Earlier this month I wrote about the House of Angostura's cocktail competition at Lost Lake—which Chicago newcomer Elizabeth Mickiewicz of Drumbar won, competing against bartenders from Nevada, Wyoming, and Washington. That advanced her to the U.S. finals in New Orleans (which, sadly, I did not attend). She won there too, which means she'll go to Trinidad next year to represent the U.S. at Angostura's Global Cocktail Challenge—plus she gets $5,000 cash.

One of the cocktails Mickiewicz mixed at Lost Lake, the Trinidad Cobbler, stayed the same for the competition in New Orleans. For the other, she represented Chicago with Letherbee's Vernal Gin; the recipe is below (the Trinidad Cobbler recipe is in my post about the Chicago semifinals).

The Lost Days
2 ounces Letherbee Vernal Gin (2015)
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
3 dashes Angostura orange bitters
2 drops saline solution
1 dash Angostura aromatic bitters

Garnish: orange peel (discarded) and dehydrated pineapple flowers