TRULY Cocktail Tasting

I recently enjoyed a cocktail contest at Republic Restoratives, a distillery in D.C. (read that blog post here). It was so much fun, and I was very excited when I learned about a similar event taking place at Crimson's whiskey bar in Chinatown. Along with the Washington City Paper, they were hosting a cocktail contest, this time using TRULY hard seltzer.

I love the dark-wood vibe of the Crimson whiskey bar. Image found here.

Instead of just five tastings like at RR, we had ELEVEN mini-cocktails. The event originally said we would taste twelve, but I only had 8.5 and was plenty tipsy after those. Here's what we tried:

Our first cocktail was so yummy! The fruit and floral flavors were well-balanced, and we each got a little love-note! (Shame on me for not asking if I could move the rolls; I can't remember her name or what bar she works for!)

Shelly Caviness from Crimson made our second cocktail, but it was not my favorite. It wasn't as sweet at the first, and I'm not a fan of ginger.

This bartender, Christopher Chapman-Shakra from the Coconut Club, was at the event at Republic Restoratives! This drink was like a mint lemonade, and it had a delectable Rasta man berry as a garnish!

This cute pink drink was a little watered down from sitting out on the counter. My friends and I thought the bartender, Cheston Sobande from CALICO,  should have used POM for a stronger pomegranate flavor. The aroma from the large sprig of rosemary almost covered the taste of the drink!

This drink was SO vanilla-y! Emily nicely described it as "a lemon cupcake in liquid form." Jim on the other hand said it tasted like "the Pillsbury Dough-boy's butt hole." Charming, I know. Created by Ian Fletcher from The Fainting Goat.

This cocktail made by Mreaed Mengesha from Doyle Bar got my vote, and I don't even like coffee! I think the sweetness and creaminess reminded me of ice cream or chocolate milk; there was some nostalgia about it, I guess. Dessert in a cup!

This drink was less sweet but very good. It was Jim's favorite, since he likes the bitter taste of a sour. This creation from Andrew Lamkin from The Alex got his vote!

This one tasted like licorice, which a lot of people don't like, including me. The whole thing was kind of blah, to the point that Katy said it was "offensive." Needless to say, none of us finished that cocktail. Created by Aysha Scott from Landmark Atlantic Plumbing.

I liked the cinnamon rim on this one! It was pretty sweet, especially with the pear juice and syrup. I was a fan! Created by Katie Gentsch from Beuchert's Saloon.

This drink from Frank Mills from Roy Boys was one of the only ones using a flavored TRULY. While I like sweet drinks, this one was actually sickeningly so: berry seltzer, strawberry syrup, grapefruit juice...too much of a good thing.

Thank goodness all of those drinks were balanced with some food! The fried chicken sliders were delicious, the deviled eggs were good (and pink from beet juice!), and their well-known pimento cheese did not disappoint. Yummy!

A people's choice winner and Crimson's vote for best cocktail were announced, but it was so hard to hear (and honestly, at that point my head was spinning), so I don't know who won. But in the end, aren't they all winners? As attendees, my friends and I certainly were winning: for less than $30 each, we enjoyed the equivalent of four/five cocktails and great food. You can't beat that!

PS: There was a jalapeño drink made by Paul Martinez from Chicken + Whiskey, but I don't like jalapeño, so I didn't even bother to try it. #SorryNotSorry