Better Brands Beverage Co., maker of Salute American Vodka, is sponsoring a local bartending competition. The Midwest-based company, whose product launched earlier this year, seeks participants for its Battle of the Bartenders.
The contest includes a series of preliminary rounds scheduled to take place at select area restaurants beginning next Monday, April 22, and culminating in a final round scheduled for Monday, May 20. At each of the first four preliminary rounds, bartenders will create an original vodka cocktail using Salute American Vodka – a four-times-distilled, 80-proof spirit made from American corn and wheat – and no more than four other ingredients. The top two bartenders from each battle will move on to the finals, and the winner will take home a $1,000 cash award.
Got eyes on the prize and a knack for working magic with vodka? Register for the bartending battle here. A complete list of rules is available here.
Do you only have a talent for drinking vodka? Every battle is free and open to the public. Complimentary samples of Salute Vodka will be available along with specials on Salute American signature cocktails like the Salute Sparkler (pictured above).
The schedule for the preliminary rounds is: April 22, Syberg’s Chesterfield location; April 29, Cafe Napoli; May 6, Lucas Park Grille; and May 13, Sub Zero Vodka Bar. The finals will be held May 20 at Three Sixty rooftop bar. All competitions begin at 7 p.m. and last approximately three hours.
If your schedule doesn’t permit you to come out and cheer on local bartenders, but you do want to support U.S. military veterans, consider grabbing a bottle of Salute American Vodka off the shelves at area liquor stores. For every bottle sold, the company donates one dollar to military veterans’ charities.
This article appears in April 2013.