May 11, 2012 >> Well, I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle! Here’s a Monkey Shoulder Recipe for you.

Monkey Shoulder, a British whiskey brand, made its way stateside by hosting a launch party at The Bedford in March. This brand is mischievous, and the event was FULL of monkey business. Contortionists and jugglers were popping out of whiskey barrels, revelers reveled in a playful photo booth filled with props.  But we all loved the playful bartending competition involving Chicago’s finest mixologists partnered up with our favorite local media.

STILL LIFE SHOTS BY CALEB CONDIT; AMANDA + CREW SHOT BY GLITTER GUTS

To showcase the versatility of Monkey Shoulder, the mixology teams were given unusual ingredients such as honey, kettle corn and tea bags to create their cocktails.  They were judged on four criteria: Best Cocktail Name, Best Shaker Face, Natural Born Bartenders and Critic’s Choice Award. I was lucky enough to watch the winning team “Brain Eating Amoebas,” made up of Joe Campagna from ChicagoNow.com and William Spain of WSJ and led by The Bedford’s very own fierce and handsome mixologist, Pete Gugni, in action!

After hard grinding, muddling and some of the best and worst shaker faces, the winning concoction was created! We were lucky enough to shake that recipe out of Pete.

In a pint glass, muddle two tablespoons of rough cut ginger and ¾ oz of honey simple syrup.  Add 2 oz Monkey Shoulder and 1 oz apple juice. Shake vigorously, strain over ice and add Ginger beer and bitters. Enjoy! The winners of the competition were given a large industrial trophy topped with a giant bottle of Monkey Shoulder.