Art of the Cocktail 2014

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Monday, October 6th, 2014

Tickets are now on sale for Canada’s Premier Cocktail Event! From October 4-6, Art of the Cocktail returns for its sixth spirited season to celebrate - you guessed it - all things cocktail! Last season’s event brought out an unprecedented amount of international guests, and saw an incredible sell-out of almost every event. Now, after a record-breaking year in 2013, the AOTC team is upping the ante by introducing some new events to the roster. The Earls Kitchen + Bar Games Competition will pit the bravest bartenders against one another in a heated multi-challenge showdown. In front of a panel of bar-stars and brand ambassadors, competitors will need to bring their best game to the wood as they are judged on speed, charm, and memory before one of them is named Bar Games Champ. In addition to unique competitions, this year’s AOTC will feature a hands-on Make Your Own Bitters workshop. In this exclusive 90-minute session, Victoria Spirits’ own Peter Hunt takes the mystery out of the process as he guides you through the process, giving you the chance to create and take home a bottle of your own bitters. Additional seminars will be added to the roster shortly. Following the ever-popular tradition, on October 4th, the Grand Tasting will take place at the historical Crystal Gardens. Here, guests can indulge in unique samples of cocktails from dozens of spirit brands beside delicious appetizers from some of the best chefs in the city. Il Covo and Steamship Grill & Taphouse are among the newcomers who will be serving up tasty appetizers alongside favourites like Bard and Banker and The Keg. The quickest event to sell out in the whole festival, the Grand Tasting’s VIP hour begins at 6pm, and features exclusive token-free sampling until 7pm before the open to the general public. Featuring artisanal and regional distillers, as well as the most well-known brands in the world, the Grand Tasting is the festival’s largest event.

From writing, to rum, to real-life whiskey-sipping spies– Art of the Cocktail has it all!

Imbibe and learn at the sixth annual Art of the Cocktail festival! “Best Cocktail Writer” winner Paul Clarke just joined the seminar roster with Drinking on Deadline rounding out an already spirited weekend. The Executive Editor of Imbibe magazine is hosting a 90-minute session that delves into the fluid relationship between cocktails and journalism.

    “There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum…” Tackling the history of one of the most diverse spirits in the world, Jim Romdall, is also joining the lineup at the AOTC with Rumapalooza. Featuring rums from around the globe, taste the difference and learn the past of what used to be discarded as “industrial waste”.

Switching gears from the power of the pen and the diversity of rum, Simon Ford presents two seminars that round-out the spirits list. Explore the world of the silver screen’s most famous bob-vivant: “Bond…. James Bond” in The Spy Who Loved Whiskey on October 5th. Not the secret agent type? Check out Ford’s other seminar that looks into why we’re always so gaga for gin.

Expand your palate.

Get more details at: http://artofthecocktail.ca/