Welcome to Tweet Beat, a new online column in which we run down the list of our favorite tweets from foodies around the city. Some funny, some strange and a few just delicious, here’s what you missed on Twitter this week:

Are you following us on Twitter? Come on, get Saucy @saucemagazine

lonesometoast
Little boy in Park Avenue agog at all the gooey butter cake choices. I feel ya, kid.

amveats
@stlhops Can get your logo on a black one piece spandex suit – maybe with boots and a cape? I want to fight crimes against beer. #stl

ironstef
Dreamt that Tony Bourdain was conjuring Abe Lincoln’s ghost at my house. Abe’s ghost had an agent who wasn’t cooperating.

SmartyMcFly
I had a dream about an all-you-can-eat tater tot contest. Unfortunately, I woke up before it started.

farmhausstl
Chef Kevin making chow chow at about 2am. This is what we do on Friday nights http://twitpic.com/2m8bb1

UrbanBacon
Bakon
Vodka, #bacon, Brinner, pot belly dandies, and being awesome – great start to the day!

NorthwestCoffee
Through pure happenstance staged a taste off between Ted at @tastebyniche and TJ at @francostl. Both NW coffee cocktails were amazing!

A Saucy congrats to T.J. Vytlacil (pictured, left) for placing third in the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition this past weekend. His original drink, Silver and Sand, is a variation of the scotch-based cocktail Blood and Sand. Vytlacil’s recipe calls for 12-year Balvenie infused with lemon and ginger, Cherry Heering liqueur, fresh lemon juice, Lillet Rouge, lemon bitters and egg white.

Vytlacil, who has been tending bar for seven years and currently stirs and shakes at Franco in Soulard, squared off against 11 other contestants, including fellow St. Louisan Chris Muether (pictured, right) of Danno’s American Pub. Also on hand was nationally lauded mixologist Ted Kilgore (also pictured) of Taste by Niche, who served as one of the judges.

This year – the fourth for the competition – was the largest yet. Bartenders from as far away as the East Coast submitted an original recipe for the event and an estimated 500 cocktail lovers packed the Uptown Theatre in Kansas City to watch the finalists in action.

More on our coverage of the Greater Kansas City Bartender Competition

More on our coverage of TJ Vytlacil

A Saucy congrats to two area bartenders who were chosen as finalists for the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition.

TJ Vytlacil of Franco Restaurant and Chris Muether of Danno’s American Pub will be participating in the fourth annual GKCBC on Aug. 29 in Kansas City. The event is now the largest in the Midwest, since this year’s competition was opened to bartenders from outside the Kansas City area. The 12 finalists and their unique cocktails were chosen for the use of quality spirits, fresh ingredients, proper technique and creativity.

Vytlacil will be preparing “Silver & Sand,” which uses Lillet Rouge, lemon juice, the Danish liqueur Cherry Heering, two types of scotch, lemon bitters and egg white. Muether, one of the newest members of the St. Louis chapter of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild, will be shaking up a cocktail he calls “Gateway to the Zest.”

The finalists will compete against one another on the stage of the Uptown Theater in front of a live audience and be judged by a panel that includes St. Louis’ own Ted Kilgore of Taste by Niche.

Wanna cheer on the duo from our fair(er) city? Grab your $15 ticket, which also includes a drink and food by some of K.C.’s best restaurants at www.gkcbc.com.

We’re excited (and thirsty) to announce that the whiskey barrel-aged cocktails that Ted Kilgore revealed to Sauce writer Ligaya Figueras in this month’s Elixir column are now available at Taste by Niche in Benton Park, where Kilgore mans the bar, and also next door at Niche.

The cocktails have been aging in used oak barrels since June, an experiment by one of the city’s most talented mixologists. So what’s Kilgore think of his new concoctions? “They couldn’t have turned out better,” he said.

Kilgore uncorked both cocktails a little over a week ago. The first, what he called the Negroni Fresca, was half gone within four days, he said. He’s serving it stirred over ice, with no garnish. “The process brought out some bitterness, that malty kind of sweetness from the barrels and touches of oak and cedar,” Kilgore said. His other drink, the Holy Moly, turned out less spicy than it would’ve had it not aged, he said, with the same touches of wood and sweetness of the malt. “Both are great for different reasons,” he said. “I was very satisfied with the outcome.”

As for that third barrel, Kilgore still hasn’t decided what to put in it yet, though he said he may have to do another barrel of the Negroni Fresca, since it has sold much faster than he predicted. While the cocktails are only at Niche and Taste by Niche right now, Kilgore  hopes to serve the cocktails at all three Niche restaurants (including Brasserie) eventually. “It’s definitely something I’m going to continue, and I’ll try to keep a barrel cocktail at all times at at least one restaurant,” he said. Sounds like this was one experiment gone very, very right.

Planning on stopping in for one of these cocktails this weekend? Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments.

Cheers!

A Saucy congrats to local mixologist Ted Kilgore who took home the top prize at the Yellow Tail cocktail competition at the Tales of the Cocktail last week in New Orleans. Taste by Niche’s Kilgore was named one of six finalists for the event after competing against nine other mixologists from across the country at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic in New York City.

For the first part of the competition, in which contestants had to make a cocktail using Yellow Tail wine, Kilgore put a new twist on a drink he’s been serving at Taste. “It had Yellow Tail wine, Savignon Blanc, St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur, green chartreuse, lemon juice and fresh sage all shook up and strained into a wine glass,” he said. “I topped it with a little bit of Yellow Tail sparkling wine and garnished it with a fresh sage leaf and a little grapefruit bitters.”

Contestants then had to conjure up an on-the-spot cocktail using the surprise ingredients of dill, chili powder and Villa Massa Limoncello. “I used dill, cucumber, strawberry, gin and tequila, Limoncello and lime juice for this one,” Kilgore said. “I muddled the dill in there as well and shook it all up and topped it over ice with a cucumber slice that I powdered with the chili powder and put a dill sprig in at the end.”

Kilgore was quite familiar with the four mixologists he competed against, including Rhiannon Enlil from Cure in New Orleans, Sam Treadway from Drink in Boston, Brian Matthys from New York and John Lemayer from Miami. A panel of famous faces judged the competition, including Esquire drink correspondent David Wondrich,  Master Sommelier and Master of Wine Doug Frost and Andy Seymour, a partner of Aka Wine Geek.

Kilgore took more than just bragging rights home from New Orleans. His victory in the Yellow Tail competition also won him a trip for two to the land down under (Yellow Tail being an Australian wine and all), a venture he says he’ll take either early fall or in March. The earlier the better we say; all that hard work sure deserves a bit of good R&R…and, of course, a few drinks.

Cheers!

Sure, the thought of sweet summer tomatoes plucked fresh from a local farm should be enough to get you out of bed on a Saturday. But just in case you need that little extra push shaking off the covers, this homegrown tomato contest will also feature the first-ever Good, Big and Ugly tomato cocktail showdown. Got your shoes on yet?

For the contest, three local mixologists will be paired with three area farmers to create cocktails that showcase the day’s star ingredient: tomatoes, of course. Matt Seiter of Sanctuaria will be paired with YellowTree Farm’s Justin Leszcz, Monarch’s Nate Selsor will work with Gabriel Walbridge of Ozark Harvest Farms and Ted Kilgore of Taste by Niche fame will spend the day working with Karrie Johnson of Red House Farm.

Each mixologist has already started working with his assigned farmer to concoct a drink that uses tomatoes of all shapes and sizes, as well as any other herbs, veggies and fruits they can find on their partner’s farm. The weirder, the better for this seasonal battle, Seiter said, as the teams are looking to steer clear of the traditional reds and reaching for more obscure varieties including Zebras, Purple Cherokees and Italian Ices. The mixologists will also have to make a second cocktail, this one on-the-spot using whatever ingredients are set out on the table. Something tells me this won’t be your mom’s bloody mary.

Each cocktail will be judged on appearance, flavor and overall impression and the judges (including Sauce Elixir columnist Ligaya Figueras) will award first place “good”, second place “big” and third place “ugly” awards in accordance with the festival’s theme.

The Homegrown Tomato Contest and Tasting put on by Slow Food St. Louis will be held at Orlando Gardens near the Sappington Farmer’s Market on July 31 from noon to 4 p.m.; the cocktail contest starts at 2 p.m. For more info, click here.

Love classic cocktails? Wanna learn more about ’em from two of St. Louis’ top experts on the topic? If so, then phone Sanctuaria ASAP.

This coming Monday, June 14, that Grove tapas restaurant will host Mixology De-Mystified, an informal evening class devoted to pre-Prohibition panache and conducted by Sanctuaria’s own Matt Seiter and Taste by Niche’s Ted Kilgore. However, as Seiter told us yesterday, the limited seating on the reservations-only event is edging toward the danger zone.

“We get asked a lot by the people who sit at the bar, ‘Why do you do that? What’s the purpose? Does it really make a difference?’” noted Seiter. Questions like that inspired Monday’s class.

“We’re not doing anything crazy, anything out of the ordinary – we’re not using some brand-new techniques brought on by technology,” he continued. “All four of the cocktails [involved in the class] are pre-Prohibition. We specifically wanted to talk and discuss classic methods, differences between stirring and shaking, use of eggs in drinks. Just basic methodology.”

Seiter practices what he preaches, as does his right-hand man, Jake Ashcroft. Recently, in fact, Ashcroft has been experimenting with an as-yet-nameless libation involving Hendrick’s Gin, muddled cucumber juice, celery bitters and other ingredients. Cuke fans, take note.

Seiter also mentioned one more inspiration for his and Kilgore’s class. “I used to be a teacher, and I kinda missed that little teaching part,” he said, chuckling. “If only drinking was legal at the age of 14, I think high school would be a lot more fun, a lot more attentiveness to it.”

Mixology De-Mystified starts at 7 p.m. and costs $25, which includes four classic cocktails (a Champagne Cocktail, a Daiquiri, a Manhattan and a Ramos Gin Fizz) and hors d’oeuvres. To register – quick! – call 314.535.9700.

Just because you’re not in Rio watching buxom women in skimpy bikinis and peacock-length feather headdresses dance the samba doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Carnival in Brazilian style. Start on Saturday – and keep it going all four days – with cocktails built from Brazil’s national spirit: cachaça, a cousin to rum that’s made from distilled sugar cane (if you want the real deal, ask for top-shelf Cabana Cachaça). A few of our favorites:

Caipirinha – The quintessential Brazilian cocktail, made by adding cachaça to muddled lime and superfine sugar and served over ice. Bacana Brasil in Chesterfield makes uma boa Caipirinha.

Brazilian Dollar Drink – You’ll find this twist on the Caipirinha on the cocktail menu at Pi in the CWE. It’s Cabana Cachaça, Aperol, lime and a touch of maple syrup that adds a smoky, raisiny hint. Shake it, baby! Then top with sparkling wine and serve in a flute with a flamed orange twist.

The Gateway Caipirinha – This one was created by Ted Kilgore and includes Cabana Cachaça, cinnamon syrup, muddled lemon and a spoonful of fruity peach jam. The Gateway City’s master himself will mix it for you at Taste by Niche, or ask for it during round two at Pi since bar manager Joel Clark has the intel – and Kilgore’s permission – to make this Brazil-meets-The Lou libation.

Batida – This Portuguese word translates to “shaken” or “milkshake,” but it’s also a cocktail made with cachaça, fruit juice or coconut milk and sugar. Coco Louco in the Central West End offers a variety of flavors, but we give the Batida blended with caju – fruit of the cashew tree – a nod and hip-shaking “sim!”

– Ligaya Figueras

Photo by Brian Fagnani

If (like us) you feel an informal union with the lovely, lovely people who’ve made dispensing adult beverages their profession, tonight you can support a more formal union by visiting 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar.

More specifically, the small but stalwart Lafayette Square establishment will host a fundraiser for the nascent St. Louis chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild from 6 to 9 p.m., according to 33 owner Jeff Stettner.

Members of the guild – including local mixology masters Ted Kilgore of Taste by Niche, T.J. Vytlacil, Monarch’s Nate Selsor and others featured in our November cover story, “Cocktail Hour” – will mix cocktails at the event, which will also feature a raffle, a wine tasting and a beer tasting. All cocktails will cost $8, with wine and beer a bit cheaper – but all proceeds, again, will benefit the guild.

Renowned spirits writer Gary Regan recently gave praise in the San Francisco Chronicle to The Delta, a cocktail by Nate Selsor of Monarch Restaurant in Maplewood. Based on Jim Beam Distillers Series bourbon, Selsor’s creation riffs on the vintage Cocktail à la Louisiane. “The man has done a fine job of balancing this baby,” writes Regan of Selsor’s drink (pictured). He also gives a nod to Ted Kilgore, currently of Benton Park’s Taste by Niche. Citing Kilgore’s experiments with duck fat-infused spirits, Regan calls the master mixologist “quite a case.”

Photo courtesy of sfgate.com