Barr Hill Gin Announces Second Annual Royal Jelly Cocktail Competition, a Celebration of Creativity & Sustainability

Vermont’s best-selling gin company hosts bartender competition as precursor to Bees’ Knees Week celebrations

Montpelier, VT – Barr Hill Gin, a 2024 James Beard Award finalist and Vermont’s best-selling gin, proudly announces its second annual Royal Jelly Cocktail Competition. The term "Royal Jelly" symbolizes the best of the best and also refers to the nutrient-rich substance made by bees for their Queen and young. It’s a fitting theme for a spirits brand dedicated to honey and protecting pollinators.

The competition invites bartenders from the Northeast (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania) to create the best Bees’ Knees-inspired cocktail using Barr Hill Gin, lemon, and honey. Interested bartenders can submit their recipes online until July 26, 2024. From these submissions, eight semifinalists will be chosen to compete at the Barr Hill Distillery on August 25, 2024.

An esteemed panel will judge the recipes based on appearance, aroma, creativity, taste, sustainability, and overall presentation. The panel includes Robert Simonson, celebrated author and New York Times writer; Justin Sajda, known as @ThirstyWhale, a cocktail and spirits educator; and Patty Burns, last year’s Royal Jelly winner, for her cocktail Miss B. Hivin’, inspired by her roots to the Philippines and her ties to Vermont.

Fans of Barr Hill Gin can join the fun by voting for the Fan Favorite Cocktail online from July 19 to August 2 on Barr Hill’s website. Tickets will also be available for the in-person competition on August 25.

The Royal Jelly Competition is a precursor to Barr Hill’s Bees’ Knees Week, taking place September 22-October 1, 2024. The winner will receive a visit from Barr Hill to their bar during Bees’ Knees Week to celebrate their winning cocktail, among other prizes.

“In its inaugural year, last year, the Royal Jelly cocktail competition was such a fun and inspiring opportunity to bring together a group of bartenders and industry professionals from different backgrounds to celebrate our mutual affection for sustainably made craft spirits and cocktails, while championing pollinators and their contributions to our delicate ecosystems. Seeing this disparate group come together as strangers and leave as friends invigorated our passion for crafting honest spirits that bring people together and support the planet. We’re so excited to host the competition again and broaden it beyond Vermont to the entire northeast,” said Ryan Christiansen, President and Head Distiller at Barr Hill.

Both the Royal Jelly Competition and Bees’ Knees Week highlight the vital role pollinators play in local environments. Supporting pollinator habitats is central to Barr Hill’s mission and its commitment to sustainability. The company aims to support 1 million square feet of pollinator habitats by the end of Bees’ Knees Week 2024.

ABOUT BARR HILL

Barr Hill is an award-winning, super-premium spirits brand made by the Montpelier, Vermont-based distillery, Caledonia Spirits. Barr Hill started in 2011 when Ryan Christiansen—now head distiller of Barr Hill—met beekeeper Todd Hardie who was using raw honey in his small production winery. A decade later and now the team has grown and moved into a state of the art, sustainably built distillery and bar spread across five acres, producing America’s most awarded gin—all centered around regional raw honey and helping pollinators.