NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 14, Cointreau, the original French
triple sec, and Gotham Magazine®, a division of Niche
Media®, LLC, hosted a grand finale event to culminate their search
across America for one talented mixologist to serve in the coveted
role of Cointreau Ambassador of Libations at Cannes Film Festival 2013. Live auditions
took place in Boston,
Chicago, Dallas, Los
Angeles, Miami,
New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., where one winner from
each city was selected to compete in New
York City for the grand prize. Finalists included
Boston's Leah Famularo (Burton's Grill), Chicago's Alex
Renshaw (Sable Kitchen & Bar), Dallas' Jason
Kosmas (Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar), LA's
Alex Goode (Mixology101),
Miami's Nick Nistico (Soho Beach House),
New York's Lubens Besse (Isola at Mondrian Soho),
San Francisco's Joel Teitelbaum (Five Rings) and D.C.'s
Winn Roberton (Bourbon Steak).
After an evening mixing and entertaining, the title of Cointreau
Ambassador of Libation was awarded to Lubens Besse, alongside his winning
cocktail, Cointreau Cucumber Kombucha Cleanse.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121016/NY94276 )
"I'm thrilled to have been chosen to represent Cointreau and
serve as an ambassador for one of the oldest and most
well-respected spirits brands," said winner, Lubens Besse. "Cannes Film Festival is one of the most
prestigious events of the year and it's an incredible honor to be
able to serve guests the best in cocktails."
At the finale event, contestants were required to showcase their
original Cointreau cocktail creations and ambassadorial abilities.
Each bartender formally presented and served a cocktail creation to
VIP attendees and esteemed judges and shared a compelling story
about their featured drink. Based on their submissions, VIP guests
and notable judges, including Cointreau Heritage Manager and sixth
generation family member, Alfred
Cointreau, Cointreau Corporate Mixologist,
Kyle Ford, Cointreau Global
Brand Ambassador, Dita Von
Teese, and renowned artist and interior designer
Kenny Davis, voted on their
favorite libation and points were allotted for the final score
contribution. In the next round of the finale, each bartender
competed in an Iron Chef-style mix off in which they had 20
minutes to create an original cocktail recipe. To spice things up,
all candidates were presented with a secret ingredient Kombucha
just before the challenge started that was incorporated into the
final product. At the end of the challenge, the judges evaluated
each cocktail based on both the taste and creativity.
After sampling the cocktails, tallying points and taking the
popular vote into consideration, the panel reached the unanimous
decision that Lubens and his cocktail had won! Lubens will serve as
Cointreau Ambassador of Libations at Cannes Film Festival in May 2013, host of glamorous Cannes events for one week during the
festival, and judge of the 2013 Cointreau competitions. He will
also be awarded with a half-page profile in Los Angeles
Confidential, Boston Common, Capitol File, Michigan Avenue,
Gotham and Ocean Drive magazines displaying their
winning Cointreau drink creations.
"The Search for the Cointreau Ambassador of Libations has been a
fantastic way to continue the brand's strong presence in the
ever-changing world of mixology and showcase the talents of today's
bartending stars," said Suzi Cesco,
Vice President of Cointreau and Spirits at Remy Cointreau,
USA. "We are excited to award
Lubens for his creativity and originality in the competition and
know that he will be an excellent ambassador for Cointreau at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival."
Below is Lubens's winning cocktail recipe.
Cointreau Cucumber Kombucha Cleanse
3 muddled
cucumbers
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Kombucha
3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 dashes angostura bitters
Shaken over ice and strained into a coupe glass. Garnish with a
cucumber.
About Cointreau
Created more than 160
years ago in Angers, France,
Cointreau is one of the world's most famous crystal clear spirits.
Cointreau's distinctive square‐shaped bottle, with rounded
shoulders and warm amber color, is recognized worldwide, as well as
its subtle taste – a perfect balance of bitter and sweet orange
peels grown and meticulously selected for their quality. Cointreau
is best known as being a key ingredient in the most popular
cocktail in the US; the margarita. In 1948, socialite Margarita Sames combined Cointreau, Tequila and
lime to create the original margarita. In addition, Cointreau is an
essential ingredient in the Cosmopolitan and other top shelf
cocktails, such as the Sidecar and Cointreaupolitan. Its
versatility, defined by its capacity to combine the richness of its
flavors and aroma, makes it a perfect choice neat or on the
rocks.
Today, more than 15 million Cointreau bottles are sold worldwide
and Cointreau remains the authentic choice of many top bartenders
in the smartest and most fashionable bars. The average retail price
for a 750mL (25.4 oz.) bottle of Cointreau is $36. Cointreau is distributed by Remy Cointreau,
USA Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of
Remy Cointreau in France.
About Remy Cointreau USA,
Inc.
Established in 1981, Remy Cointreau
USA is a subsidiary of Remy
Cointreau, SA, charged with importing and distributing an
extensive portfolio of premium and ultra premium spirits and
wines. Headquartered in New York
City, Remy Cointreau USA
imports and distributes products from the full range of the wine
and spirits spectrum, including cognacs, brandies, liqueurs,
scotches, rums, gins, champagnes and both still and sparkling
wines. Exclusive brands include Remy Martin® Cognac,
Cointreau ® Liqueur, The Macallan® Scotch Whisky, The Famous
Grouse® Scotch Whiskey, Highland Park® Scotch Whiskey,
Russian Standard Vodka, imperia Vodka, Damrak® Gin, Mount
Gay® Rum, Champagne Piper-Heidsieck®, Champagne Charles Heidsieck®,
Merryvale®, Masi® Agricola, Vietti®, Biondi Santi®, Laroche®, Piper
Sonoma® and Bearboat® Wines.
About Niche Media
Niche Media is the country's
premier regional lifestyle publishing company connecting the
affluent reader with the most insightful and engaging content that
celebrates and is inspired by our world-class communities. Niche
Media's city-specific publications include: Art Basel Miami
Beach, Aspen Peak, Boston Common,
Capitol File, Gotham, Hamptons, Los Angeles Confidential, Michigan
Avenue, Ocean Drive, Philadelphia Style, Vegas and Wynn.
Niche Media is a subsidiary of Greenspun Media Group (GMG).
GMG publications include: Las Vegas Magazine, Las Vegas Weekly,
VEGAS INC and Vegas2Go.
©2012 Cointreau Corp., Cointreau® Liqueur, 40% Alc./Vol.,
Imported by Remy
Cointreau USA, Inc.,
New York, NY. PLEASE DRINK
RESPONSIBLY.
SOURCE Cointreau