The crowd at Ultimate Blast 2011
Last Friday, October 14th was the 2nd annual Ultimate Blast 2011 at Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square. This huge spirits and wine gala showcased “the best of the best” spirits, cocktails and wine for ticketholders to sip and savor. Many of the exhibitors of various spirits, cocktails and wines poured for the evening have been awarded high honors at the Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) competitions held earlier this year at Astor Center.
Here’s some of the highlights of the evening:
Food
There was a spread of food ranging from a variety of delicious cheeses, sourced from Murray’s Cheese, to some prepared hot foods to satiate your hunger – as well as let you drink a few more drinks. There was a live band performing as well.
Remy Martin XO Cognac & Louis Royer Cognac
Remy Martin XO Cognac which is one of the premier cognacs in the world, was amazing. It’s smooth, balanced and the incredible depth of flavors (delicately floral and rich dark fruits) linger on my palate for at least 10 minutes. If you are a cognac sipper, you would understand why it’s considered one of the best.
The new comer to the U.S. market, Louis Royer did sample out their 32-Year Old vintage cognac. As interestingly complex its flavors were (in a very good way), unfortunately, it is not available to be sold here. The Force 53 was a younger blend but still smooth and delicious.
Adult Chocolate Milk
For something that is somewhat nostalgic is Adult Chocolate Milk. It’s for the person who would like to drink sweet cocktails, as this was mixed into a chocolate martini. If you have it straight (or neat), it tasted like it’s named.
There were so many more very good to amazing drinks and cocktails to drink there, as there were over 300 whiskies, brandies, armangacs, cognacs, tequilas, rums, and more; over 120 wines, and book signings from authors like Jim Meehan of PDT. It was a very good start for the weekend.
To view more photos of this event, please click through the slideshow:
[tylr-slidr userID=”hellokitty893112″ groupID=””]http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellokitty893112/sets/72157627776322167/[/tylr-slidr]
Information:
Ultimate Blast 2011
Website: http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/blast-2011/
at Marriott Marquis Hotel