U.S. Mixologist Places Fourth In International Drinks Competition

Vegas bartender mixes it up with the world's best bartenders in the Arctic Circle

Levi, Finland (Feb. 5, 2010) - In what could be called the Olympics of Mixology, 31 of the world's best bartenders from around the globe braved arctic temperatures high atop the world here on Tuesday in hopes of capturing the 12th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup.

Among them was Patricia Richards from Las Vegas, Nevada. Patricia won the right to represent the U.S. after beating out six other bartenders from around the country. Though Patricia did not win the Finlandia Vodka Cup, she finished fourth, the highest finish ever for a U.S. contestant in the 12-year history of the competition.

"The Finlandia Vodka Cup was a phenomenal experience, unlike anything I have ever done in my entire life," said Richards. "The competition was like a mini-United Nations as you have bartenders from all over the world with one thing in common, the love of mixology."

One of the more unique components to the competition is it is held in the IceBar at the Snow Village in Levi, Finland. The environment is not only physically challenging for the competitors but normal ingredients, such as syrups and juices, react differently in the minus zero Celsius temperatures.

"After the first cocktail, my fingers were numb," she said. "My strawberry garnishes on my first drink were literally frozen to the ice bar and I had to scrape them off. Plus, the dilution... you normally get 20-25 percent dilution from the ice in a regular setting, but because it was so cold, it did not happen."

During the Finals, each competitor had to demonstrate his or her range of mixology talents by crafting three unique creations in the aperitif, long drink and the "Quick Mix" categories. In the "Quick Mix" category, contestants were given a mystery basket of drink ingredients 10 minutes prior to the competition. During that time, each contestant was to invent a new drink recipe and then given five additional minutes to mix the concoction. Any extra time resulted in losing valuable points. This category was meant to challenge each competitor's mixology skills.

The ingredients in the Quick Mix basket this year included Finlandia Classic, Finlandia Tangerine Fusion, Finlandia Blackcurrant Fusion, and an assortment of fresh juices and fruits from which the bartenders could select up to four. Patricia selected Finlandia Tangerine Fusion, lime juice, a mango puree and simple syrup to deliver a well-balanced drink, which tied for 4th place in the category.

Patricia original recipes for the competition were:

Nirvana Sour- Aperitif
1 1/2 oz. Finlandia Grapefruit Vodka_1/2 oz. Aperol Aperitivo
1 small, fresh strawberry (washed & hulled)
3/4 oz. Darbo Elderflower Syrup
1 oz. Homemade Lemon Sour

Strain into a chilled martini/cocktail glass. Garnish with thin slice strawberry and small mint sprig.

Forest Berry Cooler- Long Drink
2 oz. Finlandia Wild Berries Fusion
1/4 oz. Clear Creek, Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir
2 oz. Ocean Spray White Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
3/4 oz. Darbo Lingonberry Syrup

In a Collins glass, spear peeled rosemary sprig with several defrosted cranberries.

As often happens, mixologists are called upon to improvise in situations. Because of a broken bottle, Patricia had to substitute St. Germain Elderflower liquor, which was graciously donated by the bartender from Ireland, in her first cocktail during the Finals.__"I really enjoyed the competition and would love to come back next year," she said.

With Patricia's talents, she just may. Congratulations to her on an impressive finish in the 12th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup Finals.

For more information about the Finlandia Vodka Cup, or to set up an interview with Ms. Richards, please contact David Page at 502-439-8520. Also, for additional photos, visit Finlandia's Facebook page at facebook.com/finlandiavodka

About the 12th International Finlandia Vodka Cup Finals:
In order to compete in the Finlandia Vodka Cup Finals in Finland, competitors had to win regional competitions in their home countries. These winners were invited to Finland for the chance to represent their country in the International Finals. During the Finals, each competitor had to demonstrate his or her range of mixology talents by crafting three unique creations in the aperitif, long drink and the "Quick Mix" categories.

Every drink the bartenders crafted had to be a new creation based on Finlandia Vodka, or a member of its flavor family: Cranberry Fusion, Lime Fusion, Redberry Fusion, Mango Fusion, Wild Berries Fusion, Grapefruit Fusion Tangerine Fusion or Blackcurrant Fusion. After each round, the drinks were judged by an international jury on the aroma, appearance, and most importantly, taste of each cocktail. The winner was determined by the most cumulative points in all three categories.

After all the mixing was done this year and the scores tallied, Slovakia's Anton Velich was nominated as the best of the best. The winning cocktails were:

CU-MARTINI - Aperitif
4 cl Finlandia Vodka
2 cl Lime juice
1.5 cl Peach Tree liquor
1.5 cl Pomelo syrup
4 x Fresh cucumber slice

Garnish: Fresh slice cucumber

FINLANCIA ICECREAM - Long Drink
4 cl Finlandia Mango Vodka
2 cl Coconut syrup
2 cl Lime juice
5 cl Mango juice
5 cl Strawberry juice

Garnish: Fresh mint & strawberry

RED DREAM - Quick Mix
4 cl Finlandia Blackcurrant Vodka
2 cl Fresh Pomegranate juice
1 cl Simply syrup
Float Champagne

Garnish: Lime peel

About the Location:
The Snow Village of Levi, Finland is a majestic winter oasis, and was the setting for the 12th Annual International Finlandia Cup Finals. The Snow Village features The Snow Hotel, a bar & restaurant appropriately called IceBar, and hosts a plethora of winter activities. The Snow Village is located approximately 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. Constructed out of nearly 1.5 million kilos of snow and an additional 300,000 kilos of crystal clear ice, the Snow Village could be described as the eighth wonder of the world.

About Finlandia Vodka
Finlandia Vodka Worldwide Ltd (FVW) is owned 100% by Brown-Forman Corporation, a diversified producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel's, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Tequila Herradura, el Jimador Tequila, Canadian Mist, Fetzer and Bonterra wines, and Korbel California Champagnes.

Enjoy The World's Finest Vodka™ Responsibly. finlandia.com or facebook.com/finlandiavodka_(c)2009 Finlandia Vodka Worldwide Ltd., Helsinki, Finland. Finlandia Vodkas, 40% Alc./Vol. Imported by Brown-Forman Beverages, Louisville, Kentucky USA