Following an intense live competition at Virginia Distilled on September 14, Henry Hill Jr.’s “No Place Like Home” was crowned “Virginia 2024 Cocktail of the Year.” Hill serves as Lead Mixologist at Hotel Roanoke. His No Place Like Home cocktail features hometown products: Prohibition Gin from Brady’s Distillery and Rheda’s Longing Mead from Atheling Meadworks. He also incorporated Cirrus Vodka, Spiced Peach Rosemary Syrup, fresh lemon juice, and Hibiscus Tea into his recipe.
For his innovative mixology skills, Hill will be awarded $1,000 and registration, accommodation and a travel stipend to attend the US Bartender’s Guild’s Bar Summit 2025. He will also receive complimentary registration to Virginia Spirits BarPro conference in Richmond next month. Additionally, No Place Like Home will be featured in Virginia Spirits Board promotions and in Virginia ABC stores.
“The Virginia Cocktail Games has been a wonderful celebration of the creativity and craftsmanship within the Virginia distilling and bartending community,” said Jack Gorman, executive director of the Virginia Spirits Board Marketing Office. “I hope that Virginians will be as inspired as I am by the talent and determination of all of the competitors and seek out Virginia-made products and incorporate them into their own cocktail creations throughout Virginia Spirits Month and beyond.”
The Virginia Cocktail Games kicked off in July to coincide with the Summer Olympics. To enter the competition, bartenders statewide were charged with crafting a cocktail creation that paid tribute to the Summer Olympics and featured at least one “hero” product from a local distillery in their respective region of the commonwealth. Twenty-five mixologists advanced to the semifinalist round. Virginians voted to determine the five finalists, one from each region of the state, to participate in the live competition.
The following Virginia Cocktail Games finalists competed over the weekend at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture’s annual “Virginia Distilled” event in Richmond presented by Virginia Spirits. A panel of three esteemed industry professionals judged the finalists on creativity, craftsmanship, flavor, use of local ingredients and presentation. Guests then had the opportunity to meet the mixologists, sample the cocktails and vote for their favorite.
- Central VA: Breannah Carr | Devil’s Backbone, Roseland, Va.
- Coastal VA: Amanda Liebrich | Glass Light Restaurant, Norfolk, Va.
- Northern VA: Julieta Hernandez | The Catamount Lounge, Front Royal, Va.
- Southern VA: Melanie Holmes | The Tavern in Abingdon, Va.
- Western VA: Henry Hill Jr. | The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, Roanoke, Va.
Virginia Cocktail Games semifinalist recipes are available at https://virginiaspirits.org/meet-the-cocktails. Recipes for cocktails presented by the five finalists at Virginia Distilled will be available in the coming days.
