Jason Patz moving on to compete in Campari’s national finals in October

DENVER – Campari presented their annual cocktail competition last night at Williams & Graham, which hosted 12 local qualifiers competing for advancement to the national finals in October. The national finals will be held at Portland Cocktail Week, where just like Tales of the Cocktail, the most accomplished alcohologists fly in from all over the world to showcase their talents and take in the most educational bar culture. Among the 12 cocktails presented for judging, Les Baker of Tom’s Urban 24 placed third while Anika Zappe, now of Coohill’s, placed second. Noble barman Jason Patz of Williams & Graham, whose team is on a hot streak in the competition circuit, took top honors for the aperitivo he presented called Montilla Mora.

A simple three-ingredient arrangement, Jason’s Montilla Mora was quite the talk among attendees even before the big win announcement was made. The destined-for-top-honors cocktail was presented with a swagger that has dubbed Patz ‘The Man’ among competitors. Montilla Mora called for a base of Campari with a balanced blend of Cynar and Amontillado, which was mixed into any bitter lover’s new favorite. The gratified audience could not have been happier to enjoy his creation, some guests apologetically poured the tasting sample into their own glass to curb their newest crave. A proud audience is more than excited to see Jason off to Portland to represent Colorado in the national finals and even more excited to stop in to Williams & Graham for their newest cocktail discovery.

The post Montilla Mora takes Campari’s Best Aperitivo Title in Denver appeared first on Industry Denver.