2019 USC Cocktail Commendations

At Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2019, we evaluated spirits in cocktails that are priced less than $75.00 and no older than 10 Years Old in the Gin, Bourbon, Rum, and American Whiskey categories. Gins were evaluated in a Negroni, non-Rye American Whiskeys in an Old Fashioned, American Rye Whiskeys in a Manhattan, and Rums in a Hemingway.

To ensure impartiality, the identical recipe was painstakingly measured, including dilution, in milliliters for each cocktail by Team Cocktail.

Each cocktail is evaluated blind individually with a glass of its base spirit ingredient poured neat next to it for reference. Cocktails are scored on a 1-to-5 star scale, with 2 ½ to 3 stars being hailed as Delicious, 3 ½ to 4 stars as Very Delicious, and 4 ½ to 5 stars as Drop Dead Delicious.

Any cocktail rated Delicious, Very Delicious and Drop Dead Delicious are listed below and on the downloadable list of cocktail commendations.