30 October, 2017 - Live from The Wizards of Elixer

 Slow Living Radio follows on from last week's interview coming to you live from the Wizards of Elixirs event at The CIA at Copia.  We welcome Michele Lex, of Perfect Puree and Marko Karakasevic of Charbay, sponsors of the event, along with contestants and past winners, Danny Ojinaga of Mario and John's in Sonoma, Cornelia Mathis from the Verasa Westin Hotel's "Bank", and Rafa Barba of St Helena's Good and Gancer. 

More than $10,000 raised in Wizards of Elixirs Cocktail Competition hosted by The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley and Charbay Distillery

—  Proceeds Benefit Four Counties Affected by North Bay Wildfires —

The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley and Charbay Distillery, with location host CIA at Copia, raised more than $10,000 for families affected by the fires in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties Monday night, Oct. 30, at their first annual Wizards of Elixirs Cocktail Competition.

The Grand Prize-winning team of Kelly Dallas and Mel Valencia from Solbar in Calistoga impressed the 300 attendees with “Garnet Horizon,” a fall elixir featuring Charbay Pomegranate Vodka, The Perfect Purée Pear, Rittenhouse Rye, hazelnut liqueur and garnet yam juice.

Kelly Douglas and Mel Valencia

Second place was awarded to Adam Welch of the Geyserville Gun Club Bar & Lounge for “The Shogun,” with third place going to Vincent Lundeen of Andaz Napa with “Monkey’s Breakfast.” (See full recipes below.)

“Response to the competition from attendees was overwhelmingly positive,” said Michele Lex, President & Chief Marketing Officer for The Perfect Purée. “The wildfires were devastating, but the display of compassion and resiliency of our North Bay community is inspiring to us all.”

Sixteen of wine country’s top bartenders vied for the People’s Choice Award at The Wizards of Elixirs, a friendly cocktail competition fashioned in walk-around style at the Culinary Institute of America’s Copia location in Napa. Attendees sampled the competing cocktails along with apps and light snacks prepared by the CIA then attended the Halloween costume dance after-party.

Proceeds from ticket and raffle sales totaling more than $10,000 will be distributed between four counties severely affected by the October fires, which killed 42 people and destroyed an estimated 7,000 homes and other buildings.

Grand Prize Winning Cocktail

Kelly Dallas & Mel Valencia, Solbar

Garnet Horizon

·      1.5 oz. Charbay Pomegranate Vodka

·      0.5 oz. Rittenhouse Rye

·      0.5 oz. The Perfect Purée Pear Puree

·      0.25 oz. hazelnut liqueur

·      1 oz. garnet yam juice

·      0.5 oz. lime juice

·      0.5 oz. maple

·      3 dashes of Peyschaud’s Bitters

Method:

Combine ingredients with ice, shake and strain up. Garnish with marshmallow cream, candied pecan and pomegranate seed.

Second Place Winning Cocktail

Adam Welch, Geyserville Gun Club Bar & Lounge

The Shogun

·      1.5 oz. Charbay Green Tea Vodka

·      0.25 oz.  The Perfect Purée Yuzu Luxe Sour blend

·      1 bar spoon of The Perfect Purée Coconut Puree

·      0.5 oz. saké

·      0.5 oz. pineapple sage syrup

·      0.75 oz. lime juice

·      0.5 oz. egg white

Method:

Combine ingredients with ice, shake and strain into glass. Garnish with matcha tea and matcha shiso salt.

Third Place Winning Cocktail

Vincent Lundeen, Andaz Napa

Monkey’s Breakfast

·      1 oz. Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka

·      0.5 oz. Amaro Montenegro

·      0.25 oz. Dancing Pines Walnut Liqueur

·      1 oz. banana/oat syrup, made with The Perfect Purée Banana Purée

·      0.75 oz. lemon juice

Method:

Shake ingredients, double strain over ice in a large rocks glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

Banana/Oat Syrup

·      1 cup The Perfect Purée Banana Puree

·      1 cup toasted old fashioned rolled oats

·      5 cups hot water

·      1.5 cups brown sugar

·      1.5 cups white sugar

Method:

1.       Put oats, banana purée and hot water together and let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2.       After sitting, put the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth.

3.       Strain to get as much of the solids as you can. You should be left with about 3 cups.

4.       Bring to a simmer and add brown and white sugar, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves.

5.       Keep refrigerated. Good for 2-3 weeks.

About The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley

Since 1988, The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley has indulged the culinary passions of chefs, mixologists and food enthusiasts with products that provide ultimate fresh fruit flavor without the peeling, dicing and simmering required for making purées from scratch.

The company’s line-up of fruit purées and specialties features more than 40 premium flavors, ranging from pantry staples such as raspberry, strawberry and banana to the exotic lychee, passion fruit and pink guava. All products contain no artificial additives, preservatives or sweeteners. The fruits are harvested at the peak of season, puréed and packed frozen to maintain optimal freshness, flavor and color no matter the season. As the leading U.S. producer of premium fruit purées, The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley is revered in restaurants, hotels, bars, bakeries and catering kitchens for the just-picked taste and unmatched consistency of its products.

All flavors can be frozen for up to 24 months from date of manufacture. When thawed, the purées and specialties last 7-10 days in the refrigerator, and blends for 21 days.

About Charbay Distillery

The Karakasevic family is one of the early pioneers of the modern American artisan distillery movement; they began distilling in California in 1983 with Alembic Pot Still Brandy and haven't stopped since. The line-up includes whiskeys distilled from bottle-ready beer, brandies distilled from Napa Valley grapes, vodkas flavored with 100% real fruit or tea and rum distilled from sugar cane syrup. Marko is Generation XIII to carry on the family's European heritage of fermenting and distilling. His 25-year apprenticeship covered every category of distilling.