Indiana's Cocktail Contest

The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is "shaking things up" with an invitation to submit recipes for the Making Indiana's Cocktail Contest, a competition designed to select the Hoosier state's 2015 unofficial cocktail.

The competition comes at a time when the museum is preparing to host the national traveling exhibit "American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" and its grand opening fundraiser "Indiana Spirits".

All Indiana bartenders are encouraged to submit a recipe by the September 12 deadline. One of three required spirit brands must be included for the contest: American Harvest Vodka, Knob Creek or Jack Daniels (because the event is co-sponsored by Republic National Distributing Company of Imdiana). Bartenders are also encouraged to connect their recipe to Indiana's rich history and culture.

Guests attending "Indiana Spirits" October 3 will sample the top three recipes. Following the opening event and continuing through January 1, 2015, Hoosiers will be encouraged to visit the three bars represented by the finalists and partake in public voting to name Indiana's 2015 cocktail.

Rules for Recipe:
• No homemade ingredients (i.e., aged vermouth/bitters, spirit infusions, etc.)
• Easily available ingredients (i.e., sodas, tonics, juices, bitters, simple syrups, etc.)
• No more than five ingredients per cocktail, including one of the required spirit brands
• Submit recipes by September 12 to the Indiana State Museum or your RNDC sales representative
• If recipe is selected as a finalist, attendance is required at the Indiana State Museum's Indiana Spirits event October 3 to showcase cocktail

Criteria
• Creativity
• Practicality
• Representation of Indiana
• Taste (presentation, flavor, balance, use of brands and ingredients)

Judging
• The top 10 recipes will be judged and selected by a committee of local beverage professionals, bartenders and community representatives
• The top three recipes will be represented and showcased at "Indiana Spirits"
• October 4 through January 1, 2015, people's choice online votes will be tabulated culminating with the selection of Indiana's 2015 cocktail

Top three prizes
• Basket of spirits
• two Indianapolis Colts tickets
• Showcase at "Indiana Spirits" October 3

Top prize
• Voted Indiana's 2015 cocktail
• Featured in The Beverage Journal
• VIP tour of the Jim Beam American Stillhouse, Clermont, Kentucky or Jack Daniels Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee. (hotel and travel included)

(Photo by Stephanie Syjuco)