Mixing It Up: The Mountain West Cherry Noir Hard Cider Cocktail Competition

In-house Cocktail Competition Winning Recipes

Mountain West Cherry Noir Hard Cider is a unique beverage that offers a delightful blend of sweet cherries and tart apples, perfect for any occasion. But have you ever thought about using it as a base for cocktails? We recently held an in-house cocktail competition centered around the Cherry Noir cider. 

The competition, held at our cider house, attracted bartenders from all over Salt Lake City who were eager to showcase their skills and creativity. Each bartender was given a few cans of Mountain West Cherry Noir Hard Cider and asked to create a cocktail that would highlight its flavors and complement its unique profile.

The results were impressive, with each bartender bringing their own style and flair to the competition. Some chose to highlight the sweet cherry notes, while others opted for a more subtle approach that allowed the cider’s tart apple flavors to shine through.

After much tasting and deliberation, the judges crowned a winner: Jonestown Jungle Juice from Woodbine. If you want to try your hand at recreating this winning drink, here’s the recipe:

-1.5 oz MTN WST Cherry Noir Cider

-1 oz Gin

-½ oz Vermouth

-½ oz Amaretto

-½ oz Lemon Juice

-½ oz Hibiscus Extract

If you’re looking for a new twist on your favorite cocktail, consider using Mountain West Cider as a base. The full line of delicious cider flavors offer a versatile ingredient that can be used in a number of creative ways. Who knows, you might just come up with a winning cocktail of your own!

Souless Sangria from Gracie’s:

-1.5 oz Five Wives Vodka

-3/4-1oz fresh pressed ginger (to taste)*

-0.5 oz simple syrup

-0.5oz fresh lemon juice

-Shake all ingredients with fresh ice, strain, top with 6oz of Cherry Noir

*Fresh ginger juice:
I used about 8oz of ginger, 3/4 cup of water, and about 1 table spoon of honey.
peel, rinse, and pat dry knobs of ginger. Chop or grate and add to blender. Add a little water at a time until smooth, then slowly add honey. Strain through a sieve (in which case really press that pulp with a spoon, you’ll be surprised how much juice there is) or cheese cloth. I like to start light with both the water and honey, strain, taste, then adjust accordingly. If you need more honey or water the juice can always just go right back into the blender while you adjust, just remember to send it through the sieve/cheese cloth again before you’re finished.

Blushing Geisha from Whiskey Street:

-1oz Roku

-1oz Brenni

-1 Dash orange blossom

-.5 Grenadine

-.5 Wasatch Cherry Blossom

-.5 Tsuki Sake

-Top 1oz Cherry Noir