Tales of the Cocktail – 2009 Official Cocktail: The Creole Julep

Maksym Pazuniak, a mixologist at Rambla and Cure, won over the judges with his balanced and well-layered julep featuring Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum, Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb, Captain Morgan 100 Proof Rum, Fee Brothers Peach Bitters, Angostura Bitters, fresh mint, and Demerara sugar.

“The Mint Julep was the drink that put American mixology on the map, the thing that foreigners pointed to when they wanted to say something nice about the rough-and-tumble new nation on the western shore of the Atlantic. And originally, like most American inventions, it allowed for plenty of individuality and improvisation. With this contest, the Julep is back,” says author and cocktail historian David Wondrich.

The Creole Julep – Created by Maksym Pazuniak, Rambla/Cure

2 1/4 oz. Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum
1/2 oz. Clement Creole Shrubb
1/4 oz. Captain Morgan 100 Rum
2 dashes of Fee Bros. Peach bitters
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
8-10 mint leaves
1 Demerara Sugar Cube

Maksym’s cocktail will be served throughout Tales of the Cocktail, July 8-12 and will be featured in the summer issue of Culinary Concierge Magazine and on CocktailTimes.com.

The second-place cocktail was the Joie de Julep, created by Corey Bunnewith of Drink. The third-place cocktail was the Ginger Peach Julep, created by Wayne Curtis, a freelance journalist.

Tales of the Cocktail has also collaborated with The Liquid Muse Virgin Mixology and Fee Alcohol Removed Wines to offer the festival’s second annual official non-alcoholic cocktail, which is also a Julep. The Sassy Southern Belle will be the official nonalcoholic cocktail of Tales of the Cocktail and will be served at several of their signature events.