CALLING ALL BARTENDERS
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We’re excited to invite bartenders to compete in the second annual Barr Hill Royal Jelly Cocktail Competition. The Barr Hill Royal Jelly Competition is open to bartenders from VT, NH, ME, MA, NY, NJ, CT, RI and PA.
Show off your best Barr Hill Bee’s Knees variation for a chance to win a trip to Vermont while helping raise awareness for the importance of our pollinator pals.
Barr Hill uses raw honey to make award winning spirits that are better for pollinators, palates and the planet. The Barr Hill Royal Jelly Competition seeks to shine a light on the vital role pollinators play in our delicate food systems, highlighting the connection between agriculture and cocktail culture.
The competition will take place August 25, 2024 at our James Beard nominated Bar and Distillery in beautiful Montpelier, Vermont.
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WHAT IS ROYAL JELLY?
So, what is Royal Jelly? It's the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the bee’s knees (as some might say)! Royal jelly is a decadent, nutrient rich jelly made by bees that's fed exclusively to a hive’s Queen Bee and its young. It’s a truly special miracle food, prolonging the life of the Queen Bee from a couple months (for average honey bees) to 4-5 years!
How the competition works
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Barr HIll is looking for your variation of the classic Bee’s Knees cocktail, while highlighting the importance of sustainability in our food and beverage industry.
To be selected for the competition in VT, recipes will be judged blind by an esteemed judging panel on the basis of appearance, aroma, creativity, taste, sustainability and overall presentation. A breakdown of judging can be found HERE. Read it carefully and apply!
HOW TO ENTER
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- Design your Bee’s Knees Cocktail (Cocktail Parameters: must contain Barr Hill Gin, lemon in any shape or form, American honey in any shape or form. Other spirits and ingredients can be added.)
- You will also need to submit 1 photo, one 30-60 second video (optional), recipe, sustainability notes and inspiration behind the cocktail.
- Go to THIS FORM to submit your cocktail recipe, photo and video.
- Fill out the form with your information. Click on the “Submit” button to submit your entry.
- Eight bartenders will be chosen by our judges to come to Vermont to compete with their cocktail creation for a chance to be crowned the “Royal Jelly”!
- Submissions are open July 1, 2024 and will close July 26, 2024.
- That’s it! You will be contacted by July 29th if selected to move forward in the competition and join us in Vermont to compete!
Meet Our Judges
Confirmed judges below with one more coming soon!
![](http://www.barrhill.com/cdn/shop/files/RobertSimonson.jpg?v=1718630714&width=3000)
![](http://www.barrhill.com/cdn/shop/files/image_6487327.jpg?v=1690463544&width=3000)
![](http://www.barrhill.com/cdn/shop/files/PattyB.jpg?v=1718652445&width=3000)
PRIZES
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WHAT YOU WIN
All 8 Competitors who are selected will be invited to Vermont for a two night stay. The Competition is only part of it – expect to venture out into the Green Mountains to meet our bees, enjoy a full distillery tour with Founder and Head Distiller Ryan Christiansen, learn from our judges in a presentation and explore our landscape with local agriculture sustainability experts.
We will have 3 top awards. Below is a list of current prizes and more will be added soon. -
FIRST PLACE
- Barr Hill comes to your Bar during Bees Knees Week to celebrate your cocktail!
- Flower Crown
- Return trip to judge next year
- Signed books by all the judges
- Bottles of Tom Cat, Barr Hill and Phyllis all signed by judges
- Backpack
- Barr Hill leather flask from Bergamot & Amor
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SECOND PLACE
- Signed books by all the judges
- Bottles of Tom Cat, Barr Hill and Phyllis all signed by judges
- Fanny pack
- Barr Hill leather flask from Bergamot & Amor
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THIRD PLACE
- Bottles of Tom Cat, Barr Hill and Phyllis all signed by judges
- Fanny pack
- Barr Hill leather flask from Bergamot & Amor