Long time readers of this column may remember we host a neighborhood get-together, disguised as a “cocktail competition,” This year’s version – complete with tiny taster cups filled with a wide assortment of cocktails our neighbors enjoy and serve to party guests did not disappoint. This year’s theme should have been: “Don’t be afraid of the cocktails. Be afraid of the competition.”
For our fifth edition of the Woodland Hills Cocktail Competition, we kicked it up with some pretty professional judges. This year, our cocktails were judged by Joe Cravens, the incredibly talented new executive chef and owner of Walker’s Drive In; Drew Braswell, the entertaining and dynamic manager of Hal and Mal’s and the Walk In; and Everest Boone, a creative mixologist and beverage director from The Apothecary at Brent’s Drugs. These guys brought real knowledge and understanding of what makes a “good cocktail.” Also, the winning cocktail will be featured on the cocktail menu at The Apothecary November 6-8, so there was an extra incentive.
As always, there is a “People’s Choice” award that goes to the cocktail that garners the most “votes” or donations. Guests are encouraged to vote for their favorite drink and votes are $1 apiece. The People’s Choice winner is simply the one with the most money at the end of the night, and all the money raised goes to the upkeep and maintenance of our neighborhood ravine.
Our favorite band, The Lonely Hearts, provided just the right music for the evening and encouraged everyone to get up and dance off some of their cocktails. Kristy and Sean Buchanan, owners of The Bean in Fondren, wowed the guests with a custom-made coffee cart, where they shared samples of their delicious Espresso Old Fashioned. The weather was perfect and everyone felt like a winner in the end.
Judges’ First Place Winner: The Lawn Dart
Now their secret is out: Cheri and Joel Gatlin know a little something about making cocktails. The judges made the unanimous decision that their Lawn Dart was the best. I cannot disagree, and I loved the complex flavors of this cocktail.
1 oz reposado tequila
1 oz London Dry Gin
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Verde Poblano liqueur
1/3 to 1/2 oz green chartreuse, to taste
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
3/4 oz agave syrup (can sub simple syrup)
1-inch wide strip of green bell pepper
Tarragon leaf or lime wheel for garnish
Cut green bell pepper into sections and remove seeds. Aggressively muddle about a one-inch strip of green pepper per cocktail in the agave syrup (agave nectar will be too sweet). Double strain through fine strainer to remove any seeds or pulp from the agave syrup. (If making several cocktails, can prep larger amount of the agave syrup with one to two bell peppers and set aside after straining.)
Fill cocktail shaker with ice, then add the reposado tequila, London dry gin, poblano liqueur, green chartreuse, lime juice and the green pepper-muddled agave syrup. Shake for 20 seconds, pour into cocktail coupe “up” glass.
Garnish with tarragon leaf or lime wheel.
People’s Choice Winner: Fountainhead Fizz
Lisa and Eric Dyess, Danelle and Kendall Garraway, and a team of volunteers entertained us with drink options and decorations in tribute to the wonderful Frank Lloyd Wright House, Fountainhead, located in our neighborhood.
While Lisa and her family focused on the decorations (amazing and completely over the top), Danelle concocted the drink. It all came together and the drink was served out of a real fountain (Fountainhead, get it.) Incredible décor and incredible cocktail.
For one cocktail:
4 ozs Prosecco
1 oz pear juice
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton (a ginger, vanilla, and honey flavored liqueur)
1/2 oz brandy
1/2 oz ginger - tamarin syrup
Mix all ingredients except Prosecco in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and top with Prosecco.
To make ginger – tamarin syrup: combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoon ginger paste, 2 tablespoons tamarin paste.
Heat in a small saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool for at least one hour. Strain and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Judges’ Honorable Mention: In a Pickle
The incredible team of Melissa Hutchison, Misty Monroe, Danelle Garraway, Regan Painter, and Molly Walker went with a pickle ball theme: drink and décor. Do not be skeptical of this drink, as I was. It is not sour or tart, but very refreshing. The team described it as a deconstructed pickle, and it is absolutely delicious.
1 1/2 ozs Hendrix Gin
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Saint Germaine Elderflower
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
Chopped fresh dill
Muddled cucumbers
Mix together everything but the dill and cucumbers and shake in a cocktail shaker with lots of crushed ice. Pour into a serving glass and top with a little muddled cucumber and fresh dill.
The Paper Plane
Once again, neighbors Ashlee and Brad Smith teamed up with Peyton and Margaret Smith to serve a top choice. Complete with “Top Gun” theme costumes, this group did not come to just play. The Paper Plane is a seriously delicious cocktail.
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz bourbon - high proof strongly recommend
Shake with a big ice cube just enough to get chill. You do not want ice to dilute the drink. Serve immediately.
The Gold Rush
Jen and Jay McGeehee brought a delicious cocktail that was inspired from their favorite restaurant in Colorado Springs, called Aurum. The drink is delicious and they went all out sporting plenty of gold bling to match their drink.
Combine:
2 parts Makers Mark Bourbon
3/4 part honey syrup
3/4 part fresh lemon juice
To make the honey syrup: combine one part hot water and two parts honey.
Boozy Crème Brûlée
Derick Gray served a delicious drink that would be the perfect accompaniment to sip alongside dessert or coffee.
Mix equal parts:
Vanilla Vodka
Baily’s Irish Cream
Salted Caramel Liqueur
Half and Half
Serve ice cold.
The Red, White and Cherry
Originally from Jackson but currently working in D.C., Kendall Garraway Moore and Thompson Moore decided to go with a D.C. themed tribute to America and our Founding Father, George Washington. I am sure our first president would have been proud of this delicious, cherry flavored drink. This drink will definitely be the perfect cocktail to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday coming up in 2026.
2.5 oz vodka
.5 oz cherry purée (fresh or frozen dark cherries blended and strained)
.5 oz cherry juice
1 oz hibiscus syrup
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes orange bitters
A splash of Prosecco
Mix all ingredients. Top with Prosecco when ready to serve.
Fondren Forward Fizz
The new executive director of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation, Doug Boone, joined our gathering to meet neighbors and promote the foundation’s work in the greater Fondren area. We are so thankful for Doug and the foundation’s efforts and his cocktail entry was a big success.
2 ozs tequila
2 ozs fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
Sparkling Water (on top)
Combine tequila, grapefruit juice and lime juice in a shaker filed with ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with sparkling water.
Serve with a lime or grapefruit wedge.
The Biloxi Hilton Hammer
Stephanie and Mark Garriga are not neighbors but we have all adopted them into our party. They have been plotting and planning to serve this drink for over a year and their efforts paid off with powerful drink and an amazing presentation. Mark channeled his gulf coast roots for this entry and got the recipe from friends who owned Burton Builders in Jackson.
The drink was originally served poolside at the Biloxi Hilton from 1975-2005 and the Garrigas even added the hilarious (but necessary) disclaimer for the cocktail suggesting to “ask your doctor whether a drink containing four types of alcohol is right for you.”
1.5 cans of pineapple juice (approx. 70 oz)
1 can of Coco Lopez (15 oz)
1 cup of rum
1 cup of vodka
1 cup of bourbon
1 cup of gin
Mix well and serve ice cold. Consult your doctor, if needed.
The Southern Squeeze
Meggie and Tripp McKemey brought a delightful and refreshing drink they enjoy sipping in the summer. The McKemeys recently moved back to this area after living in D.C. for over 10 years. Their drink was a play on an Orange Crush, which is famous in Maryland. After the locals crack crabs in Maryland, it is the norm to get an Orange Crush to wash down the crab.
Meggie and Tripp made it using the Mississippi made Cathead Vodka and named it the Southern Squeeze. They even brought an old school orange crusher to freshly squeeze the orange juice. I think the freshly squeezed orange juice makes this drink extra special.
2.5 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
2 oz Cathead Orange Bitters (or Satsuma Mandarin) Vodka
1 oz triple sec
3.5-4 oz La Croix Lime Sparkling Water
Fresh Orange slice for garnish
Mix fresh orange juice, vodka, and triple sec. Top with a splash of lime sparkling water and serve with a fresh orange wedge.
Spicy Margarita
Eleanor and Richard Whisnant are relatively new to our neighborhood. In fact, their move in day last year was our 2024 Cocktail Contest and was their first opportunity to meet the neighborhood.
This year, they jumped into the competition with a perfectly balanced spicy margarita. Sometimes, a well-done classic is just what is needed and this margarita fits the bill.
2 parts tequila
1 part Cointreau
1 part fresh lime juice
Serrano pepper
To make ahead in batch, mix all ingredients together with as much of the Serrano pepper as you like.
Drink is best served after freshly shaken in cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Smoke and Gold
Fondren neighbors, Karen Radosevich and Jim Schott were back to defend their successful cocktail from last year. They used fresh honey from their backyard, but I am sure any local honey would work as a substitute.
1 part fresh lemon juice
2 parts smoked honey syrup from Fondren neighborhood honey bees
4 parts tequila
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Combine lemon juice, honey syrup and tequila, and shake well. Strain into a glass and top with a drop of bitters.
Negroni Variations
from the Irelands
My husband and I decided to go with a couple of variations on the famous Italian drink called the Negroni which combines gin, the bitter Italian aperitif, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
I served a Negroni Bianco, which is bitter, but in the best way. He served a Negroni called Le Gloria which has a hint of orange. Both are delicious, but strong, and are definitely “slow sippers.”
Negroni Bianco
1 part gin
1 Luxardo Bitter Bianco (a clear bittersweet herbaceous aperitif)
1/2 part dry vermouth
1/2 part sweet vermouth
A twist of lemon
Mix well serve over ice with the twist of lemon.
The Gloria Negroni
1 1/2 ozs of gin
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 to 1oz Cointreau
Mix well and serve over ice with a twist of orange.
