ELYRIA — Creativity flowed as freely as the liquid treats at Thursday’s Zero Proof Mix-Off at Lorain County Community College.

Organizations from around Lorain County competed in an alcohol-free drink contest sponsored by the Lorain County General Health District to promote celebrating this holiday season responsibly.

The Ohio Highway Patrol again carried top honors from the judges, winning best overall drink for the fourth time in five years. The winning recipe was a joint project of trooper Jeffrey Kaess and his wife, Joy. His mother was known for her hot spiced cider drink during the holidays. So he and Joy Kaess decided to tweak the recipe, creating a hot buttered cider they called “Frosty’s Meltdown.” They did a test run with family at Thanksgiving, the Kaesses said, and got a thumbs-up for the recipe.

Scroll down for more photos.

Recipes from the competition, including Frosty’s Meltdown, will be published Wednesday on The Chronicle-Telegram’s Accent page.

The Kaesses decorated the booth with a puddle of cotton batting with a hat and coal on it to look like a melted snowman.
Frosty’s Meltdown was one of the night’s most popular drinks.

“We couldn’t keep up with the demand,” Joy Kaess said. “We should have brought another pot.”

The Girls Scouts of Northeast Ohio scored a win for people’s choice, voted on by attendees of the event, with their “Creamy Thin Mint Juliette.” The milkshake-like drink was a huge hit from the start, said Brenda Vernest of Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio.

“We served four gallons in a half-hour,” she said.

The Girl Scouts wanted to create a drink that incorporated one of their cookies, Vernest said.

“So we thought, what do people like?” she said. “They like cookies and milk and chocolate ice cream, and Thin Mints were a perfect choice.”

Creamy Thin Mint Juliette was the favorite drink of Ryan Costello of LaGrange.

“I always liked those cookies,” he said. “Put them in a drink? Oh, yeah.”

One of the more unique drinks was the Creamy Bubble Boboa created by Jesse Krevenes of the Lorain County Community College Multicultural Club. Krevenes drew on his study of China, incorporating the large tapioca pearls used in the Asian drink bubble tea and the flavors of lychee and coconut into the drink.

Communities That Care of Lorain County, in partnership with Southview High School’s Career and Internship Placement Program, had a standout with its “Hawaiian Rainbow Snowflake Float.”

“We talked about our favorite seasons, and it was evenly split between summer and winter,” said Rashay Earl of Southview. “So we decided to combine the flavors of both. Winter is the icy sherbet. Summer is the strawberries, pineapple and Hawaiian Punch.”

People’s choice winner, Creamy Thin Mint Juliette

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• ½ box Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies
• 6 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can whipped cream

Mix cookies, ice cream and milk in blender until desired thickness.

Serve in a tall milk shake glass and top with whipped cream. Garnish with crumbled Thin Mint cookies.

Other winners

• Best tasting: Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office, for its dulce de leche-esque “Holiday Shimmer.”
• Best presentation: Lorain County Engineer’s Office, for the snowy display — complete with snowplow trucks — at the booth where it served its “Snow Storm Punch.”
• Best name: North Ridgeville Police Department for “Drink Me My Rights.”
• Best student drink: Gamma Tau Sigma for “Nuclear Nightcap,” a bright green drink served by Gamma Tau Sigma members wearing hazmat suits.

Contact Melissa Hebert at (440) 329-7129 or mhebert@chroniclet.com.

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