The 5 finalist bars have been chosen for the chance to win a trip to St Lucia, and you could help decide who wins.
Over the past few months bars from across the UK have been first concocting, and then promoting (through social media, events and their own bar) their twist on the classic Mai Tai. The reason for all this effort is the opportunity to win a trip to St Lucia, the home of Chairman’s Reserve.
The final 5 have been picked and they will be competing for that exclusive trip next Tuesday (26th September) at Magic Roundabout. The even better news is that you can help pick the winner AND try all of the finalists drinks, but more on that later, lets look at the finalists with the help of one of the judges, Matthew Dakers, thoughts:
Colonel Porters, Newcastle
‘Great campaign including some clever ideas through videos, radio interviews, events and sales.’
Wey Aye Mai Tai
- 25ml Chairman’s Reserve White
- 25ml orgeat
- 25ml Pierre Ferrand Dry
- 25ml lime juice
- 100ml pink grapefruit
Hard Shake, double strain over crushed ice, float 25ml Chairman’s Reserve Spiced. Garnish with pink grapefruit wedge, edible flowers and mint sprig.
Alvino’s, Newcastle
‘The reigning champions are back! They made it last year, will they make it back to St Lucia again?’
Chairman’s Mai Tai
- 25ml Chairman’s Reserve White
- 25ml Chairman’s Reserve Finest
- 10ml amaretto
- 25ml pineapple acid (citric acid, malic acid and pineapple juice)
- 10ml Ting syrup (Ting and caster sugar)
- Dash of Alvinos Spice Mix No.1 (Chairman’s Spiced, Campari, Grande Absente, Pimms)
Shake and double strain over crushed ice in a collins glass. Garnish with lime and mint with no straw.
Milk, Reading
‘Started out of the blocks quickly giving them a head start on the competition with some original ideas’
Pearl of the Caribbean
- 35ml Chairman’s Reserve Spiced
- 20ml Chairman’s Reserve Gold
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- 35ml milk shrub no.2*
- 3 dash angostura bitters
Shake and strain over crushed ice in up-cycled food tin. Garnish with a thyme sprig, dehydrated lime and desiccated coconut.
10 Mill Lane, Cardiff
‘Impressive commitment. Despite coming in late they worked quickly to gain points from social media and sales.’
Mai Tai No. 10
- 25ml Chairman’s Reserve Spiced
- 25ml Chairman’s Reserve Gold
- 15ml Macadamia Orgeat
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- 15ml Creme de Peche
- 3dsh Bob’s Mandarin and Orange bitters
- 1/2 muddled mandarin (clementine)
Shaken, served over chipped ice with a mint sprig, edible flower and two clementine slices.
Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
‘Great push at the end with the Edinburgh festival sitting alongside strong promotion work and a great video.’
My Thai Mai Tai
- 25ml Chairman’s Reserve White
- 15ml Rhum Clement VSOP
- 12.5ml Briottet Curacao Orange
- 25ml citric acid corrected orange juice
- 20ml Taylors Velvet Falernum
- 10ml demerara sugar syrup
- 2 dashes of tiki bitters
Shake all the above and decant into glass, float 20ml Chairman’s Reserve Gold. Garnish with mint sprig, edible viola and half a lime shell, full of burning overproof rum.
They sound good don’t they?
If only there was a time and place where you could try them all, for free, and get to vote for your favourite and have that bar forever in your debt when they are boarding a flight to St Lucia.
Well fear not, Chairman’s Reserve have you covered. They are inviting you down to the Magic Roundabout (above Old Street Tube Station) next Tuesday 26th September from 7pm to sample the serves and vote for your favourite.
To get your name on the door simply fill in this quick form below and you’ll be there. If you were lucky enough to come along last year and still have your tie, bring that along too and you’ll go in a draw to win something rather special yourself (N.B. the something rather special is almost definitely not a trip to St Lucia).
We’ll see you there next week.