Mixlympics at George in Yaletown

Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Day 10 of my Vancouver 2010 Olympic experience involved getting up early and heading to Yaletown to drink some gin ahead of the big game. Over the last year or so I’ve received many requests to judge competitions, from chocolate recipes to essay contests and most of all, mixology.


The judges – Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Yesterday George in Yaletown hosted the first-ever Mixlympics, an international bar-tending competition featuring Martin Miller’s Gin. Contestants needed to use the gin and one of five block box items in their drinks. With 10 minutes to prepare 4 drinks for the judges, it was a heated and frenzied battle, but there were good spirits all around.

International Contestants

  • Joe Stokoe – Bar Manager for all three All Star Lanes, London, UK
  • Abdul Kpekawa – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
  • David Grieg – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
  • Ola Carlson – Bartender, Box 101, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Nicolos de Soto, Bartender, Experimental Cocktail Club & Curio Parlour, Paris, France
  • Charles Tan – Bartender, China Club, Paris, France
  • Canadian Contestants

  • Mark Brand – Owner, Boneta and The Diamond, Vancouver
  • David Wolwidnyk – Bar Manager, West, Vancouver
  • Jay Jones – Owner, The Pourhouse, Vancouver
  • Darryl Macdonald – Bartender, Port, Toronto
  • Two competitors hit the bar at a time, walking out to their own theme music and sporting their nation’s flag. Once they were in place, the “black box” ingredients were revealed. They received bonus marks for incorporating any of these items in their drinks.

    Black Box Items

  • Edible BC
  • R&B Brewing Canadian Iceholes Lager
  • Maker’s Mark White Dog Whiskey
  • Mary Bay Points Oyster from the Lobster Man
  • Vista D’Oro Farms campari blood orange vanilla preserve
  • Mixlympics at George in Yaletown

    One sip from each as I judged tasty and creative concoctions. Every now and then we were also given some food samples from the restaurant – from scallops and bacon-wrapped sablefish to potato skins stuffed with pulled pork.

    Mixlympics at George in Yaletown Mixlympics at George in Yaletown

    In the end, hometown favourite Mark Brand took home the gold medal. Not only was his drink creative and delicious, he used two of the black box ingredients and even made bitters on the fly. For even more bonus points, he served his drink in a Calgary ’88 Olympics glass from Petro Canada.


    Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

    It was a great international competition that I see picking up steam and potentially being a hit in future Olympic cities. At the end of the day though, we took home a gold and a real silver thanks to Kristina Groves’ performance in long track speedskating.

    Medal Count for Canada on Day 10 – February 21, 2010
    Gold: 4
    Silver: 4
    Bronze: 1
    View full medal count by country

    Current Contests on Miss604
    *All contests are open to residents of Canada only, unless otherwise stated. Contest timelines are published on each individual post along with entry methods. Some contests may only be open to those 19 years of age and older. Winners are announced on the contest blog posts. Contest policy »

    2 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

    1. Vancouver 2010 Day 11 On the Mend » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca BollwittTuesday, February 23rd, 2010 — 11:34am PST

      […] WordPress Services « older Mixlympics at George in Yaletown […]

    2. Vancouver 2010: Day 10 – Mixlympics and watching Canada vs. USA men’s hockey → johnbollwitt.comWednesday, February 24th, 2010 — 2:16pm PST

      […] explain it better, think Iron Chef but with bartenders. Rebecca has all the details in her post, so I’ll share some of my favorite shots from the […]

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