Food+Drink

EC Bartender Wins Cocktail Competition

Max Martinson |

Marco Ortiz (Image: Dive)
Marco Ortiz (Image: Kyle Lehman, Dive)

Two bartenders from The Informalist and Dive did exceptionally well in the recent Copper & Kings Mixt&pe Cocktail Competition in Minneapolis. Working bartenders participating in the contest created drinks using Copper & Kings products, and each drink was inspired by an artist or song. The first round was an online submission of each applicant’s recipe, paired with a photo of the completed drink. Six applicants from our region were chosen to move on, and two of them happened to be coworkers here in Eau Claire. Initially, while Peter Diedrick was headed to Minneapolis to compete, Marco Ortiz was under the impression that he hadn’t reached the second round. “It turned out that there was an error with my email so I was never informed that my drink had made it,” Marco said. He drove to Minneapolis just in time to present his beverage. Marco titled his drink “For Emma,” as it was inspired by Bon Iver’s first album, For Emma, Forever Ago. It is a brighter, fruitier take on a brandy Old Fashioned. Marco ended up scoring well and winning the second round. As a result, he will be traveling to Kentucky to compete in the finals July 13-16. Diedrick came in right behind Ortiz with his own potent potable, “Peaches en Regalia,” named for a Frank Zappa song.