Last May, when I was already over the summer and longing for cooler days, I had this idea to highlight the mixology talent in our little hamlet. Thankfully, I have some friends who are willing to day drink with me, for a good cause, of course. Thankfully, the morning was a crisp sixty degrees, which got us all in the autumnal spirit. The rules: create 3 cocktails - a martini, a bourbon/whiskey drink, and a signature cocktail. Must be fall-themed and scored 1-5 on presentation, balance, complexity, and creativity. Here are their stories.
Madison Siewert – Elliott’s
Madison is a true craftsman, creating all of his own mixers, syrups, and much of the seasonal bar menu. This is the guy you geek out with over the history of spirits and their distillers. He created three beautiful cocktails: Golden Hour Sour - who knew a whiskey beverage could be so refreshing, with fresh orange juice and honey simple syrup, Rosemary’s Cosmo – a vodka starter with pomegranate juice and a fired rosemary sprig, tart yet smooth, and his signature cocktail Autumn In New York – a hot take on a Manhattan with an antique bitters and cherry syrup. This was a fan favorite, scoring second in the competition. Madison’s entire team collaborates to ensure that the bar and food menus are complementary. He says, “If you take really great ingredients and treat them well, you can do literally anything.”
Emily Gilmore – Wild Spirits
I first met Emily, a dry pour mobile bartender, at The Hummingbird Lounge. She became inspired at a 2018 wedding in Colorado and has been working to find the perfect horse trailer to convert into her “mobile bar cart.” Emily started our day out strong with some of the best cocktails: Scarlet Sprig – a crisp vodka martini with orange liqueur, lime and pomegranate juices, Sweet GA Brown – bourbon with pecan liqueur, walnut bitters and her homemade pecan simple syrup, and her signature cocktail Golden Orchard – a vanilla vodka with apple cider, lemon juice, pure maple syrup and a cinnamon/sugar rim, one of my personal favorites. The ingredients are the most important part for Emily, and she grows her own herbs and makes all of her own mixers. She created the Hummingbird menu and loves to fashion customized menus for all of her guests.
John Speir – Ted’s Montana Grill
John is a total ham behind the bar. He even started bartending “for the attention”, and he works hard at it. John had some of our favorite quotes and favorite concoctions of the day: The Paper Plane – more of summer style with aperol, lemon and bourbon, this one was fresh and tart, Agave Old Fashioned – he took many creative liberties with this one using tequila instead of whiskey, bitters, agave, gingerale and a slice of orange, and his signature cocktail, aptly named, the JohnTron – a sassafras forward Root Beer Float with Bailey’s and Kahlua. I’m not a sweet cocktail lover, but this one had me second-guessing. John prides himself on not being formally trained, but learning on the job in a “trial by fire” atmosphere. A maverick bartender who never measures, your chances of getting a unique drink and a ton of laughs are very high.
Greg Thaggard – Hob Nob
Sweet Greg got thrown into this competition at the very last minute, but was gracious and pulled together an excellent lineup, and he scored extra points for being so adorable. Greg served us 3 simple, yet creative classics: Espresso Martini – very traditional and very coffee forward, a must for all you caffeine-ophiles, Blueberry Whiskey Sour – a fun twist on a traditional whiskey sour tempered with the sweetness of the blueberry, and finally a signature cocktail, Spicy Jalapeno Pineapple Margarita – a delightfully spicy take on the margarita with a Tajin rim that balances this drink beautifully. A Florida native, Greg graduated from Spalding High School and immediately became involved in the hospitality industry, serving at Hob Nob for over a year now. Definitely worth checking out, especially on a Trivia Tuesday or when they’re hosting live music.
Cassie Hartshorn – Positano Pizza Napoletana
The youngest of our competitors, Cassie Hartshorn, who started serving jaw-dropping cocktails at the age of 18 and is the only one to receive perfect scores on a single cocktail, is our Tasters Tournament Champion!
After a few short years behind the bar, she is already primed to take over as Bar Manager at Positano in the Avenue. Whilst the actual menu is created by the renowned Berin Islami, the outgoing Bar Manager set to open his own upscale Italian restaurant, Luga, in Decatur this fall, Cassie’s ability to craft the perfect rendition of these incredible and creative recipes is unmatched.
This duo not only prepared the 3 required cocktails but crafted a full pairing with incoming autumnal plates. Starting with their signature cocktail, which also happens to be the winner, Pear’d In Spice. A spiced rum with pear liqueur, apple juice, house-made cinnamon simple syrup, and lemon juice, garnished with a dehydrated pear slice, and paired with their Honey Whipped Ricotta Toast.
Second was the Lucille, a pecan butter-washed rye whiskey with lemon, agave, fig liqueur, and walnut bitters served with their new Fiore dei Fichi pizza. Finally was their infamous Espresso Martini with a pumpkin-spiced rim and their incredible tiramisu.
Cassie is touted by several of her competitors as “the one to watch”, and they love chatting with her whenever she visits their high tops to learn, taste, and collaborate. The feedback I see not only from her devoted regulars, but amongst her peers as well, tells me she has really got something special.
“Behind the bar, I get to blend that passion with the craft of cocktail making, creating experiences, sharing laughs, and turning moments into memories.” Cassie Hartshorn