Pipino-by-Antonio-Gonzales-feat

Antonio Gonzales Wins Blue Ice Vodka Cocktail Competition

Congratulations to Antonio Gonzales from San Diego for winning our Blue Ice Vodka cocktail competition with his Pipino cocktail!

His original creation, made with cucumber simple syrup and grapefruit bitters really won over the judges and is a definite must mix! As part of his grand prize, he will be featured in a first-of-its-kind spot in an upcoming Blue Ice vodka print advertisement. Check it out in an upcoming print issue of Chilled Magazine.

pipino cocktail

Pipino

Pipino

By Antonio Gonzales, San Diego

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Blue Ice Vodka
  • 1 oz. 50% Cucumber Simple Syrup*
  • 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 oz. St. Germain
  • 1/4 oz. Crème Dr Violet
  • 5 drops Bittermins Hopped Grapefruit Bitters
  • 1 oz. Opolo 100% Colombard Sparkling Wine**

Preparation: Mix all ingredients in tin and quick hard shake strain and pour into Colin’s glass rimmed with Tajin and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with cucumber skin, cucumber wheel with tajin and tajin on the rim.

*50% Cucumber Syrup

1 cup sugar, 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp. salt and 2 large Persia cucumbers peeled. Blend all together. Strain half with a chinos leave the rest unstrained for texture.

**Pooling 100% Colombard

California sparking wine with hints of apple sauce and cinnamon. You can use something similar.

Inspiration: My inspiration for this drink was here in California. As a Mexican a snack we would have cucumbers, lemon and salt with a little bit of spice, called Pepino’s. I wanted to make a drink that represented California and our simple flavors yet elegant with the spotlight on Southern California spa style flavors.

Antonio Gonzales

Antonio Gonzales, Chilled 100 Member, San Diego