosta Winery, also an official sponsor, will provide all the wine for the festival.
After Dhoctor’s win, Rachel Murphy, one of the Soundview owners, was exhilarated. “I’m so happy and so proud,” she said. “Dan rocked it.” The pair put their heads together and came up with the winning idea, which, coupled with Dhoctor’s “presence and zest,” led to the crowning achievement. “It’s got to be simple, it’s got to be something everyone can serve, and it’s got to be good,” she said. “We did it!”
Reflecting on the cocktail competition, Sarah Phillips, owner of First and South, said the event was a great idea and generated “good vibes” for the upcoming fun, bringing the community together for the excitement of the future months.
