Graham’s Blend Series Cocktail Competition crowns UK winner

Damian Murgatroyd, bar manager at the Blind Pig Speakeasy in Jersey, will compete in the global finals of Graham’s Blend Series Cocktail Competition after being named the UK winner. The competition is designed to encourage mixologists to “explore the versatility of Port,” which has struggled with an image problem in recent years. db reports.

After succeeding in the national competition at two Michelin-starred restaurant Da Terra, Murgatroyd will jet out to Porto to compete with winners from ten other countries in the international final on 12 May. 

This year marks the fifth edition of the annual Blend Series Cocktail Competition – led by Port house Graham’s, a subset of Symington Family Estates.

In recent years, Port wine has struggled to throw off stereotypes that it’s stuffy, dated and solely a festive serve. The aim of the competition is to breathe new life into Port through cocktails. The hope, Charlotte Symington, 5th generation family member and head of marketing at Symington Family Estates, previously told the drinks business, is that bartenders “become ambassadors for life”.

‘Don’t be afraid’ of Port

Speaking to db, Fells junior brand manager, Gabriella Messant, who looks after Graham’s, echoed this: “The point of this competition is to encourage bartenders and mixologists to explore the versatility of Port, and look back in history about how it used to be used in cocktails,” she said.

“The Ruby and Lemon used to be something you could get in any UK pub, but they fell out of fashion, so we’re trying to show that it isn’t something you shouldn’t be afraid of.”

At the recent leg of the competition in east London, judges Sandrae Lawrence, Douglas Blyde and Tyler Zielinski deemed Murgatroyd’s creation, the Graham’s Kitchen Flip, using Graham’s Blend Nº12 Ruby Port, the most impressive of the nine cocktail presentations given by bartenders from across the UK.

Award-winning cocktail

The judges were won over by Murgatroyd’s craftsmanship, in particular how he fused “the lively forest fruit notes with gum citrus aromas held in the Blend with kitchen-inspired flavours – including chocolate bitters, caramelised apple cordial and chestnut butter”.

The Jersey-native’s winning cocktail ‘Graham’s Kitchen Flip’, riffed on the New York Sour, and its presentation paid homage to the Symington family and the Douro Valley’s terroir. In a final flourish, the tipple was garnished with an Isomalt Port Glass Shard.

Murgatroyd, who worked in professional kitchens prior to becoming a bartender and manager, said: “I found coming up with the concept using Graham’s Blend Nº12 Ruby Port actually very easy – the light, aromatic berry notes lend themselves to a dessert-style cocktail.

“I’ve never been to Porto and I’m super excited about the competition and also having the chance to visit the nearby Douro Valley with bartenders from round the world.”

Runners up

The global winner of the Graham’s Blend Series Cocktail Competition will take home a cash prize of €2,000, a stash of Graham’s Port for their bar, and the opportunity to represent the brand at a guest shift.

Coming in at second place was Lizzie Williamson of London’s Thirty7 in Covent Garden . It was the student’s first entry into a bartending competition and their ’The Picking Hour’ serve, also used Graham’s Blend Nº12 Ruby Port.

Charlie Hibberd of Lyaness secured third place for his Ruby Port-based ‘Golden Thread’ cocktail.

The Blends Series of Port products used in the competition were designed for mixing from the outset. The Nº12’s grapes are picked at midnight to ensure maximum freshness, while the Nº5 is touted as an ideal pick for the popular Port and Tonic combo.

Tapping into new markets

Charlotte Symington said she had been “incredibly impressed” by what the bartenders had created for this year’s competition: “Graham’s has long been known as a brand that both honours its heritage while innovating – be it in the vineyard, on the shelf, or now in bars and restaurants around the world,” she commented.

She added that the Graham’s Blend Series Cocktail Competition allows the brand to “engage with a new generation of consumers while also enabling us to share our story”.

‘On the up’

How successful has it been? The Port competition is just part of the category-wide push to revive Port: chocolate pairings, the launch of trendy cocktail houses and pairing it with fine-dining fare are some of the ways producers are trying to make the fortified wine cool again. Despite this, many recently admitted to db, Port still has an image problem.

“Especially in the UK, we’re still in a phase where we need to grow awareness,” Messent told db, speaking on the impact of the Graham’s Port competition on perceptions of the drink.

But, she added, “we’re making headway, we are getting there”. Port’s importance in mixology, she vows, is “on the up”.

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