Cocktail Apprentices

Cointreau Liqueur, the legendary French spirit established in 1849, is proud to once again partner on the third annual Cocktail Apprentice Program (CAP) with Tales of the Cocktail, the premier cocktail and culinary festival that celebrates the history and culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans July 21-25.

The Tales of the Cocktail Apprentice Program was developed in 2008 to give talented bartenders the opportunity to apprentice with some of the world’s most influential mixologists, and further develop their bartending skills. Tales of the Cocktail, Cointreau and the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society have come together to support the next generation of mixologists through the CAP, providing scholarships to select cocktail apprentices who will study at a location where they will be able to get hands on experience with renowned bartenders and spirits professionals.

Participants in the Tales of the Cocktail Cocktail Apprentice Program will have several opportunities to hone their craft, while learning from some of the most skilled veterans of the cocktail industry. Working directly with presenters during the highly sought after seminars, the program gives participants an opportunity to work on large scale events, providing experience they may not normally encounter in their day to day activity.

As Don Lee, a leader of the Cocktail Apprentice Program, states, “With over 60 seminars and 15,000 attendees, the Tales of the Cocktail CAP creates challenges that many of these individuals have not had to deal with behind a bar. The program requires participants to develop an instantaneous understanding of how to streamline functions both creatively and with complete savvy, simultaneously working with 100% efficiency as a team.”

This year’s Cocktail Apprentice Program held a record number of entries, consisting of 150 well-qualified applicants. Competition was fierce with participants reaching across the globe - from as close as New Orleans to as far as Australia. Each of the 50 cocktail apprentices in the 2010 class (up from 36 last year) was selected based on cocktail recipe submissions and answers to a series of questions indicating their level of experience in the industry.

Cocktail Apprentice Leaders:

John Deragon, Jeff Grdinich and Don Lee will continue in the role of Tournant. Each Tournant is an apprentice leader with a comprehensive understanding of all elements of the program.

Leo Robitschek, Mike Ryan and Eric Simpkins will take on the role of Commis. Each Commis is an apprentice leader that specializes in one of three areas. Mike will oversee the kitchen and prep areas for all cocktails. Leo will supervise and manage the execution of all cocktails at offsite events. Eric will focus on inventory management. These three Commis leaders were selected at the end of the 2009 Cocktail Apprentice Program based on leadership skills presented throughout the week. In addition to the honor of leading the apprentices in 2010, these individuals were given the opportunity to visit the Cointreau distillery in Anger, France. It is these leaders who will be responsible for selecting next year’s leaders - those who, throughout the rigorous week, show outstanding leadership skills amongst their peers.

The Selection Process:

The cocktail apprentice leadership team used a multi-stage review process based on a point system to narrow down the choices. The first several rounds were conducted blind, awarding points based solely on essay responses, and minimizing the field. Names, employment info, and any recommendations were not considerations for this part of the process. Those who survived round one were then awarded more points based on event experience. For the third step of the review the leaders removed their blinders and gave weight to other factors in order to create a staff balanced between regions, past apprentice and levels of experience from the semi-finalists. The final selection created consistent balance, providing the necessary experience to successfully carry out an enormous amount of work, while also giving an opportunity to those bartenders newer to the industry.

First, we would like to acknowledge the following Cocktail Apprentices who are returning:

Bryan Matthys
Izakaya Ten
New York, New York
2009

Cassie Fellet
Stockade Tavern
Kingston, New York
2008, 2009

Corey Bunnewith
Coppa
Boston, Massachusetts
2009

Eryn Reece
Rye House and Louis 649
New York, New York
2009

Franky Marshall
The Clover Club
Brooklyn, New York
2009

Kimberly Patton-Bragg
Domenica
New Orleans, Louisiana
2008, 2009

Nicholas Jarrett
Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2009

Tiffany Soles
Irvan Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse New Orleans, Louisiana
2009

The remaining, talented twenty-seven are first-time Tales of the Cocktail’s Cocktail Apprentices, and will be a part of the class of 2010:

Adam Robinson
Park Kitchen
Portland, Oregon

Bradley Bolt
Bar DeVille
Chicago, Illinois

Bradley Farran
Clover Club
Brooklyn, New York

California Gold
Drink
Boston, Massachusetts

Chad Doll
Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Christine Nielson
American Sector
New Orleans, Louisiana

Christopher Churilla
Cloud 9 and Downward Dog
Corvallis, Oregon

Cristiana DeLucca
The Drawing Room
Chicago, Illinois

Cristina Dehlavi
M Restaurant
Columbus, Ohio

Daniel de Oliveira
Mercadito and Double A
Chicago, Illinois

Eamon Rockey
Eleven Madison Park
New York, New York

Erica Pearce
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
Colombus, Ohio

Evan Martin
Naga Cocktail Lounge
Bellevue, Washington

Frank Cisneros
Prime Meats and Dram
Brooklyn, New York

Hal Wolin
A Muddled Though
New York, New York

Jamie Kilgore
Terrene
St. Louis, Missouri

Jared Schubert
732 Social
Louisville, Kentucky

Jonathan Armstrong
The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Luis Bustamante
St. George Spirits and Hangar One
San Francisco, California

Matthew Eggleston
recently of Smuggler’s Cove
San Francisco, California

Meaghan Dorman
Raines Law Room
New York City, New York

Michelle Peake
Acacia Midtown
Richmond, Virginia

Naomi Schimek
First and Hope
Los Angeles, California

Navarro Carr
Beleza Lounge
Atlanta, Georgia

Neil Kopplin
Clyde Common, Carlyle, and Bluehouse
Portland, Oregon

Patrick O’Brien
SkyBar
Tucson, Arizona

Rachel Kim
Momofuku Ssam Bar
New York, New York

Robert Leavey
The Broadmoor
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Sharon Floyd
Iris Restaurant
New Orleans, Louisiana

Sierra Zimei
Four Seasons Hotel
San Francisco, California

Summer Voelker
Embury and Firehouse Lounge
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sudeep Rangi
Suggler’s Cove
San Francisco, California

Sylvia Cosmopoulos
Republic National Distributing

Ted Kilgore
Taste Bar
St. Louis, Missouri

Thomas Klus
BlueHour and Teardrop Lounge
Portland, Oregon

Thomas Speechley
1806 Cocktail Bar
Melbourne, Australia

William Dollard
Cure and Café Ameile
New Orleans, Louisiana