One never knows what one will get when one judges or what will happen when one is a contestant of a cocktail contest. As a judge, will the drinks be more than "interesting?"  As a contestant, will people like your drink?

Last night was the first round of the Mixmasters DeKuyper liqueur cocktail contest, hosted at Trinity dance club downtown in Pioneer Square. While you were watching West Wing re-runs on TiVo, Trinity, known best for glassy-eyed customers, loud electronica and cocktail’tinis was filled with a crowd of 15 bartender hopefuls and their supporters—each with dreams of winning the night's  $500 prize and thus an entrant to possibly a trip to New Orleans for the final $10,000 cocktail challenge.

On any given month, there’ll be two to three cocktail contests.  For instance, just a few weeks ago you missed the $tarbucks invitational, where four lucky contestants were competing for a $5,000 prize!  Yes, a generous $5,000 prize to the winner! Well, the winner's favorite charity…

Rob Roy’s Anu Apte, Starbucks Winner Du Jour

But, this night was all about DeKuyper, a company known for their liquors, such as, among their many options: the Crème de Anything Crèmed; the lovely neon-green Melon (Or was that Sour Apple?); and the exciting and foreign sounding Pisang.  The rules du jour?  Take any of the broad range of the DeKuyper products, mix it with ONLY two other liquid ingredients, shake it like you mean it and may the best bartender win!

Tonight, only one bartender put his fingers INTO the glasses and only four wrapped their hands around the lip of the glass while serving them, and while nothing was lit on fire (a sure crowd pleaser), one fellow knew his flair, to be sure!

The winning cocktail? Was it the Teabag (Sweet Tea Vodka, Peach Schnapps, Sour Mix)?  No. Was it the Bust My Cherry (Cherry Vodka, Pomegranate Liqueur, Cranberry)? No. Maybe then the Green River Killer (Citrus Vodka, Island Blue Pucker and Pineapple)?  Nope. Even the promising October Moon (Maker’s Mark , Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, Cream and Mint)?  Uh-uh.

In fact, the winner for the night was the Rue Daphene, a cocktail of Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Apricot Liqueur and the surprise element of the night, Chartreuse—a cocktail created by Devlin McGill, co-owner of The Great Nabob !  YES!  Not only did Devlin use whiskey, but Chartreuse!  Chartreuse, that magical French liquor, named after France’s Grand Chartreuse Monastery, created by the monks of the monastery—a liqueur made with the distillates of over 130 herbs.

Congrats, Devlin. I wish you Godspeed, all the way to New Orleans and to the final $10K Grand Prize.