Starting Saturday, November 10, you’ll have three weeks to walk through Nulu and pass judgement on ten original cocktails made with Four Roses Bourbon by local bartenders and decide which of them will get some serious extra cash just before the holidays. It’s the 4th Annual NuLuDays Holiday Cocktail Challenge, and it’s your job to pick your favorite by posting it to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #NuLuDays  and a tag for @FourRosesbourbon. It would also be nice if you tag the establishment and the cocktail name. (I’m curious to see your favorites, so feel free to tag Food & Dining Magazine, too, if you want to share.)

The winning bartender will receive $1,000, a signed bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel from Master Distiller Brent Elliott, and a signature barrel head from Four Roses. Second place will receive $750 and third place will get $500. Both second and third place will receive a signed bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel. Winners will be announced the week of December 3.

You don’t have to try all ten cocktails in order to vote, but I highly recommend it. It was a lot of fun to wander from spot to spot with friends, checking out what Nulu has to offer. My favorite cocktails were at places I hadn’t visited or really thought of for cocktails before.

I asked a couple friends to join me in previewing these cocktails. Lori Turner joined me for half of the adventure, and Caroline Knop joined me for the other half. It was an interesting mix of opinions. Lori is not a big drinker and has been afraid of bourbon in the past, thinking it was a “man’s drink.” Caroline owns Simply PR and has a lot of experience with food and beverages and brought a keen recognition of the tastes within the cocktails. I’m in the middle and was mostly excited about how creative all of the bartenders were, plus I love Four Roses and tasting new things.

So, here I present a range of opinions for your consideration. I’ve noted our favorites on the slides. I hope you enjoy the cocktails as much as I did. You have until December 1, so get to steppin’ and sippin’!

[slide-anything id=’15999′]