(Newswire.net — February 22, 2014) Birmingham, AL —
2014 is turning out to be a winning year for Birmingham, AL Bar Hops owner, William Batson, who was recently voted as Birmingham’s Best Bartender 2013.
Even more recently, his unique approach to crafting cocktails that are inspired by events, places and fresh, local ingredients recently earned William an additional accolade when his cocktail, dubbed an “Iron Fashioned”, was chosen as the signature cocktail for Vulcan Park and Museum’s upcoming celebration event.
It seems that museum wanted to celebrate their 110th Year Anniversary with a fun event that would include their very own signature cocktail for the guests. To find just the right mix, a private competition was held.
Five judges including Berney Smith (Blue Monkey), Lenell Camacho Santa Anna of LeNell’s, Haller Magee, Executive Chef of Satterfields, Jennifer Cole, Managing Editor, Southern Living Magazine, and a representative from Vulcan Park taste-tested the crafted cocktails of five professional bartenders chosen from across Birmingham’s finest bars and restaurants.
Lenell, who is planning to open her own ‘beverage boutique’ in historic Norwood after closing her award winning store of the same type in New York, declared the winning cocktail as simply “Delicious!”
Brian Chandler of Clyde Mays, who sponsored the event, was very pleased with the outcome. “This cocktail rocks!”
The competition was privately held and closed to the public.
The winning cocktail, invented by Batson was dubbed the “Iron Fashioned” in honor of Vulcan, an iron statue that is a a recognized symbol of Birmingham and it’s history.
When asked about the ingredients, William just smiled and said “Well, because it is a signature cocktail created exclusively for them, the exact recipe cannot be revealed but I mixed Buffalo Rock ginger ale and Clyde Mays whiskey. The aim was to meld the history of Birmingham by including Buffalo Rock, which was invented in Birmingham in 1901 at Lee’s Grocery Store, and pay homage to the iron Vulcan, which was erected in 1904.
Vulcan is the largest iron statue that exists in the world.
Catch other award winning cocktail ideas and happenings by visiting www.thebarhops.com and the Kindle book Classic Cocktails for Classy People and Other Interesting Characters which features stories and recipes of historic handcrafted cocktails.