It’s a tough job, but someone had to taste the entries in the Bourbon Women Association’s inaugural Not Your Pink Drink contest. I was one of the lucky panel members who met at Jack’s Lounge to sample the five finalists mixed by Bourbon Women member and legendary bartender Joy Perrine. Above, the results of our labors. As you can see, all of them met the main requirement of the contest: No pink drinks!

I cannot reveal the two winners - one each in the amateur and the professional division - but I can reveal that they are both terrific. If you want to be among the first to taste them, be sure to attend BW founder and president Peggy Noe Stevens’ “Any Way She Likes It” session during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, where they will have their official debut as the Bourbon Women’s signature cocktails for 2013. The session is 1-3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14 and tickets are $35 each. Order them here.