A Knockout of a Party: The 2011 Bar Room Brawl at Tales of the Cocktail

Roger Room Team

Five bars from around the country entered Generations Hall to do battle, but in the end, only one was crowned the 2011 Bar Room Brawl World Champion: Boston’s Eastern Standard. LA’s Roger Room punched its way into a three-way tie for the Peoples’ Choice Award, along with Seattle’s Teardrop Cocktail Lounge, and Sable Kitchen & Bar from Chicago.

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Thirsty in NOLA: Tales of the Cocktail 2011

The last time I was in New Orleans, it was many years before Katrina, when my girlfriend and I stayed at her best friend’s house in the Garden District and we spent two weeks eating and drinking our way through the Big Easy. Now, after far too long a gap between visits, I’m heading back to New Orleans to join thousands of other attendees at the 2011 Tales of the Cocktail!

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LA in NY: The City of Angels at the 2011 Manhattan Cocktail Classic

It’s May 13th, and on this day last year I was in New York on the eve of the inaugural Manhattan Cocktail Classic to toast World Cocktail Day and celebrate my First Blogiversary with my blogger twin, The Dizzy Fizz. And even though I’ll be in L.A. this year and have to settle for vicariously drinking through everyone’s tweets and posts, I’ll be content in knowing that Los Angeles will be well-represented at MCC.

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Winners of the 2011 Ultimate Spirits Challenge Announced

The winners have been announced for the second annual Ultimate Spirits Challenge, a four-day competition that took place at New York’s Astor Center on March 1-4, 2011. Nearly 600 entries from around the world were submitted for the multi-stage blind tasting, with 27 Chairman’s Trophy honors awarded to the highest scoring spirits in their category.

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Oliver Jones Named Winner of the 2010 Jimmy Barela Award

Oliver Jones has been named the winner of the 2010 Jimmy Barela Award, which honors the legendary bartender who held court at Cole’s Red Car Bar for 65 years. Jones, who can be found behind the stick at Las Perlas and Tengu (Westwood), bested eleven other competitors in a cocktail showdown that took place at The Varnish on Repeal Day.

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Table 20 Names Matt Biancaniello L.A.’s Best Bartender

A few months ago, Table 20 began a search to find L.A.’s Best Bartender by inviting the public to nominate and vote for their favorite bartenders. After the 30-day nomination and voting period, contest judges whittled the top 25 vote-getters down to five finalists and the People’s Choice winner, Matt Biancaniello. Throughout most of September,…

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Live the Dream: Become Belvedere’s 2011 Global Brand Ambassador

In an article published last month, the New York Times looked at the career path that many top bartenders are taking, from working behind the bar to the high-flying life of a spirits brand ambassador. Now, Belvedere Vodka is offering you the chance to skip all that paying-dues stuff with its new contest, aptly titled…

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