Dennis Gobis of Drink.Well won the fifth annual Domaine De Canton Bartender of the Year Contest in St. Maarten. His winning recipe, The One, included the secret ingredient of tamarind. From the press information:
Domaine De Canton’s 5th annual Bartender of the Year Contest kicked off on June 9th in St. Maarten at La Samanna. Dennis Gobis from Drink.Well. won the competition with his cocktail “The One”. The secret ingredient in the final round was tamarind.
Runner up, Luca Marcellin from Italy wowed the judges with his beautiful presentation of “Time to Win” featuring Domaine de Canton, vodka, tamarind, watermelon and mint. Ultimately Dennis stole the judge’s palates with his “The One” featuring banana-infused Domaine de Canton and, of course, tamarind. “The One” pulled slightly ahead based on taste and won Dennis the bragging rights and handsome sum of $10,000.
Judges included industry and brand leaders: Dushan Zaric of the 86 Co. is an industry veteran from both the bartender and supplier side of the business; Danny Valdez is a BAR instructor, consultant and bartender; Crystal Fanale, SVP International Distribution for Domaine de Canton; John Cooper, owner of Domaine de Canton. The event was emceed by Tobin Ellis of BarMagic Las Vegas.
Dennis Gobis: THE ONE (winning recipe)
1 1/2 oz banana infused Domaine de Canton
1 oz Lillet Rouge
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Leblon cachaca
1/4 oz Allspice Dram
Tamarind
Shake liquid ingredients with 3 pods from fresh tamarind and ice
Serve in a martini glass, add fresh lemon mist and brûlée banana garnish