And the winner is… Michael Jones from Seven Lamps in Atlanta, Georgia, was named the 2013 Merlet Sidecar Cocktail Competition champion. The event took place July 20 at the legendary “Tales of the Cocktail” held annually in New Orleans. Michael’s winning drinks were the Cuvee du Merlet and the Brennus Suppressor #3.
           

Michael and a guest will travel to France to visit the Merlet distillery and the beautiful Borderies / Fins BoisFrench countryside area in Cognac. They will spend time with the Merlet family, learning how to distill cognac and two days and one night in Paris. In Paris, they will be introduced to the French press and Michael’s drinks will be showcased to an international audience.
This competition asked bartenders to use Merlet Cognac and another spirit from the Merlet portfolio to make two different drinks. The first needed to celebrate the timeless spirit of the Sidecar, paying homage to its story and history and the other was a drink entirely of their own creation. The only stipulation was to let Merlet liqueurs shine! 
         

 “It’s always a great pleasure to have this competition in New Orleans,” says Luc Merlet, director of marketing and sales at Distillerie Merlet & Fils. “The contest’s popularity is growing and we were honored to have some of the best bartenders in United States participate.”