Brescome Barton’s Tullamore Dew cocktail competitors at Sawyer’s Bar & Grill in Torrington on Oct. 10: Dustin Amore, Little River Restoratives, Winning Bartender; Kyle Philson, Sawyer’s Bar & Grill, Second-Place Winner; Samantha Dziedzic, Sasso’s Coal Fired Pizza; and Riley Mason, Doubletree by Hilton (front/center), who tied for third.

Brescome Barton hosted a Tullamore Dew cocktail competition at Sawyer’s Bar & Grill in Torrington on Oct. 10. Four area bartenders showcased their talents using the blended Irish whiskey mainstay, each creating an original cocktail for judges. Three Irish whiskeys derived from three types of grain are blended to create Tullamore Dew’s flavors, triple-distilled and triple-cask-matured for depth and balance. Over a period of several years, it is aged in traditional refill barrels, ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry butts. Dustin Amore, Little River Restoratives; Kyle Philson, Sawyer’s Bar & Grill; Samantha Dziedzic, Sasso’s Coal Fired Pizza; and Riley Mason, Doubletree by Hilton, Bristol, showcased the brand in one cocktail entry each for the event. Amore won the night with his drink the Irish Drive Thru. Philson placed second, with Dziedzic and Philson tying for third.