Absolut® Vodka Sponsors the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival Best Bloody Mary Recipe Contest

ABSOLUT VODKA is once again proud to sponsor the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE’s Best Bloody Mary in America recipe contest. Bartenders across the country are being challenged to submit their entries for the chance to win the title of America’s Best Bloody Mary, 2014. Finalists will be flown to New York to serve up their version of the classic cocktail at the Festival’s Chopped Best Bloody Mary Brunch perfected by ABSOLUT® on October 18. The cast of Food Network’sChopped will host, judge and ultimately crown this year’s winner.

“The Bloody Mary is one of the most popular and versatile cocktails served in on-premise establishments across the country,” noted Bert Saville, Trade Marketing Manager for Pernod Ricard USA. “It presents bartenders with the opportunity to creatively express themselves through the ingredients and the methods they use to create their own distinct recipe. Add ABSOLUT’s range of superior quality vodka and vodka flavors to the mix and the possibilities are endless. We are thrilled to sponsor this great event and inspire a new generation of Bloody Mary recipes, perfected by ABSOLUT.” 

To enter, bartenders create their own original version of the ABSOLUT Bloody Mary using their choice of ABSOLUT vodka(s). Once perfected, they snap a picture to showcase their creative presentation and go to NYCWFFBestBloody.org  to enter. Entries are accepted from July 1 through August 31

Taste all of the finalists’ recipes at the Chopped Best Bloody Mary Brunch perfected by ABSOLUT® on October 18.  Tickets are on sale now at www.nycwff.org and all proceeds benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry and Food Bank For New York City. 

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY

ABSOLUT® VODKA. Product of  Sweden. 40% Alc./Vol. Distilled From Grain. © 2014 Imported by Absolut Spirits Co., New York, NY.

About AbsolutAbsolut Vodka has been committed to developing innovative flavors since the introduction of Absolut Peppar in 1986, its first flavored vodka.  Since then, Absolut has continued to bring a unique twist to common flavors with products such as Absolut® Mandrin®, Absolut® Citron, Absolut® Kurant®, Absolut® Vanilia, Absolut® Raspberri, Absolut® Apeach®, Absolut® Ruby Red, Absolut® Pears, Absolut® Mango, Absolut® Berri Acai, Absolut® Wild Tea, Absolut® Orient Apple, Absolut® Grapevine and Absolut© Cherrykran.

About Pernod Ricard USA®Pernod Ricard USA is the premium spirits and wine company in the U.S., and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA, which employs more than 19,000 people worldwide and is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI).

The company’s leading spirits and wines include such prestigious brands as Absolut® Vodka, Chivas Regal® Scotch Whisky, The Glenlivet® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Jameson® Irish Whiskey, Malibu®, Kahlúa® Liqueur, Beefeater® Gin, Plymouth™ Gin, Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin®, Martell® Cognac, Hiram Walker® Liqueurs, Pernod®, Ricard® and Avión™ Tequila (through a joint venture with Tequila Avión); such superior wines as Jacob’s Creek® and Brancott Estate®; and such exquisite champagnes and sparkling wines as Perrier-Jouët® Champagne, G.H. Mumm™ Champagne and Mumm Napa® sparkling wines.

Pernod Ricard USA is based in Purchase, New York, and has roughly 850 employees across the country. Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to consume its products responsibly and has an active campaign to promote responsible drinking. 

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Delano Las Vegas Unveils Curated Craft Cocktail Program At Franklin

A distinctive social experience beckons guests this September as Delano Las Vegas, The Strip’s newest hotel, unveils the inspired cocktail program at its eclectic lobby lounge, Franklin.

The luxury hotel’s centerpiece for socializing, sipping and sampling, Franklin will offer an ever-evolving atmosphere that appeals to all senses. The intimate and sophisticated environment will incorporate gold lighting, hues of deep blue and bronze, and statement navy sheers that drape from ceiling to floor and shimmer with sparkling lights reminiscent of fireflies at dusk. Elevating the energy of the lobby, Franklin will buzz with live entertainment, including dynamic performances and beats from the hottest up-and-coming DJs.

Rare, premium liquors will highlight the cocktail-centric drink menu and provide unique backbar offerings, with one-of-a-kind spirits including a custom Glen Moray scotch, a Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon and Delano’s hand-selected Black Barrel Mt. Gay rum. An intricate barrel aging program will infuse a creative selection of draught cocktails with layers of complex flavors, utilizing custom oak barrels stored in house. With more than two dozen craft beers by the bottle and a selection of wines-by-the-glass that is exclusive to Franklin, the beverage menu will provide an array of options to suit any taste.

Alongside libations, guests will enjoy a selection of whimsical small bites and appetizers such as Grilled Flatbread Cambozola with caramelized pears and walnuts; selections of charcuterie and cheeses; and unique offerings including sea-salted Pommes Frites with Smoked Pepper Ketchup; and Fried Pig Ears served with togarashi, lime and black garlic-yuzo aioli.

A cocktail aficionado’s enclave, Franklin will be anchored by a curated craft bar program that upholds the art of the cocktail through the execution of perfectly balanced drinks. Abounding with thoughtful touches, Franklin’s menu of classically inspired and signature creations is designed to be defiantly different.

• Start Conversations. Highlighted by creative cocktail names that allude to hidden meanings, tongue-in-cheek monikers and historical references, Franklin’s menu inspires curiosity and invites conversation.

o   History buffs will delight in The New Deal, a cocktail named for the signature achievement of the lounge’s presidential namesake. This innovative cognac-based drink features D’Usse Cognac, Licor 43, fresh lemon juice and orgeat syrup and is sweetened by emulsified Bonne Maman Plum Mirabelle marmalade.

o   Mr. Hyde, combining hand-selected Oxley Gin, St. Germain, passion fruit, pineapple, lemon juice and kaffir leaves, provokes debate: was the drink named for the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, or for Hyde Park, the site of FDR’s Springwood estate?

o   Cocktail culture enthusiasts who sip the 1944 Classic Mai Tai may catch the nod to Trader Vic’s, the Oakland, California bar where the Mai Tai was concocted in the eponymous year.

• Seduce the Senses. Franklin’s libations offer a sensory experience appealing to more than just taste – from drinks whose scent is as delicious as the flavor, to added visual elements such as the array of uncommon, vintage-inspired cocktail glasses, the menu is a feast for the senses.

o   The Jefferson Library, a beer cocktail served in a tall and slender glass, produces a unique chemical reaction when Innis + Gunn Porter, a dark barrel-aged Scottish ale, reacts with lemon juice, maple syrup and pink angostura, creating ribbons of effervescence as the drink fizzes and cascades down the sides.

o   With a color reminiscent of the beautiful yet fleeting soft-pink hue the sky takes at dawn, the South Beach Sunrise pays homage to the iconic Delano South Beach and is balanced with Absolut Elyx Vodka, Campari, honey syrup and fresh lemon, offering a lingering flavor profile with the addition of egg whites.

o   The Mojito Cubano elevates the simplicity of the classic mojito’s fresh lime, mint and sugar with the fragrant nose of Cana Brava Rum. Featuring strong notes of vanilla, coconut and honey, Cana Brava’s delicious scent derives from the mineral-rich soils that produce Herrera, Panama’s indigenous sugarcane, while the rum’s ultra-smooth finish is the craftsmanship of Master Distiller and Cuban emigrant Don Poncho.

• Standout Through Spirits. Franklin’s cocktails incorporate a variety of rare liquors and reserves with unique stories all their own.

o   The perfectly balanced Delano Daiquiri incorporates Bacardi 1909 Heritage Rum, a limited-edition spirit that pays tribute to Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, the revolutionary distiller who founded the Bacardi brand and redefined rum in Cuba more than 150 years ago. Showcasing the original alcohol proof at 89 percent, this smooth rum has a high ratio of Aguardiente Redestillado, the Bacardi brand’s proprietary components.

o   The Basil Paloma, a refreshingly classic drink recipe featuring fresh lime juice, basil and Jarritos grapefruit soda, features Siet Leguas Blanco Tequilla. The Siet Leguas Distillery in Mexico invented the Patron tequila label – a brand that may have surpassed its predecessor in international recognition and sales but not in quality. Siet Leguas distills its own tequila to this day, using the ancient “de tajona” process of grounding the agave with a stone wheel pulled by mules.

o   The SNM also incorporates a unique liquor – a Mt. Gay hand-selected Black Barrel Rum, chosen by Delano’s mixology team at the Barbadian distillery and available exclusively at Franklin. The custom rum is the highlight of SNM, alongside Marie Brizard White Creme de Cacao, Fresh Lime Juice and Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon syrup.

In collaboration between MGM Resorts International and Morgans Hotel Group, the luxury all-suite Delano Las Vegas will fuse South Beach chic with the vibrant energy of the Las Vegas Strip when it comes to life September 1.

About Delano Las Vegas

Opening September 1, 2014, Delano Las Vegas will offer a new all-suite, smoke-free luxury hotel experience located steps away from Mandalay Bay. Featuring a unique sand-meets-water design, Delano will blend signature elements of Delano South Beach with the distinct energy only found on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel will offer dynamic social spaces such as Franklin, an eclectic lounge; 3940 Coffee + Tea; and Della’s Kitchen, where “historic farmhouse meets urban kitchen.” BATHHOUSE Spa will infuse the soothing elements of locally sourced ingredients, drawing inspiration from Morgans Hotel Group’s collection of hotels around the world as well as Delano Las Vegas’ desert locale. Delano Las Vegas is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). 

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