One of the country’s premier heritage food and drink competitions took place over the weekend, and now Denver has a new Punch King and Prince of Porc. Cochon555 US Tour held its Denver contest on Sunday, March 7. Cochon555 is the first organization to hold “environmentally conscious nose-to-tail pig competitions celebrating fine-dining and the pillars of our culinary landscape.”

Over the course of the spring, 10 cities will host Cochon555 competitions with a national event to be held in Snowmass, CO, in June. Along with cooking and feasting on an entire heritage pig, the event also includes a cocktail competition called Punch Kings. Bartenders create their best punch bowls featuring Colorado’s own Breckenridge Bourbon in their recipes. This year’s competition was once again fierce, but only one can emerge as the King.

Held during the VIP hour, the Punch Kings featured five notable barkeeps: Christopher Coburn of Fruition, Dustin Lawlor of The Kitchen, Jon Feuersanger of Beast + Bottle, Kevin Burke of Colt & Gray, and Patrick Williams of Punch Bowl Social. Williams, who just happens to be Denver’s reigning champion, won again! His Little Pig, Little Pig, Let Me In! Punch is made with Breckenridge Bourbon, Breckenridge Spiced Rum infused with Medjool dates, a blend of Teakoe’s Fireside Chai and Orange Spice with Lapsang Souchong teas, Oleo-sacchurum made from blood orange and lemon peels infused in Muscovado sugar, Medjool date syrup made from Muscovado sugar, and fresh squeezed blood orange and lemon juice.

Says Williams of his concoction, “I wanted to create a punch that was a natural pairing for pork. To do so, I wanted to incorporate rich fruit notes from Medjool dates, smoke and spices from the tea blend, and bright and slightly bitter notes from both uses of blood oranges.”

The main event featured five of Denver’s best chefs and restaurants: Troy Guard of TAG, Nelson Perkins of Colt & Gray, Franco Ruiz of Fruition, Kyle Mendenhall of The Kitchen, and Paul C. Reilly of Beast + Bottle. And the winner is…Troy Guard, Denver’s new Prince or Porc!

Next up for Cochon555 is the City of Angels, Los Angeles, this weekend. In April comes Miami, Seattle, and Washington DC. Who will make it back to Colorado for the Grand Cochon in June? Keep checking in to find out. Good luck to Williams and Guard in Snowmass!

Photos via Feed Media