Are you a vodka fanatic or a vodka skeptic? Whichever side you sit on, Battle of the Bartenders, taking place this evening at Three Sixty rooftop lounge, should interest you. If you snub your nose at vodka, the cocktails being concocted by some talented area bartenders might just change your mind. And if you’re already a vodka die-hard, you’ll be all over those complimentary samples and drink specials featuring Salute American vodka.

Tonight marks the final round of the cocktail contest hosted by the St. Louis-based vodka brand. Over the course of the last few weeks, Salute American has held preliminary rounds, challenging local bartenders to mix a great tasting drink using its vodka with no more than four other ingredients.

The field has been narrowed to eight finalists who will wage war with a glass this evening in hopes of walking away with a $1,000 grand prize. The participants (and their affiliations) are: Andy Brown (Lucas Park Grille), Chantel Davis (Side Pockets), Alli Hull (Sub Zero Vodka Bar), Brandon Love (Three Sixty), Elliott Mellow (BBQ ASAP), Tim Rabior (Salt), Justin Sampson (Boogaloo) and Chris Wheeler (Three Sixty).

A panel of judges, including Sauce’s publisher Allyson Mace, will assess the drinks on taste, presentation and name, which should reflect a Salute American theme.

The event begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

“We are red-blooded Americans serving authentic modern Mexican food with a twist. We are a handmade taco, small-batch craft beer and tequila restaurant in an environment best described as a re-imagined mid-century Baja surf lodge.”

This is the concept for Gringo, newly opened in the Central West End, as described on its website. So how does a place called Gringo approach Mexican drinks?

“I wanted to be true to origin and true to flavor. Those were my biggest drivers,” said Coby Arzola, Gringo senior general manager, who developed the drink menu.

It’s not a Mexican joint without a margarita – Gringo has this queen of Mexican cocktails available on tap but more interesting are the freshly made shaken ones. For a burst of bright color, get the Rosa Mexicana (pictured, above), which holds hibiscus-infused blanco tequila. The vibrant pink drink is accentuated by a gorgeous rim of dried hibiscus flower and sugar. When it comes to pure flavor, we’re all over the Tamarindo. Get past the murky, yellowish-brown hue, and enjoy what tamarind purée can do to a margarita: It lends a unique sweet-sour element and a thickened texture you don’t encounter often in a marg. Tajín, a seasoning made of ground chile peppers, salt and dehydrated lime juice that Mexican street vendors shake atop fruit cocktails, adds a nice touch to the salt rim.

Gringo keeps the cerveza culture alive with eight (mainly local) craft beers on tap and another half dozen south of the border brews in cans and bottles. If you want to go native, make it a michelada (pictured, above), a Mexican-style beer cocktail (and purported hangover cure). You’ll get a can of Tecate, a shot of house-made tomato sangrita (think V8 juice with a touch of fruit and chile heat) and a lime wedge. Pour the beer into a frosty mug, top it with the sangrita and then squeeze in the lime. Need more alcohol in that beer bloody mary? For an up-charge, you can float a shot of tequila or smoky mezcal on top.

Teetotalers and tots aren’t omitted from beverage fun. Gringo offers agua fresca, a traditional Mexican thirst quencher made with water and sugar and brightened with the flavor of fruits and flowers. The hibiscus-flavored Jamaica (pictured, below right) was reminiscent of lemon and berry iced tea, while the Pineapple-Chile agua fresca (pictured, below left), a seasonal offering, is a delicious balance of not-too-sweet and mild heat.

“People come to Mexican restaurants to celebrate. We wanted the drinks to be the same,” said Arzola, who also stocked the bar with a formidable line-up of tequilas and bottled Mexican sodas. Pair any sip with a basket of house-made tortillas and a bowl of fresh salsa, and the gringo fiesta has begun.

It was a Wednesday afternoon at my desk with two classic French whites: Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fumé 2011 (a famed Loire Valley sauvignon blanc) and Christian Moreau Chablis 2011 (an equally esteemed chardonnay from Burgundy). Chef Lou Rook had the great idea to send some beautiful oysters from Prince Edward Island to challenge these two wines. Pouilly-Fumé was stunning with the simple oyster, and the Chablis was dead-on amazing when the oyster was dipped in mignonette. The bivalve’s aroma combined perfectly with the fragrance of both wines. There is a reason why classic pairings become classic. It was certainly a great day at the office.

— Glenn Bardgett, member of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board and wine director at Annie Gunn’s

— illustration by Vidhya Nagarajan

{Moll’s Cup No. 3}

The bar top at Little Country Gentleman looks like a veritable apothecary, with bottles of house-made tinctures, infusions, syrups, shrubs and liqueurs, each labeled with a piece of masking tape and a Sharpie. “I like to keep as many things in the bar as proprietary as possible,” LCG bar manager Jeffrey Moll told me during a recent visit to the Clayton restaurant. Tonight, Moll debuts his latest DIY project: a line of bottled cocktails inspired by the Pimm’s Cup – a refreshing, warm-weather sipper that combines Pimm’s liqueur, club soda or ginger ale, and plenty of fresh fruit.

British in origin, Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based aperitif flavored with a secret recipe of fruit liqueurs and herbs. A succession of other Pimm’s have come and gone – No. 2 was made with scotch, No. 3 was brandy-based, No. 4 used rum, No. 5 rye whiskey and No. 6 was a vodka version. Though No. 1 is the only bottle you’ll find on liquor store shelves these days, Moll wanted to honor Pimm’s long history with his own line of liqueurs aptly titled – you guessed it – Moll’s.

He started with a tequila base for Moll’s Cup No. 1 and turned to Barbancourt Rhum for No. 2. For Moll’s Cup No. 3 – the first to hit the LCG menu tonight – bourbon was his bedrock. To it, he added Dubonnet (a French wine fortified with quinine), a cinnamon stick, fresh orange wedges and bitter orange peel, and let everything marry for a good 72 hours.

But concocting the liqueur was just the first stage. A Pimm’s Cup is properly served with a hefty garnish of fresh fruit (cucumber is good too, as are herbs). For his Moll’s Cup, Moll wanted to show the same care to the fruit as he had to the alcohol. Since drinkers aren’t willing to wait all day for a handcrafted cocktail and ornately presented fruit, he decided to bottle the drink in individual servings. That way, when an order came in, he’d have the elixir ready and could spend extra moments doing right by the fruit.

The final step: the bubbles. Since a Pimm’s Cup is traditionally topped with club soda or ginger ale, Moll decided to carbonate his concoction, adding ginger-infused water and a house-made anise-flavored aperitif to each bottle.

The result: a refreshing highball that can just as equally pass for a fancy fruit cocktail. Bring your dessert fork.

— photo by Michelle Volansky

The mint julep is all about tradition. And booze.

Authentic mint juleps are served in silver cups and made with fresh mint leaves, Kentucky bourbon and Dixie Crystals sugar. (That’s southern sugar, y’all.)

Now, I only have Yankee sugar in the pantry, but I do have a hound dog in the kitchen. I reckon that evens things out. For a step-by-step guide to making an easy, yet excellent, mint julep, click here.

When the Kentucky Derby takes place tomorrow, we’ll watch with rapt attention as a bunch of four-legged steeds hoof it around a racetrack for two minutes. Those may be the greatest two minutes in horse sports, but they are, after all, only two minutes. You and a few Derby Day drinkers could turn the afternoon into a mint julep marathon, but the people at Hendricks BBQ have organized a party that involves much more than just sipping out of silver-plated julep cups.

Tomorrow, May 4, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., the restaurant located at 1200 S. Main St., in historic St. Charles, is hosting its first annual Derby Day Celebration. The five-hour fete will include a handful of contests. Of course there will be the obligatory derby hat and derby suit competitions, but you can also head to four different mint julep stations manned by bartenders from around town. Taste each cocktail, and then cast your vote for your favorite. Thirsty for more competition? Step outside to watch Run for the Rosé, a foot race among employees from restaurants on Main Street who’ll be jogging with a wine-filled glass in hand.

The alcohol of the day, however, will be bourbon. The spirit of Kentucky will be poured in whiskey tastings; its storied past recounted in whiskey classes. Bourbon will also find its way into the all-you-can-eat passed appetizers and buffet items on a menu prepared by Hendricks BBQ’s exec chef Wil Pelly.

With all the fun, you’ll wonder where the day went when it’s finally time to grab a seat and watch the equine action live on a big screen.

All-inclusive tickets for the celebration are sold at Hendricks BBQ and its sister restaurants Sanctuaria, Café Ventana and Diablitos Cantina. There are no online ticket sales. More information about the event is available here. Get your ticket today and it’ll cost you $85. Get it tomorrow at the door for $90.

OR get two tickets for free by winning Sauce’s giveaway today! Entries start now and last until 3 p.m., then we’ll email the winner and announce he and she on our blog and our Facebook page. Enter to win by clicking here.

***Jessica Aubuchon, you are our winner! Watch for an email from the Sauce crew. Everyone else, thanks for playing! Tickets are still available (for purchase) for this Derby Day celebration!***

Cocktails at Little Country Gentleman aren’t given names, just numbers. The tally of creations at the seven-month-old restaurant now stretches into the 20s, but it was No. 1 that left a lasting impression way back in week 1 (Just ask your server if you don’t see it on the menu.). Wild Turkey rye whiskey, Busnel Calvados VSOP cognac, Green Chartreuse, house-made sweet vermouth and Luxardo Fernet. Potent? Oh, yes. But the amber color is so pure, deep and elegant, the sweet and savory flavors so perfectly balanced, that we yield to temptation. Sip slowly, and it remains a complete gentleman.

Little Country Gentleman, 8135 Maryland Ave., Clayton, 314.725.0719, littlecountrygentleman.com

For more from The List 2013: The people, places, dishes and drinks we love, click here.

— photo by Jonathan Gayman

I’m willing to bet that I know what local wine connoisseurs are daydreaming about right now: those fabulous pours in store for tonight at the Centennial Wine Expo. This is the inaugural year for the event, which takes place this evening from 6 to 9 p.m. at Moulin event space at 2017 Chouteau Ave., but one that is anticipated to become an annual wine affair.

Get your oeno on because general admission ticketholders (Sorry, VIP tickets are sold out.) will have the opportunity to sample wines from around the world – nearly 150 wines in total – from 15 area wine distributors. Most of the wines are currently only available to restaurants or specialty wine shops. Grab that tasting sheet and keep track of your favorites, for you can order any of the wines in a mixed case format. Complimentary nibbles like cheese and crackers will be available, but if you need to fill your belly, just head to Vin de Set or PW Pizza, both located inside the building, before or after the event.

Scott Gaghan, Centennial Wine Expo founder and wine director for 1111 Mississippi and Vin de Set, explained the impetus for the event. “We decided to do it because we’ve had a good level of success with our beer festival that we do on an annual basis.” He continued, “We wanted to give an opportunity to have the St. Louis wine market get together. There is few and far between where the general public can do a tasting of this size for this price point.” The cost of admission, he pointed out, equated to what someone “can easily spend on a bottle of wine.” And, he added, “The general public has the opportunity to purchase [wine] at aggressive retail pricing.”

Thirsty? General admission tickets are $38.66 and can be purchased here or at the door. But wait, why buy one ticket when you can get two for free? Head here, to enter to win two tickets to this event. Our giveaway will be running until 1 p.m. today. We will announce our winner here and on Facebook, and we’ll send you an email if you’re the lucky winner.

***This giveaway has ended. Kent Ritzel, you are our winner! Look out for an email from the Sauce crew. Everyone else, thanks for playing! Check in next Friday for another drinking-inspired giveaway!***

The Seelbach Cocktail is a delicious blend of bourbon (a Ted favorite), Champagne (a Jamie favorite) and a healthy dose of bitters. A seemingly odd combination, this signature drink of the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky., has become our brunch staple. Created in 1917, its recipe was a well-kept secret until it was published 80 years later in New Classic Cocktails. Now that the secret’s out, we can all enjoy this marriage of masculine and feminine spirits. Combine 1 oz. Old Forester bourbon, ½ oz. Cointreau, and 7 dashes each Angostura and Peychaud bitters in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake briefly and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne and garnish with a flamed orange peel.

— illustration by Vidhya Nagarajan

There are some pre-mixed, commercially sold cocktails that I wouldn’t drink if you paid me. Not so with a new line of barrel-aged, bottled mixed drinks called Fluid Dynamics that will land in area liquor stores by the end of April.

Fluid Dynamics is one of the latest projects by Craft Distillers, whose portfolio also includes Germain-Robin brandies, Low Gap whiskeys and Vya vermouths. The company is recognized for its hand-crafted spirits, including its artisanal approach to aging. For Fluid Dynamics drinks, the company takes similar care: blending the cocktails by using its own spirits and aging them in oak barrels before bottling them.

The four Fluid Dynamics drinks are The Brandy Manhattan, The St. Nick, The Saratoga and The 1850. The first is a combination of a Germain-Robin varietal brandy selected for its rich fruity taste, blended with California-made Vya sweet vermouth. The St. Nick holds Germain-Robin brandy blended with Clear Creek Distillery cranberry liqueur. The St. Nick is jolly good, but its deep, dark fruit flavors and pure purple hue are riper for winter; I hope to see it in my stocking come December 25. The Saratoga is a blend of brandy, Low Gap clear whiskey and Vya sweet vermouth. The 1850, my favorite of the foursome, is Craft Distillers’ version of a Sazerac.

While Craft Distillers has created four quality products, there are two things you can do to improve them, which is why I won’t call Fluid Dynamics “ready-made.” First, the drinks do not bitters, since those overpower the barrel, according to the company. The Brandy Manhattan, The Saratoga and The 1850 all beg for a dash or two of bitters, so grab that bottle of Angostura, Peychaud or orange bitters. Second, the drinks are not diluted. Knock the potency down a notch by pouring three ounces of the drink into a mixing glass, adding ice, stirring well and straining into a glass.

Fluid Dynamics drinks are sold in 1-liter and 200-ml bottles, the latter just right for gift-giving or a mini-cocktail party. You can find these bottles on the shelves at Parker’s Table beginning Tuesday, April 30.

Since you have 10 more days to wait for the bottles to arrive, in the meantime, whet your whistle by batching up a cocktail of your own. Click here for Day Boating, a cocktail recipe from Cielo’s Cory Cuff that tastes as refreshing as it looks.