Bartenders take the spotlight as cocktail contest returns to Kelowna
An Okanagan cocktail contest is returning for the first time since the pandemic.
Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery's Mixoff pits 10 bartenders against each other to see who makes the best drink.
The competition is on Nov. 7, at the Laurel Packinghouse.
The event pairs each bartender with a chef they work with, together they present a drink and appetizer combination for expert judges and the attendees’ popular vote. There are three categories, the judge's choice, the people's choice drink, and the best bite appetizer.
“It is the Okanagan and honestly British Columbia’s premier culinary, cocktail event,” Tyler Dyck, Okanagan Spirits’ CEO, said. “They’re getting judged on how the food is, how the cocktail is, and how good the pairing of the two together is.”
The annual competition started in 2013, but had to be put on hold for a few years because of COVID-19.
Dyck says Okanagan Spirits started the event to make a shift from the typical drinking event.
“We had gone to tons of wine events, spirits events, beer events and it’s really walking around and samples and there might be a pile of bread and cheese at one end,” he said.
“We looked at that and said why don’t we come up with something that was celebrating the bartenders that are using our stuff,” Dyck said.
Every drink can only contain alcohol brewed in the Okanagan. Dyck says bartenders and chefs work for months to make the best possible recipes.
“They’re competing against their peers so it really forces them to up their game,” he said.
There are only 200 tickets to the event, and this year they have been selling out fast. For $80-95 people can come to the event, try each drink and the accompanying appetizer, as well as take in some live jazz music.
“We only have 40 tickets left, and I’m not sure how long they’ll last,” Dyck said.
Fancy cocktail fans don’t need to worry, Dyck says the drinks created for the event usually end up on the bartenders’ menus after the contest.
“It really is a bit like one of those game shows.”
Get a ticket and find out more here.
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