A Jigger of Blog

Via Trader Tiki and Paul Clarke, The Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans is having an open contest for the creation of a new marquee cocktail. The details are:

The Hotel Monteleone is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Carousel Bar on May 21, 2009.

From 1949 until about the late 60’s or 70’s there was a drink on the specialty drink menu called the Monteleone Cocktail. Unfortunately, we have no idea what the exact recipe or ingredients were. The Hotel Monteleone is hosting an online contest to accept drink recipe nominations for a new official Monteleone Cocktail.

The recipes will be judged by VIPs who will be at the Carousel anniversary celebration on May 21. There are no requirements on types of liquor or style of drink, but all drink entries must be received by May 18, so that the ingredients may be acquired and drinks prepared at the May 21 event.

Participating bloggers should post their entries online, and all participants should e-mail their drink recipes, along with their name, address and phone number, to athornton@hotelmonteleone.com. The winning entry will become the new official Monteleone Cocktail, and the winner will receive four free nights at the Hotel Monteleone during Tales of the Cocktail 2009.

This is an awesome contest. The Hotel Monteleone is one of the most famous hotels for cocktails in the world. The Vieux Carre was created there and it’s hard to imagine a situation where anything other then a world-class cocktail will be named the winner. But what a challenge! And what a prize at the end of the road!

I’m incredibly impressed to see The Hotel Monteleone open up this contest to the general public and do it through cocktail blogs, and not merely the professional bartending community. I will be thinking long and hard…and then I’ll be breaking out the ice and the jiggers to see what I can whip up.