Chase Cup international cocktail competition

This past weekend (30th & 31st August) bartenders and Chase loving consumers gathered at Rock the Farm Festival at Chase Distillery and Farm in England’s picturesque Herefordshire. We enjoyed great food, drinks, bands, talks, distillery tours and even sunny weather, but the highlight of the weekend was not any of the big names in the line-up of bands but the Chase Cup 2014 cocktail competition.

Set in the farm yard in front of Chase Distillery the stage for the event was a hay trailer, pulled into position by one of Chase's tractors - a fitting venue for one of the few truly field to bottle distilleries in the UK.

The competitors were challenged to create a cocktail using a minimum of 50ml measure of Chase Vodka or Williams Chase Gin along with ingredients from a 'mystery box' sourced from within a 12 mile radius of the distillery. Many of the ingredients, including the vodka and gin, were sourced from the farm itself. The competition was made more challenging as the competitors only discovered what ingredients they could use hours before.

The competition was compared by the charismatic Joe Wadsack and judged by myself, along with James Chase (Chase Distillery), Xanthe Clay (The Daily Telegraph), Ian Burrell (Rum Ambassador), Clinton Cawood (Imbibe magazine) and Dominic Jacobs (The Running Horse Pub in Mayfair).

The ten competitors presented their drinks to the judges and audience in the following order while dealing with the challenges of a make-shift bar on the back of a tractor trailer, interrogation by Joe and blinding direct sunlight.

Robin Wilke
London Cocktail Club, London, England

Willy's Secret
Glass: Wine glass
Garnish: Tomato, hop flower & sage
Method: MUDDLE tomato. Add other ingredients, SHAKE with ice and strain into ice-filled glass.
1 fresh Tomato
50ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin
10ml Hop tincture (fuggles hop infused Chase vodka)
50ml Apple juice
15ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
10ml Monin sugar syrup
Top with Willy's cider

Danny Whelan
Kelvingrove Café, Glasgow, Scotland

Danny's Cocktail
Glass: Julep Cup
Garnish: Rosemary & apple slice
Method: SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled cup. Top with crushed ice.
50ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin (hop infused)
20ml Chase Rhubarb vodka
6 fresh Gooseberries
1 spoon Honey
25ml Bramley apple juice
1 sprig Rosemary

Daniel Oliver Warren
The Savoy, London, England

Paper Chase
Glass: Julep Cup
Garnish: Bramley apple slice & hops
Method: MUDDLE apple and hops. THROW mix all ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled cup. Top with crushed ice.
40ml Williams Chase Elegant gin
3 chunks Bramley apple
3 fresh Fuggles hop flowers
20ml Chase Elderflower liqueur
30ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
15ml Sugar syrup

Shane Hoffman
The Pharmacy, Belgium

Great Chase Fizz
Glass: Wine glass
Garnish: Bramley apple slice & dill
Method: SHAKE first 6 ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass. TOP with soda.
30ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin
15ml Naked Chase Apple Vodka
10ml Bramley apple & fresh dill sugar syrup
10ml Monin sugar syrup
30ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ fresh Egg white
Top with Soda water

Jonas Hald
Schwarz-Weiß Bar, Germany

Sexy farm Smash
Glass: Julep cup
Garnish: Coriander, beetroot & hop flowers
Method: MUDDLE beetroot and coriander. Add next 4 ingredients, SHAKE with ice and strain into ice-filled cup. TOP with cider.
fresh Beetroot
1 sprig Coriander
75ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin
25ml Chase Elderflower liqueur
30m Freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 spoon Honey
Top with Willy's Cider

Clem Oliver Eastel
Rain Check, Bath, England

The Great Chase
Glass: Old-fashioned
Garnish: Basil
Method: MUDDLE first 3 ingredients. Add other ingredients, stir with ice and strain into glass filled with crushed ice.
4 fresh Gooseberries
10ml Sugar syrup
5 fresh Basil leaves
50ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin
25ml Chase Elderflower liqueur

Santiago Ortiz
Jacome Bobby Gin, Barcelona, Spain

Rolling The Farm
Glass: Wine glass
Garnish: Hop flower
Method: SHAKE all ingredients with ice. Additionally THROW ingredients.
Beetroot, thyme & cider infusion
60ml Chase Rhubarb Vodka
15ml Chase Elderflower liqueur
1 spoon Honey
Fresh Gooseberries

Johnny Brissenden
Soho House, London, England

Twelve Mile Spritz
Glass: Wine glass
Garnish: Rosemary
Method: MUDDLE gooseberries. Add other ingredients, SHAKE with ice and fine strain into ice-filled glass.
5 fresh Gooseberries
35ml Chase Rhubarb Vodka
15ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin
10ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
10ml Bramley apple juice
10ml Monin Pure Cane sugar syrup

Michael Kampmann
Les Trois Rois, Switzerland

Rosemaund Club
Glass: Old-fashioned
Garnish: Dill
Method: MUDDLE apple and beetroot. Add other ingredients, SHAKE with ice and strain into ice-filled glass.
fresh Bramley apple
fresh Beetroot
30ml Williams Chase GB Extra Dry Gin
30ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin
25ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
10ml Monin Pure Cane sugar syrup
1 fresh Egg white

Ben Hill
Browns, Liverpool, England

Elegant Twist
Glass: Old-fashioned
Garnish: Dill
Method: SHAKE first 5 ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with crushed ice. SHAKE raspberries and elderflower liqueur with ice and strain over drink (Bramble-style).
50ml Williams Chase Elegant Gin
12.5ml Bramley apple juice
12.5ml Freshly pressed lemon juice
5ml Monin Pure Cane sugar syrup
Handful Tarragon leaves
6 fresh Raspberries
12.5ml Chase Elderflower liqueur

Ben Hill, the winner with William Chase (Owner of Chase Distillery) and James Chase

Ben has won an all-inclusive trip for two to Chateau Constantin Chase in Provence, followed by an all-expenses paid trip to the Verzon House Hotel in Herefordshire and the opportunity to a bespoke brand ambassadorial package, working alongside Chase for the remainder of 2014.

Second place went to Switzerland's Michael Kampmann with Robin Wilke of from the London Cocktail Club in third.