Fruit Fest is No.1 . . . Oxley’s cocktail wins Mixology Competition

The annual Celebrity Mixology Competition which is staged at the Holetown Festival came off last Saturday after being rescheduled due to rain last Wednesday night.

Former national volleyballer Elwyn Oxley emerged the winner of the competition which was sponsored by the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) Food and Rum Festival.

He defeated defending champions, the comedic duo of Rum & Koke, and also new contestants Marquest Clarke-Griffith of Chefette Restaurants and Harcliffe Gilkes of Truck Freaks.

Oxley created a cocktail called Fruit Fest. It was a mixture of fruits with Mount Gay Eclipse rum. The method he used for blending was muddling.

Clarke-Griffith took second place with her cocktail called Refreshing Grandeur. It contained pineapple, cucumber, peppermint and simple syrup with Mount Gay Eclipse.

Gilkes copped third place with Blue Mood. He used Black Barrel rum with pineapple juice and other ingredients.

Even after a fanciful introduction and explanation of their cocktail, Rum & Koke still had to settle for last. Their cocktail called We Gatherin was said to be “too potent”. The duo muddled their blend of strawberries, cucumber, orange, lime, brown sugar and Black Barrel rum to create the cocktail.

The four competitors were judged by top local mixologists Ryan Adamson and Damien Williams.

Directly after the cocktail showdown, there was a Beer Drinking competition. Four tourists, two males and two females did battle to see who could consume the most deputy beer. It was as much fun to watch as it was for them on the stage since they clearly could not contain their joy.

The winner walked away with a case of Deputy. (IMC)