Unexpected Cartron Tour Competition

Joseph Cartron, liqueur, eaux-de-vie and vermouth producer since 1882, has announced the winner of the first edition of its "Unexpected Cartron Tour" as Daniel Seehuusen. As the name suggests, the "unexpected" was the central theme of this inspirational cocktail competition for professional bartenders.

Daniel Seehuusen of Hotel Skansen in Sweden was crowned Unexpected Cartron Tour Champion at the Château de Clos Vougeot in Burgundy and will be welcomed back, expenses paid, as a guest judge for the next competition, plus offered opportunities to collaborate with Joseph Cartron on a per-event basis based on location and availability.

The premise of this international challenge was to present a surprising element either through the cocktail itself or through the accompanying presentation. The esteemed panel of judges expected to be wowed by something out of the ordinary. The full Joseph Cartron collection of liqueurs, crèmes, eau-de-vie, and vermouths were available to competitors for use in their imaginative creations.

This first edition was open to bartenders in seven participating countries: United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, and France. The international final took place in mid-July 2023 in Nuits-Saint-Georges, France; the birthplace of Cartron and the other finalists were Keoghan Taylor from Great Britain, Joel Helini from Denmark, Manuela Chiaramonte from Italy, Thomas Trefcon from France and Jihad Hotricano from UAE.

Following the "unexpected" theme, the final introduced an element of surprise to the finalists, with the brief only being revealed on the day. Each finalist was given three hours to create two serves, the first for pairing with a dessert and the second to 'Make Cassis Cool Again'.

Daniel Seehuusen's winning recipes:

First round - Pinnacle
15 ml Cartron eau-de-vie Framboise Sauvage
10 ml Clément Canne Bleue rhum agricole
15 ml Cartron Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne
5 ml Cartron Thé Noire Fumé
1 tsp Cartron Miel liqueur
Torched rosemary garnish
Stir and strain into a glass filled with ice

Second round - Cass-is King
25 ml Cartron Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne
75ml Citrus soda
Served tall with ice

Citrus soda
500 gr fresh orange juice
250 gr fresh grapefruit juice
100 gr water
100 gr Cartron Bergamot
50 gr Cartron Mandarine liqueur
14 gr Malic acid

Daniel Seehuusen - "Inspiration for the first was the great pairing of chocolate and raspberries, and since chocolate is the pinnacle of desserts I wanted to use the pinnacle of Cartron products. Framboise Sauvage and Creme de Cassis, together with the smokey tea and honey that was already a part of the dessert."