Alaska State Fair Spirit Judging Highlights

Posted by lushlife

Posted: August 18, 2008 - 4:22 pm

Hundreds of HomebrewsThis year I volunteered to judge the homemade beer, mead and wine competition for the Alaska State Fair. The impetus was the addition of a new category: "classic" drinks. Organizer Mary Helms told me that the inclusion of a classic drink category highlights the classic cocktails from the 1950s and '60s and honors the 50th anniversary of Alaska's statehood at the same time. The guidelines were that every ingredient in the classic drink had to be made from scratch -- simple syrup, margarita mix, everything. And, the drinks had to follow traditional recipes -- hence, the daiquiris we tasted were neither blended nor involving maraschino cherries.

At first I was excited. There were 10 entries and judges ready to rate them on appearance, odor, taste, balance and overall impression. My overall impression? Honestly, most missed the mark. And I mean on everything -- from a slight off-putting note to a huge, face-scrunching-up, dry-heaving bad idea in a bottle. I don't know. Maybe after judging a few beers, the mere smell of straight alcohol put me off. But it was a daunting 10 rounds.

The hard part of the competition is that a classic cocktail, when made on the spot in a bar, can easily be fresh and tasty. One that is pre-made and held in an airtight bottle for a few days or weeks, however, can change in chemistry in various ways that may not be immediately obvious. For example, one entry was a great idea (and it looked really cool, actually). But after the ingredients had sat for awhile, the whole thing smelled and tasted, well, not good.

I also found out that limes don't age well unless you make the perfect spirit in which to age them. It's possible to infuse alcohols with a lime essence, for example, but difficult (in my opinion) to concoct a margarita that will stay tasty and fresh several days after bottling.

All in all, I had two favorites: a delightful martini concoction that held up well and an attempt at one of my favorite classics, which may or may not have been because it looked so pretty and had a cool bottle. Either way, I'm excited for the next year's attempts in this category, and I was inspired to try and create something that could hold up long-term of my own.

If you have any recipes, post them in a comment below. And, don't forget to check out the beer and mead entries to see the winners and cool concoctions on display. (I'll be there, proudly donning my volunteer judge ribbon attached by a paper clip to my shirt.) Salud, fairgoers.

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