California Fresh Cocktail Competition Winner Announced

Grand-prize winner Madison Paras takes home $5,000 in the Trumer Pils California Fresh Cocktail Competition with her Pearsnip cocktail.

Trumer Pils and Chilled Magazine set out to find the most California-inspired beer cocktail in the first-ever California Fresh Cocktail Competition. Bartenders across the nation submitted recipes with hopes of inspiring the judges and winning the $5,000 grand prize. The Trumer Pils time-tested family recipe has been putting smiles on beer drinkers faces for centuries, so it’s no surprise that Trumer Pils has also won a multitude of awards, including three World Cup Gold Medals.

A panel of judges representing Trumer Pils and Chilled Magazine reviewed and scored all entries in The California Fresh Cocktail Competition. The judges chose ten cocktails from all submitted entries, with ten finalists’ cocktails mixed up and rated by a second panel of judges. The California Fresh Cocktail Competition asked that all entries for the contest include at least 1 1/2 oz. of Trumer Pils. The cocktails were judged with the following criteria (a total of 100 points available): Name: 5 points, Minimum of one pour Trumer Pils: 25 points, appearance and presentation: 5 points, Number of ingredients: 10 points, Captures the spirit of California: 20 points, Creativity: 15 points, Ability to replicate: 20 points.

The top ten finalists are as follows:

• CATHEDRAL GROVE: Recipe by Jimmy Kwarta
• STRAWBERRY MANILOW: Recipe by Peter Miller
• DRY SPELL: Recipe by Laura Reidy
• TAKE FIVE: Recipe by Estanislado Orona
• BEER & LOATHING: Recipe by Karen Grill⠀
• SONOMA PALOMA: Recipe by Savannah Cooke⠀
• PEARSNIP: Recipe by Madison Paras⠀
• BERKELEY SUNRISE: Recipe by Esteban Escobar⠀
• BUSBY BERKELEY DREAMS: Recipe by Mario Catayong, Jr.⠀
• GREEN SUNSET: Recipe by Derek Jeffries

Taking home the grand-prize was Madison Paras. Madison inspired to encapsulate the nostalgia of California in her winning cocktail, Pearsnip.

“The fresh produce, the nature, the people. Each is refreshing in its own way. I wanted to make a cocktail that with each sip reminds you of the feeling of happiness in summertime, as well as the energy that runs through your body after a great day with friends. I really wanted it to embody what California is … dreamy.”
– Madison Paras

Pearsnip

Created by Madison Paras

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Trumer Pils
• 1/2 oz. Pear-Infused Gin*
• 1/2 oz. Cilantro and Lime Puree**
• 1/2 oz. Ginger Simple Syrup***
• Pear Juice-Gin Soaked Pear Cubes (for Garnish)

Preparation: Combine pear-infused gin, puree, and ginger in a mixing glass with ice. Shake for one minute; pour over a chilled coupe glass with macerated pear garnish at the bottom. Top with 1.5 oz. of Trumer Pils to add a fresh crispness to the cocktail.

*Pear-Infused Gin

Combine 7 D’Anjou pears (sliced 1/8″, using all parts to limit waste and help bring out a genuine pear flavor) with one bottle of Beefeater gin in a cambro container. (For a quick infusion: shake 3 times an hour for a whole day or twice a day for two weeks.)

**Cilantro and Lime Puree

Fresh squeeze 20–25 limes in a Vitamix add one bunch of cilantro, 2 cups of lime juice, and 1/2 cup of water. Puree for 5 minutes then let it steep for 30 minutes. Double-strain into a container.

***Ginger Simple Syrup

Add 20 grams of ginger to simple syrup and steep until ginger to the taste.

For more information and to see all of the cocktail entries, visit Chilledmagazine.com/TrumerPils.