Award-Winning Bartenders from 10 Cities Compete at COCHON 555’s Grand Finale Spirits Competition Featuring Breckenridge Bourbon
COCHON 555 and Breckenridge Bourbon present the grand finale of COCHON 555’s Punch Kings Competition. The highly-spirited event is the culmination of the competitions that took place in ten cities across the U.S. throughout the year. The showdown will be held June 29th at The Curtis Hotel in Denver. The barkeeps will compete by preparing their award-winning recipes of boozy punch using Breckenridge Bourbon.
Over 50 bartenders competed in the Punch King’s Competition at COCHON 555 events throughout the year for the chance to represent their city in the finals. The 10 winning bartenders, listed below, will recreate their winning punch for a chance to win a 3-day trip to a Heritage BBQ festival in the city of their choice to feature their winning punch.
The 2014 Punch Kings competitors are James Menite of Crown Restaurant (NYC), Joshua Holliday of Khong River House (MIA), Paul Sanguinetti of Patina Group (L.A.), Michael Jack Pazdon of Goose & Gander (NORCAL), Justin Lloyd of Star Bar (DEN), Erin Goodman of Roofers Union (WDC), Sean Woods of Ribelle (BOS), Jennifer Fink of Fat Rice (CHI),Andrew Meltzer of 15 Romolo (SF) and Maria Polise of Ela (PHL).
“This will be the most notable punch-themed celebration to hit the country since prohibition was lifted in 1933!” says Cochon 555 founder Brady Lowe. “I’ve always wanted to host a national event that celebrates the barkeeps that keep the boom of the cocktail culture alive and vibrant. There’s nothing better than a fine punch made with a whole bottle of bourbon to complement the philosophy of whole animal utilization and the flavor packed benefits of eating heritage pork. And, who better to bring the Punch Kings Competition to life than our great friend Bryan Nolt, founder of Breckenridge Distillery!”
As host of the event, The Curtis Hotel, led by Sage Restaurant Group, will offer a special culinary experience got guests to enjoy. Four top chefs, including Rich Byers of The Corner Office, Jeff Bolton of Katchina, Jason Brumm of Second Home and Jae Lee of The Curtis, will prepare 500+ pounds of heritage pigs in a Cochon 555 format. Additionally, there will be 150+ pounds of Creekstone Farms Bone Marrow, as well as the very anticipated release of the “HOT BOX”, a new pop up experience from Cochon 555 Founder, Brady Lowe. The food will stand tall against the Punch Kings experience.
The evening will conclude with an after party of epic proportions at The Corner Office with $5.55 specially priced cocktails and snacks – everyone is invited to this epic industry experience.
RSVP
- $55 general admission
- $100 VIP (early admission at 4pm, and premium access to limited experiences, food and spirits)
WHEN
- June 29, 2014
- 4pm – 8pm
WHERE
- The Curtis Hotel – Official Host & Hotel
- 1405 Curtis St
- Denver, CO 80202
About Punch Kings
Showcasing amazing barkeeps around the country isn’t easy, but it sure is tasty in the nation’s first punch competition. Punch was the grandaddy of all cocktails, meant for sharing amongst friends and enhancing social engagements. The theme of the competition is large format, and the participating bartenders are given 30 minutes to prepare 1 punch bowl featuring 1 bottle of spirits along with their special ingredients. Presented to notable judges, the winner receives a trophy, bragging rights and a prize. Together with top barkeeps around the country, Punch Kings is preserving the “The Original Bottle Service”.
About Breckenridge Distillery
Founded in 2007 by Bryan Nolt, Breckenridge Distillery is one of the best-known and fastest-growing craft spirits distilleries in the US, recently named Distillery of the Year at the 2013 New York International Spirits Competition. Under the technical oversight of Master Distiller and partner Jordan Via, Breckenridge Distillery’s brands consistently achieve International gold medal status ranking among the best in the World. Breckenridge Bourbon won one of only three gold medals in its category awarded by the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Competition, won Bourbon of the Year 2012 at the International Whisky Competition, and achieved 96 points at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge NYC. Operating one of the largest compound pot stills in Colorado, Breckenridge distillery offers daily tours and complimentary tastings of an extensive spirits line located at 1925 Airport Rd in the ski town of Breckenridge, Colorado.
About Cochon 555
Cochon 555 was created in 2009 by Taste Network’s Brady Lowe in response to the lack of consumer education around heritage breeds. The festival is a national event series that takes place in 20 major markets. In addition to its flagship event, Cochon 555, the Cochon brand now offers a variety of experiences each year in the family of events. The events with national followings include Heritage BBQ, Heritage Fire, EPIC Cochon, All-Star Cochon and Cochon Island. Since its launch in 2009, Cochon 555 and its programs, such as Chef’s Course, have supported responsible family farming across the country by allowing 50,000 people to taste heritage pigs and by donating more than $300,000 to charities and more than $500,000 directly to great farmers across the country. For more details about the events, visit www.cochon555.com or follow @cochon555 on Twitter.
