"Big Lex" cocktail is sweet. Way sweet.

[Robin Garr]

A local cocktail competition in Kentucky's second city has yielded The Big Lex, said to be the first cocktail ever named in the city's honor. Sweet? More than sweet ... the thing, built in honor of the coming World Equestrian Games, is so full of fruit and sugar that it looks more like a dessert than a drink to me.

According to a news release, six bartenders from Lexington's Bluegrass Hospitality Group - Malone's, Sal's, Harry's, Drake's, Malone's Banquets and Aqua Sushi - competed in the contest sponsored by the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Bartenders were required to use Bourbon and could add up to five more ingredients, with extra credit given for using Kentucky Proud products.

The winning cocktail, the "Kentucky Cobbler," was created by Joshua Cecil of Malone's Lansdowne location. Here's the recipe:

The Big Lex
1 1/4 oz. Maker's Mark
3 oz. simple syrup infused with KY Proud blackberries & strawberries
1 squeeze of orange or lemon
Splash of 7-up

"The Big Lex" will be served at all Bluegrass Hospitality Group restaurants between now and the Alltech Games, which will be held Sept. 25-Oct. 10.

Looks like a good drink to serve someone that doesn't like bourbon.

Looks like a good drink to serve someone that doesn't like bourbon.

It's basically three parts syrup to one part bourbon. Switch that, and I could get behind it.

Wow, reading the recipe would make one think this was flavored sugar-water.

The simple truth about making recipes with simple syrups is that you always have to define the process behind making the syrup.

I'm betting to win, this thing drank more like a sour/slightly sweet, berry puree (maybe clarified...)

They just called the 'mix' a simple syrup, methinks.

A cobbler is spirit, fruit, sugar- beat up and strained over ice. Usually pretty food-friendly affairs. I love the technique and use it often.

Or I could be completely wrong.

A perfect ingredient for this technique is pommegarante seeds. The fruit itself is a blessing of nature. The almost inseperable seeds- bitter, almostruiningyourmeal bombs. Place them in a tin, add a light amount of sugar and. Dry-shake them and the fruit peels away from the seed (which adds the bitter element that cocktalians look for.)

Add spirit, secondaries. Shake. Pour over ice. Timeless.

I want to hire Stephen to just make me one interesting cocktail every day. And I'd drink it before going in the front door..just to make everything seem "smoother".

I want to hire Stephen to just make me one interesting cocktail every day. And I'd drink it before going in the front door..just to make everything seem "smoother".

The front door of your house or work?

At home! Work is way less stressful than home!
Stephen just has such a way of writing that makes every drink sound so wonderful!