Guest Blogger, Priscilla Willis of She’s Cookin’ shares the winning recipes from The 
In May,The Bungalow Restaurant, a popular Newport Beach area establishment for over sixteen years, invited all local professional and amateur mixologists and home bartenders to submit an original cocktail recipe for their first quarterly cocktail competition. With warm summer months and seasonal produce in mind, recipes were to include a muddling step using seasonal ingredients. Four finalists were selected for the Happy Hour showdown where they created their concoctions for a panel of four judges who nameda winner based on creativity, unique ingredients and flavor.
Located on Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, the Bungalow is a favorite of locals and visitors to the area who, if they dropped by last Thursday to wet their whistle with one of the Bungalow’s famous martinis, had a hard time finding a seat or bellying up to the bar as last Thursday’s Summer Muddled Cocktail Contest drew a full house of regulars, cheering friends, and local media. Not one to turn down a cocktail invitation, I was there with Teri Williams ofGreat Tastemagazine, who joinedSusan Belknapp of theOC Metroand two other Orange County expert tasters front and center for the tough job of judging the creative libations. With iPhone in hand and waning sunlight washing the dimly lit intimate bar area, I wedged my way between onlookers to capture some of the action.
Benjamin Webb (above), 32, of Corona del Mar, wowed the judges with his mixology chops and the resulting complex flavors in his cocktail: The Mifflin. He garnered first place and went home with a $250 gift card.
Please see winning recipes: The Mifflin, 1st place; Home Before Sunrise, 2nd place;The Bayside, 3rdplace; and OC Garden Party, 4th place.
Enjoy
If you think you have a special finesse when it comes to creating cocktails, stay tuned to The Bungalow Restaurant’sFacebook pagefor future cocktail competitions – they plan on having them quarterly.
2441 East Coast Highway
Corona del Mar, CA 92625
(949) 673-6585
