Épernay scoops top industry award with brand-new cocktail creation
ÉPERNAY’S list of awards just got even longer, with the venue’s Tatjana Titimova crowned one of the top three bartenders in the north, following a successful third round in a cocktail-making competition that was the brainchild of Jack Daniel’s.
Taking sustainability as a starting point, the Manchester-based mixologist designed a brand-new drink using the famous whiskey, which first got her through to the second round of ten contestants and then down to the final three.
Calling her creation Meet Me At Lynchburg Highway (named after the Tennessee town where the Jack Daniel Distillery has its home), Tatjana’s cocktail is unique to Épernay, using the bar’s flat leftover fizz – they offer 27 champagnes by the glass, so dregs there will be.
“Calling her creation Meet Me At Lynchburg Highway, Tatjana’s cocktail is unique to Épernay, using the bar’s flat leftover fizz.”
Tatjana reinvigorates the leftovers by turning them into a spiced sparkling wine cordial, then reinvents JD by infusing it with the leaves and stems of fresh mint. Mixing both together, she then adds Cynar, a dash of La Fée Parisienne absinthe and Peychaud’s Bitters, stirs the lot with ice and strains into a chilled Nick & Nora glass, garnished with a lemon zest twist.
The finalists will now be whisked to Tennessee and treated to the ultimate tour of the JD barrel houses and warehouse with master distiller Jeff Arnett, then to New York to host a special event at one of the world’s best cocktail bars, The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog.
