Novo Fogo invited eco-conscious bartenders to enter an original cocktail recipe centering around the theme of sustainable drinking using its thoughtfully produced Bar Strength Organic Silver Cachaça.

Out of hundreds of entries the judging team at Novo Fogo chose 20 sustainable and eco-friendly Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça cocktails to move forward in the competition. The judges then narrowed the entries down to 10 bartenders to compete in the video portion of the competition.

In the closing round of the competition, the finalists’ cocktails were recreated by our Chilled 100 National Director Wendy Hodges to be presented to the judging team. After a very close competition and thoughtful consideration, here is the second round of results in the Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça Challenge.

Novo Fogo would like to thank all the bartenders who participated in the Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça Challenge this year and look forward to tasting your amazing cocktail entries again next year!

 

Top 3 Runner-Up Bartenders Winning $500 Cash Prizes Are:

 

A.J. Goodrich

More Bounce To The Ounce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Novo Fogo Bar Strength Silver Cachaça
• 1 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1/4 tsp. Citric Acid
• 1/2 oz. Amaro Angeleno
• Pineapple Strawberry Tepache*
• 3/4 oz. Strawberry Date Syrup**

Preparation: Shake and strain into Collins Glass with regular block ice. Top with Homemade *Pineapple Strawberry Tepache: Cut tops of strawberries off wash thoroughly and add to a large pot Juice strawberries (2 cartons) in a centrifugal juicer (save juice for syrup later) Take leftover pulp and add to large pot, along with the stems. Cut top of pineapple off, about 2 inches below the stem (save for later) Cut off bottom, sides, wash thoroughly, and add to large pot. Cut pineapple into chunks as you normally would Juice pineapple chunks in a centrifugal juicer (save juice for cocktail recipe) Put core into the large pot. Save a few strawberry and pineapple slices for garnish! Add to the large pot: 6 cups of filtered water, 1 cup of local organic sustainable honey, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 cloves. Cover pot lightly with a kitchen towel, let sit out at room temperature for 2-3 days (works best at 77-86 degrees Fahrenheit) Once mixture begins to ferment, spoon off white foam at the top of the pot. Strain out any solids (save for later) Bottle and refrigerate remaining **Pineapple Strawberry Tepache Strawberry Date Syrup: Add 1 part strawberry juice to 2 parts organic local date syrup Store and refrigerate. To Replant Pineapple: Twist off stem at the base Remove lower half of leaves, gently pulling off at the base, saving 6-12 leaves at the center Add discarded leaves and remainder of pineapple top to your Bokashi compost bucket Add strained out Tepache solids/remainder to your Bokashi compost bucket Add any other organic compostable material you may have to your Bokashi bucket, if desired Let pineapple stem dry out for 2 days, then sit it in a shallow glass of water up to the stem until roots start to sprout, changing the water every few days (roots in about 2 weeks) Plant sprouting stem in a 10 inch pot with potting soil. Fertilize with liquid “Bokashi Tea” from the bottom of your compost bucket as solids break down. The plant will grow like an indoor moderate tropical houseplant and can be moved outdoors in warm weather, doesn’t need to much water, just when soil dries out You can remove any “suckers” and plant them too to grow more! Fruit will mature in 2-3 years Any remaining compost can be ground up and added to your garden or favorite houseplant as a fertilizer! Garnish with Pineapple Leaves, Strawberry and Pineapple Slices (Save the leaves for compost when you’re done!)

 

 

 

Lance Bowman

Everything With Purpose

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Novo Fogo Bar Strength Silver Cachaca
• 2 oz Acid Adjusted and Fortified Spiced Pineapple, Clementine, and Chamomile Honey Cordial*
• Lime Stuice**
• 2 dashes Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add crushed ice and briefly shake, pour cocktail and crushed ice directly from the tin into a double old-fashioned glass. Top with fresh crushed ice, garnish with a reusable cocktail pick of candied pineapple and clementine reserved from making cordial, and a reusable straw *Cordial and Garnish: Ingredients: 1-quart cubed pineapple (save fronds and skin) 1.75 lb quartered clementine and their peels 4 tbsp chamomile 1tbsp Saigon Cinnamon Chips 1/4tsp whole cloves 1/4 tsp sea salt, 2 quarts local honey, 1 quart water Volume of Lime Stuice, 4 oz Augier L’Oceanique Cognac, 2oz Amontillado Sherry Method: Combine all ingredients except cognac and sherry in a pot and bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve honey, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat strain, cool liquid, and add an equal volume of 50/50 fresh lime juice and lime stock, then add cognac and sherry. Transfer fruit to a dehydrator for 3 hours or until fruit is slightly tacky, reserving for garnish (alternatively you can use an oven at low heat). Use skins to make tepache or compost. Garnish with candied pineapple and mandarin reserved from making cordial and trimmed pineapple fronds. **Lime Stuice: Ingredients: Fresh Lime Juice Juiced Lime Hulls Hot Water Fair-Trade Palm Sugar Citric Acid Powder Malic Acid Powder Method: Fill an 8 qt cambro to the 6-quart line and fill with enough hot (140-degree F) Water to fully cover and let steep for 10 minutes, strain water into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Add in lime hulls and blanch for 3 ½ minutes. Remove from heat, strain through a fine chinois and measure volume. Add by volume to liquid 7.5% fair trade palm sugar, 2.5% Citric Acid, and 1.5% Malic Acid (for example per 1 liter of liquid: 75 grams sugar, 25 grams citric acid, and 15 grams malic acid) and stir to dissolve. Cool and mix 50/50 with fresh lime juice. Compost the lime hulls for zero waste.

 

 

 

Gabriella Holtzer

The Protégé Effect

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça
• 1/2 oz Seedlip Garden
• 1 oz Red Bell Pepper Cordial*
• 3/4 oz Lime “Super Juice” **
• 2 dashes Cardamom Bitters
• Bell Pepper Lime Fruit leather (for garnish)

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a Collins glass with pebble ice and swizzle. Top with more ice and garnish with fruit leather. *Red Bell Pepper Cordial: Blend entire pepper (2-3) minus the stem. Strain solids and set them aside for fruit leather. Combine the pepper liquid with white sugar at a 1:1 ratio and let simmer for about 10 minutes. **Lime “Super Juice” (courtesy of Nickle Morris of Bar Expo): Peel 3 limes. Combine peels in a bowl with 16.5g citric acid and 3g malic acid. Gently muddle them together and let sit for 1 hour. Juice the peeled limes and add to the oleo after 1 hour, along with 1.5 cups of water. Immersion blend the entire mixture (peels included). Strain remaining solids and set aside for fruit leather. Fruit Leather: Set oven to lowest temperature (mine is 170F). Blend together the red bell pepper pulp (about 1 cup) and the discarded lime bits (about 1/4 cup) with 1 cup of water, 4 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp pectin. Pour onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and smooth to a thin even layer. Let it bake for about 5 hours, or until you achieve a leathery consistency- solid but still bendable and doesn’t crack. Garnish with Homemade Fruit Leather

 

 

 

The Grand Prize Winners of the Novo Fogo Bar Strength Challenge Trip to Brazil are:

 

Colleen Hughes

Extra-Curricular Activities

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça Bar Strength
• 1 1/2 oz acidified strawberry cordial*
• 1/4 oz lemon oleo sacrum
• 25 vegan egg white

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in shaker and dry shake to combine. Then add ice and quick chill. Pour into an 8 oz fizz glass. *Acidified Strawberry cordial: 1000g strawberry juice strained, 500g hot water, 1000g raw sugar, pinch salt. Heat. Combine sugar, water, and salt to boil. When sugar has completely dissolved, cut heat and cool. Add strawberry juice. Acidify by total weight 1.5% citric acid 1.5% malic acid. Blend in acids. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Garnish with paper butterfly.

 

 

 

Maxwell Berlin

Libélula Rosa: My Pink Dragonfly

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça
• 2 oz red wine waste
• 2 oz white wine waste
• 1 oz caramelized spiced honey scrap syrup
• 6 soured watermelon juice ice cubes
• 2 dash orange bitters

Preparation: Blend all ingredients together till smooth. Pour into chilled stemmed glass. Caramelized spiced honey scrap syrup- Bring 1 cup of honey and .25 cup of water to boil. Add bar scraps and spices such as used cinnamon sticks, cloves, dried hibiscus buds, dried orange peels, and ginger peelings till thick and sticky syrup. Let cool before blending. Soured watermelon juice ice cubes: Freeze watermelon juice with small sprinkle of citric acid in ice cube trays, Freeze till hard. Garnish with Watermelon Jerky Dehydrate thin slices of watermelon with light sprinkle of salt till crisp. Cut with dragonfly shape cookie cutter or ant fun shape.