Drinks culture has exploded around the world with bartenders leading the way through their creativity and dedication to the art of cocktail making. Last year, ELIT Vodka started a new conversation with the bartending community, and now, Portland Cocktail Week is excited to continue that conversation and bring ELIT Masters to the United States for 2023. Program launches May 8, 2023. Applications close July 31, 2023.

Portland Cocktail Week presents ELIT Masters, a celebration of ELIT Vodka’s quality, versatility, and mixability and a challenge to all bartenders to create an amazing ELIT Freeze Martini inspired by ELIT Vodka’s unique -18º freeze filtration process.

THE CHALLENGE

Using your experience and creativity, create your own showstopping Freeze Martini using ELIT Vodka as your canvas. This cocktail should capture your guests and the judges’ attention by creating a multi-sensory drinking experience in the glass.

The Vodka Martini is a timeless cocktail that is still in high demand at the most cutting-edge bars in the world and continues to inspire the next generation of bartenders.

As you know, the optimum temperature to serve a Martini is below zero, which mirrors the process used to create ELIT Vodka. Made from Alpha Elit spirit, the highest purity standard in vodka, and further refined via a unique -18º freeze filtration process that makes this liquid exceptionally smooth, ELIT Vodka is the perfect vodka for an ice-cold Martini.

Freeze Martini ingredients: ELIT Vodka, fortified wine, bitters (optional), and garnish (optional). Served EXTRA COLD

Sensory experience: immersion of the senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, feel) through the cocktail serve (how the cocktail is presented to the guest/judge).

CONSIDERATIONS

When developing your recipe, consider the entire sensory experience. How your drink tastes and smells is, of course, the most important factor, but we want to challenge all five senses with these cocktails.

All submissions should adhere to the following standards: COMPETITION RULES

The creators of the top ten ‘Portland Cocktail Week presents: ELIT Masters 2023’ cocktail submissions will be crowned United States ELIT MASTERS for 2023 and will join us in Athens in November to compete with bartenders from around the world in our Global Final for the global title and a trip to 3 different countries to visit the industries top bars and learn from the best.

If you have any questions about the competition or the rules herein, please reach out to britany@lushlifeproductions.com.

Thank you, and good luck!