Let's Drink

Nolet Spirits tasked the Mina Group bartenders with creating winning cocktails featuring Nolet's Silver Dry Gin. Of the thirty-one employees who crafted some very creative inventions, the competition voting is in. We are proud to announce the following winners:

Overall Best Cocktail:
Shiedam Blossom - Carlo Splendorini from MICHAEL MINA San Francisco
Flor de Peche - Michael Main from BOURBON STEAK Arizona
Un Besito (de Jorge) - Alicia Mees from MICHAEL MINA Las Vegas

Most Original:
Toco Toucan Turns Twenty-Five - Suzanne Miller from CLOCK BAR San Francisco

Most Cocktails Sold by an Individual Bartender:
No... Let's Drink - Monica Weishaupt from STRIPSTEAK Las Vegas

Best Overall Bar Team:
NOBHiLL TAVERN Las Vegas - Davin Doedl with Silver Rose and Michael Harold with Nolet's Mar-Ti-Ni

A big thanks to all who participated, and congratulations to all of the winners! Happy drinking...

Listed below are recipes for the cocktails entered in the competition:

RN74, San Francisco

Pommes-er-All

By Justin Roberts

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 oz Pommeau
  • 3/4 oz basil syrup
  • 3/4 oz lemon
  • 1/2 oz Falernum

Combine all ingredients, shake with ice and serve up. Garnish with a float of Prosecco and lemon peel.

French Connection

By Nick Varcalli

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1/2 oz Pinot Noir
  • 1/2 oz lemon
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup
  • 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc
  • 4-6 raspberries

Muddle the raspberries with the simple syrup. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Double-strain into an all-purpose glass. Garnish with mint.

AmorgaFlor

By Miguel Menesses

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz elderflower liqueur
  • Pinch of thyme
  • Splash of lemon
  • Dash of orange bitters
  • 1 cubed kumquat

Combine all ingredients, shake with ice and strain over rocks.

Dutch 76

By Nicole Elwick

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Domaine de Canton
  • 3/4 oz pear purée
  • 1/2 oz lemon
  • 1/2 oz juniper syrup

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Double-strain the cocktail and serve up. Garnish with a float of Prosecco.

AMERICAN FISH, Las Vegas

Clockwork Orange

By Eric Forlini

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • 3/4 oz lemon juice
  • 5 slices of red jalapeño

Muddle red jalapeño in a cocktail glass. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Double-strain and serve up in a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

MICHAEL MINA, Las Vegas

Un Besito (de Jorge)

Alicia Mees

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1/2 oz Hum liqueur
  • 3/4 oz sweet and sour mix
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup
  • 3-4 jalapeño slices
  • Splash of lemon juice

Combine all ingredients, shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Using a whipped cream dispenser, top the drink off with pineapple espuma. Then spray Hum liqueur over a lip-shaped stencil on top of the espuma.

Powell Street Shandy

By Kristin Truman

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 1/2 oz yuzu syrup
  • 1 oz Domaine de Canton
  • 1/2 oz lime juice
  • Splash of ginger beer
  • 3 oz Stella Artois

Combine all ingredients over ice in a snifter glass. Garnish with two kaffir lime leaves.

BOURBON STEAK, Miami

Yellow Twist

By Peter Roca

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Royal Tokaji Late Harvest
  • 3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
  • 2 dashes peach bitters

Combine all ingredients and shake well with ice. Serve up in a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Genievre Framboise

By Carlos Stein

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz crème de framboise
  • 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
  • 1/2 oz lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz dry vermouth
  • 1/4 oz Lucid Absinthe
  • Dash of Peychaud's Bitters

Combine all ingredients and shake well with ice. Serve up in a martini glass rimmed with juniper sugar. Garnish with a lemon twist.

STONEHILL TAVERN, Dana Point

Nolet's Silver Roquette

By Jaren Singh

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/4 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 oz agave nectar
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • Baby arugula

Muddle eight pieces of baby arugula with lime juice and agave nectar. Add ice and gin and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Top with house-made soda water. Garnish with baby arugula.

Gin and Juice

By Sten Green

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/4 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 and 1/4 oz grapefruit juice
  • 1 and 1/4 oz orange juice
  • 1/2 oz agave nectar
  • 1/2 oz lime juice

Combine ingredients in and shake vigorously with ice. Strain into a martini glass rimmed with Tang sugar. Garnish with a lime twist.

MICHAEL MINA, San Francisco

Schiedam Blossom

By Carlo Splendorini

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz lavender-ginger cordial
  • 1/2 oz Ginjo sake
  • 3/4 oz lemon juice
  • 1/2 egg white

Combine the ingredients into a shaker and dry shake for five seconds. Add ice, shake vigorously for 10 seconds, then fine-strain into a copita glass. Garnish with kaffir lime leaf.

The Sting

By Jennifer Russick

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
  • 3/4 oz sage honey
  • 3/4 oz lemon juice
  • 2 muddled mandarin segments

Muddle two mandarin segments in a Collins glass. Add two sage leaves. Combine all ingredients, shake with ice and fine-strain into prepared glass. Top off with crushed ice.

Gin Rummy

By Kate Bolton

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 and 1/2 oz strawberry-basil cordial
  • 1 oz Laurent-Perrier Rosé
  • 1/2 oz Amaro Nardini
  • 1/2 oz lemon juice
  • Pinch of chiffonade basil

Place basil in a Collins glass. In a shaker, combine the following: gin, strawberry-basil cordial, Amaro Nardini and lemon. Shake vigorously and strain into prepared glass. Add ice and then top off with Laurent-Perrier Rosé.

BOURBON STEAK, San Francisco

Silk Pajamas

By AJ Ferrari

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 oz La Spinetta Moscato
  • 1 oz Dolin Blanc
  • 1 drop rose water

Combine all ingredients and stir. Pour into martini glass and garnish with three microflowers.

Sazerac's Sister

By Nic Russel

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3 generous dashes of grapefruit bitters
  • 1 tablespoon of superfine sugar

Combine all ingredients and stir to dissolve sugar. Fill with ice and stir again. Pour into Luxardo Maraschino-sprayed rocks glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Pure

By Kathy Mintun

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3 drops St-Germain elderflower liqueur

Combine ingredients and stir. Pour into rocks glass with two large ice cubes.

CLOCK BAR, San Francisco

End of the Visible Spectrum

By Steve Mercer

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 oz fresh grapefruit
  • 1/4 oz agave nectar
  • 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz crème de violette
  • 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
  • 3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Combine all ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime horse's neck.

Silver Sun

By Russel Quimby

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 oz agave nectar
  • 1/2 oz Royal Combier Liqueur d'Orange
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Splash of ginger beer

Combine all ingredients (except ginger beer) and shake with ice. Double-strain into a Collins glass. Add ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Toco Toucan Turns 25

By Suzanne Miller

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 oz sweetened coconut milk
  • 3/4 oz orange juice
  • 4 dashes orange flower water

Rub lemon wedge over the outside of a sherry tasting glass, halfway down the glass. Rim the glass with toasted coconut. Shake all ingredients lightly over ice for six seconds. Double-strain into the coconut-rimmed tasting glass.

Emily's Rose

By Emily Smith

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1/2 oz rose geranium syrup
  • 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1 oz Peychaud's Bitters
  • 1 dash Fee Brothers Blood Orange Bitters
  • Pinch of fresh mint

Combine all ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Double-strain into a chilled tasting glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with three organic pink rose petals floated on top.

NOBHILL TAVERN, Las Vegas

Silver Rose

By Davin Roedl

Ingredients:

  • 2 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin and rosemary infusion (recipe below)
  • 3/4 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
  • 3/4 oz POM pomegranate juice

Gin and rosemary infusion recipe:
Combine 10 rosemary leaves per 3 oz of Nolet's Silver Dry Gin. Let stand for 45 minutes, then strain.

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Serve up in a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Nolet's Mar-Tea-Ni

By Michael Harold

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin and Earl Grey infusion
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • 1 mint spring
  • Dash of rhubarb bitters

Gin and Earl Grey infusion recipe:
Combine 1 cup Nolet's Silver Dry Gin, 1 tablespoon loose-leaf Earl Grey tea. Let stand for two hours, then strain.

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Serve up in a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

STRIPSTEAK, Las Vegas

No...Let's Drink!!

By Monica Weishaupt

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1/2 oz raspberry syrup
  • 1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 5 raspberries
  • 1 oz Meyer lemon sparkling water

Muddle raspberries in a cocktail shaker. Add gin, raspberry syrup and lemon juice; shake with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Top off with Meyer lemon sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon twist and raspberry.

The June Bug

By Renato Collado

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 2 basil leaves

Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Pour short over ice. Garnish with a basil leaf and cucumber wheel.

Lois Lane

By Anthony Degregorio

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1 and 1/2 oz blood orange purée
  • Dash of lime juice
  • Dash of rock candy syrup
  • 2 oz Moscato

Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a champagne flute and top off with Moscato. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

And the Beet Goes On....

By Chris Lampkin

Ingredients:

  • 2 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1/4 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
  • 1/4 oz Loimer Grüner
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 1/2 oz sweet and sour mix
  • 1 red beet, cooked

Muddle beet in a glass. Add all other ingredients and shake with ice. Strain over ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Nolet's Limeade

By Rachel Gutierrez

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/4 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
  • 1/4 Cointreau
  • 1 oz sweet and sour mix
  • 1/2 oz rock candy syrup
  • 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
  • Tonic water

Combine all ingredients (except tonic water) and shake with ice. Pour into Collins glass and top off with tonic water.

BOURBON STEAK, Scottsdale

Mynx

By Hillary Calik

Ingredients:

  • Nolet's Silver
  • Prickly pear purée
  • Yuzu juice
  • St-Germain elderflower liqueur

Serve up with a lemon peel.

Fleur de Pêche

By Michael Maine

Ingredients:

  • Nolet's Silver
  • Viognier syrup
  • Aperol
  • Dash of peach bitters

Serve up with a frozen white peach.

SEABLUE, Atlantic City

"Gin"ger Sunset

By Mary Tompkins

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver
  • 1/2 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
  • 1/2 oz fresh lime
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 2 fresh strawberries

Gin Cu

By Diego Ramirez

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver
  • 1/2 oz dry sherry
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 2 slices of peeled fresh cucumber

Pegu Club

By Theresa York

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver
  • 1/2 oz fresh lime
  • 1/2 oz fresh tangerine
  • Dash of Angostura Bitters