Jente "Goose" Gees
2021 Winner
“Sours are the undeniable king of cocktail builds. One spirit, one sour component and one sweet element—all working together to blow your socks off,” Gees says. “If you balance these properly, no one can deny the importance of this wonderful structure.”
Jente "Goose" Gees
Monchito Sour
Even for a bartender so fond of the traditional sour, Gees wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries with his recipe, the Monchito Sour. Balancing Gentleman Jack with coconut milk and pineapple peppercorn syrup, it’s an irresistible marriage of the classic Whiskey Sour and a Piña Colada.
Michael deMahy
2021 Finalist
With his original twist on the sour, The Cavalier, the Boca Raton bartender complements Gentleman Jack with a house made clarified milk punch and pineapple gum syrup. “When I drink Gentleman Jack, I get notes of honey, caramel, wood, vanilla, and a bit of banana. I wanted to play off these flavors to bring out the beauty of this whiskey,” deMahy explains. “This take on the whiskey sour sticks to the traditional sour template while bringing flavors that elevate the cocktail and allow Gentleman Jack to shine.”
Alexandra Koblan
2021 Finalist
As the head bartender at a tropical bar specializing in new riffs on tiki drinks, Koblan thought to combine the classic Whiskey Sour with the Trinidad Sour, a drink typically heavy on bitters. “Using the classic builds for these two popular cocktails served as a great jumping off point,” Koblan says. “And the flexible and delicate profile of the Gentleman Jack gave me lots of room to play.” That playing led to the creation of a nut-free demerara oat orgeat and cordial featuring bitters, passionfruit, and banana liqueur—two essential elements of Koblan’s Thunderstruck Sour.
Jon Schott
2021 Finalist
From honey hibiscus and grapefruit cordial to bee pollen and lemon chokeberry juice, Schott’s Wildflower Sour features a suite of unexpected ingredients. So, what inspired this offbeat and exceptional twist on the sour? “I wanted to create a vibrant cocktail that would highlight the smooth and mellow character of Gentleman Jack using local ingredients growing around my neighborhood.” That simple formula added up to a floral and unparalleled Whiskey Sour.
Jake Sulek
2021 Finalist
“My sour is a playful recreation of the flavors found in an ancient form of German beer known as Gose,” Sulek says. “Gose is a wheat beer soured with lacto-fermentation and flavored with coriander and sea salt.” Capturing that flavor profile in the form of a Whiskey Sour is what led Sulek to create The Way She Gose. Its mix of coriander-infused Gentleman Jack, egg white, lemon juice and Amaro Montenegro not only represents the finest elements of a Gose beer—it results in a uniquely delicious Whiskey Sour.
Alex Taylor
2021 Finalist
Jasper’s Silk Road Sour is equal parts cocktail recipe and history lesson. “It incorporates culinary elements and flavors found along the network of merchant trade routes between China and Europe as early as 500 BC,” Taylor explains. It’s an ambitious idea, which he brought to life through saffron liqueur and a house made Silk Road Syrup, featuring peach slices, cardamon, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, sumac berries, anise pods and cinnamon. This innovative take on the sour proves that these silk road staples are the perfect match for exceptionally smooth Gentleman Jack.
Stephen Wood
2021 Finalist
As the name suggests, the Broad Street Sour takes its inspiration from a Philadelphia favorite, the Clover Club. Wood mixes Gentleman Jack with raspberry-infused white vermouth and juniper spiced triple syrup to create a delicious synthesis of the classic Whiskey Sour and the Clover Club. Wood explains, “I have a plethora of amazing memories on Broad Street and this cocktail is an ode to my love for Philly.”