Finlandia Cup competition under ice

Top U.S. entry Christina Misiura and overall winner Ritya Dimas.

Kittila, Finland, may not be the drinks capital of the world, but for one day it got a lot of attention.

Twenty-nine bartenders who won regional competitions to advance to the finals of the 11th annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup were there to compete for the overall best in three categories -- the aperitif, long drink and “quick mix."

The competition was held in a "snow dome" made of snow and ice hand cut from a nearby river. Handcrafted ice bars lined the inside of the igloo. Competitors had to deal not only with time constraints, but with the cold, which made ingredients react differently.

In "quick mix," contestants were given drink ingredients 10 minutes prior to the competition. They had to invent a new drink recipe, then mix the concoction within an additional five minutes. Extra time resulted in losing points.

Every drink the bartenders crafted had to be a new one based on Finlandia Vodka or one of its infusions -- cranberry, lime, redberry, mango, wild berries or grapefruit.

The winner was Raditya Dimas, a native of Indonesia working in Dubai, who amassed 298 of a possible 312 points.

The top American finisher was Christina Misiura (left) of Orlando, FL. She tied for third in the aperitif category and placed sixth in the long drink, coming in 13th overall.

Dimas's winning recipes:

• THE QUICKY TINI (aperitif)

4.5 cl Finlandia Cranberry Fusion vodka
1.5 cl strawberry liqueur
1.5 cl passion fruit syrup
3 cl lemon juice
Method: Shake and strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lemon slice and a mint-leaf tip.

• JAKARTA RED DRAGON (long drink)

6 cl Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion
1 piece apple
3 cl passion fruit syrup
3 cl raspberry puree
3 cl cranberry juice
Method: Muddle, shake and strain into a highball glass. Garnish with a red currant, grapefruit peel, and mint-leaf tip.

• THANK YOU WITH LOVE (quick mix)

6 cl Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion
3 cl sugar syrup
6 cl Pomegranate juice
3 slices pink grapefruit

Muddle, shake and strain into a martini. glass, Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

And, Christina Misiura's drinks recipes:

• LEMON BLISS (aperitif)

1¾ ounces Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion
1½ ounces St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup
Lemongrass

Method: Muddle lemongrass, syrup, juice. Add Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion and St. Germain. Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with lemongrass and grapefruit flower.

• POMEGRANATE CRUSH (long drink)

1¼ ounces Finlandia Wild Berry Fusion
1 ounce pomegranate juice
2 fresh orange slices (rind removed)
¾ ounce simple syrup
Splash of fresh sour mix

Method: In glass to be used for serving, muddle orange slices, pomegranate juice and simple syrup. Add Finlandia Wild Berry Fusion and splash of sour. Add ice and shake. Garnish with orange/raspberry/blackberry pinwheel.

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