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Cork bartender wins Southern Showdown

Shane Groarke of Cork’s Cask bar has won the Southern Comfort Southern Showdown cocktail contest 2018 ahead of 10 other contestants.

He now competes against Southern Showdown winners from the UK and Australia in July at the international final in New Orleans, birthplace of Southern Comfort and spiritual home of the cocktail. He’ll be joined on the trip, which coincides with the annual Tales of the Cocktail event, by second-placed finalist Pat Thomas of Dublin’s Zozimus bar.

Now in its second year in Ireland, bartenders were challenged this year to recreate the spirit of their home town in a cocktail. Cocktails had to include the classic 35% ABV Southern Comfort Original, the newly-launched 40% ABV Southern Comfort Black or the on-trade-only 50% ABV Southern Comfort 100 Proof.

Shane’s winning cocktail, the “None Genuine But Mine”, echoed the slogan of Southern Comfort creator MW Heron which still appears on every bottle.

The recipe celebrates Cork with ingredients such as Killahoura ice wine, woodruff-infused poiti­n, bog oak flavoured bitters and a sweet cicely garnish.

The final was held at the Chelsea Drugstore cocktail bar in Dublin where Bar Manager David RS Guerrero, the 2017 Ireland Southern Showdown winner, was joined on the judging panel by George Roberts, Country Manager for Southern Comfort distributor Hi-Spirits Ireland and Christian Tirel, Southern Comfort Brand Ambassador (and the 2016 Southern Showdown UK Winner).

 

Recipe: None Genuine But Mine Created by Shane Groarke of Cask

  • 35ml Southern Comfort
  • 15ml Longueville Apple Brandy
  • 10ml Killahoura Ice Wine
  • 5ml Woodruff infused poiti­n
  • 2 dashes homemade bog oak bitters
  • Southern Comfort 100 Proof sweet cicely tincture rinse

Serve in a Nik and Nora Coupette, and garnish with Sweet Cicely.

 

The Southern Showdown 2018 Ireland finalists:

Winner: Shane Groarke, Cask

Runner-up: Pat Thomas, Zozimous, Dublin

Amy Joyce, House, Dublin
Daniel Cronin, Cask, Cork
Dan Fratini, Odeon, Dublin
Frida Andersson, The Liquor Rooms, Dublin
Luke Crowley-Holland, The Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder, Killarney
Sean Whelan, of Roberta’s, Dublin
Shane Russell, Lemuel’s, The Conrad Hotel, Dublin
Paul Neligan, The Skeff Late Bar, Galway
Nathan Evans, Mary’s Bar, Derry.


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