The Metro West Cocktail Invitational

Bartenders from all of your favorite haunts submitted recipes to compete at the Metro West Cocktail Invitational last night, but only five were chosen. The event took place at New City Microcreamery in Hudson and included a special tasting at the speakeasy, Less Than Greater Than, that lays hidden in the rear of their shop. New City’s ice cream has been a major influencer in the local dessert scene, offering a product that is liquid nitrogen frozen and made fresh from Mapleline Farms’ milk. As for the speakeasy, Mass Foodies hopes that with the secret out, this public event will pave the opportunity for Less Than Greater Than to pop up in a new Central Mass location. We’ll keep our ears to the ground and our eyes open!

The competition pitted our region’s top talent against one another to create low ABV cocktails (no more than 35%) using a minimum of two spirits, one of which had to beGalliano L’Apertivo Frizzante. Judges included Troy Clarke of Maartignetti, Tenzin Conechok Samdo of Tavern Road, and the lovely Naomi Levy who rose to fame at Eastern Standard. The overall champion was Worcester’s chosen competitor, Krysta Koval who cited her time at Armsby Abbey and The Pint as catalysts for her big win along with her recent travels to Guadalupe.