Amangani’s Chad Taylor Wins Wyoming Whiskey’s 2nd Annual Bartender Shootout

KIRBY, WY (Dec. 10, 2015)— After a highly competitive State Championship event and party in Jackson this past weekend, Wyoming Whiskey crowned Chad Taylor of Zinc Bar at Amangani the title of Wyoming’s burliest, surliest and best bartender. With his creation of a cocktail coined “22 Boulevard,” Taylor took home the $2,500 cash prize, a pair of Blizzard Skis and, in true Wyoming fashion, the coveted Wyoming Whiskey Bartender Shootout championship belt buckle.

The finals were held at The Rose in Jackson and DJ Dolphfrom Park City kept the crowd moving as the eleven finalists competed for bartending glory. The finalists were selected from the four regional competitions held throughout Wyoming in November and included: Laura Keeler, Sam Miller, Chad Taylor, Brittany Fells, Meagan Schmoll, Michele Prevost, Audrey King, Rylee Watson, Justin Darnell, Jenny Drew and Griffin Murphy. 

Wyoming Whiskey enlisted an all-star judging panel to rate the cocktails, including Legendary Chicago mixologist Johnny Costello, Dave Kaplan from Death and Co. in NYC, and the 2014 Shootout champion, Jesse Brown. The competitors created 11 outstanding cocktails. While highlights included Laura Keeler’s “Little Horse Thief” and Rylee Watson’s “The First and Last”, Chad Taylor’s “22 Boulevard” could not be beat.

“The energy at the event was electric,” said David DeFazio, Co-Founder and COO of Wyoming Whiskey. “The drinks were fantastic which made choosing a winner incredibly hard. However, Chad knocked it out of the park with his 22 Boulevard. This event was a testament to the talent of the bartenders throughout the state and to the flexibility of Wyoming Whiskey as a spirit.”

The 2015 Wyoming Whiskey Bartender Shootout podium cocktail recipes included:

1^st Place — Chad Taylor, Zinc Bar at Amangani — “22 Boulevard” —1.5 oz. Wyoming Whiskey, .5 oz. Aperol, .5 oz. Boulard Apple Brandy, 1 oz. Sage Honey Tea, garnish with sage leaf. For tea—3 oz. sage tea, 1 tsp. honey, lemon zest. Mix all ingredients in a glass, stir and garnish with sage leaf.

2^nd Place – Laura Keeler, The Rose—”Little Horse Thief”
—1 1/5 oz. Wyoming Whiskey, Barspoon Maple Syrup, 1/2 oz. Drambuie, 1/4 oz. float Laphroaig, 15 mint leaves for garnish
. Muddle mint leaves and maple syrup lightly, add all ingredients and crushed ice and swizzle until frost forms on the julep tin, place mint and float the Laphroaig on top of the ice.

3^rd Place —Rylee Watson, Bar 10—”The First and Last” — 1 1/4 oz. Wyoming Whiskey, 3/4 oz. Disaronno, 1/2 oz. fine granulate pure cane sugar, 3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 egg white, 2 dash Angostura Bitters

Wyoming Whiskey thanks its 2015 Shootout sponsors, including: Blizzard Skis, Vapur, K2, Raleigh Bicycles, Ibex, Technica, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, KEEN, Scarpa and Mountain Khakis.

For the complete list of recipes from this year’s Shootout, visit: www.wyomingwhiskey.com/shootout.

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About Wyoming Whiskey

Based in Kirby, Wyoming, Wyoming Whiskey has a simple goal: to create America’s next great bourbon. The company and product is a collaboration between its partners and 97,818 square miles of Wyoming. The Mead family first came to Wyoming as ranchers in 1890 and the state defines them, and their whiskey.  They use the finest corn, wheat, barley, and water from the Big Horn Basin and promote Wyoming’s natural and human resources.  Every drop of this bourbon is 100% Wyoming. To learn more, visit http://www.wyomingwhiskey.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Fallert | Verde Brand Communications | lfallert@verdepr.com | 970.259.3555 x123