Germain-Robin Brandy Cocktail Competition Winners

On Monday night I was one of the judges for the Germain-Robin Craft Method Brandy cocktail competition.

We had nine entries, and six of them used eggs. That's a lot of egg drinks.

A whole lot of egg drinks. 

And three egg drinks won. 

In third place (bottom drink in the photo below) was the Wake County Harvest by Victoria D'amato. It had the Germain-Robin brandy, plus walnut syrup, lemon, pumpkin-apple juice, and egg white. The garnish, not shown, was roasted pumpkin seeds in a basket made of spun sugar.

In second place (middle drink) was Kyle Ford with the Brandy Applebaum, made with germain-robin craft method brandy, fresh lemon juice, clover blossom honey syrup, honeycrisp apple compote, and a whole  egg. 

And the first place winner was: 

One Night Stand
by Russell Davis of Bourbon & Branch and Rickhouse
"How can you not like a One Night Stand with Brandy and Yvette?"

2oz Germain-Robin Brandy
1/2 oz Fresh Pressed Grape Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Chestnut/Dolin Blanc Syrup 
1/2 oz Egg White
1/4 oz Creme Yvette
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker and dry shake to emulsify egg whites. Add ice and shake vigorously and like you mean it. Fine strain into the sexiest stemmed glassware of your choice and garnish with three drops of angostura (from a dripper) placed in a straight line across the top. 

Chestnut/Dolin Blanc Syrup
1 cup Turbinado
1 cup chopped Roasted Chestnuts
1/2 cup Dolin Blanc
1/2 cup water
1 Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean
Pinch Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Bring all ingredients to a boil and turn off heat, Strain with cheese cloth when cool.