Cococabana Rooftop Bar in Oceanside, Union Kitchen & Tap in Encinitas and Monarch Ocean Pub in Del Mar are among 21 San Diego County bars and restaurants facing off in the inaugural San Diego Cocktail Championship through the end of April.
Patrons can visit participating establishments and vote on their drink creations now through April 28, when the competition culminates in a block party, hosted by Rustic Root, Swing Social and Tiki Annex, in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter along Fifth Avenue from Market Street to Island Avenue.
Cococabana’s featured cocktail is the Jaguar Verdita, made with Milagro Reposado and mango liqueur. Union Kitchen & Tap’s cocktail is the Bad Moon Rising, made with cucumber-and-serrano-pepper-infused Milagro Blanco Tequila, fresh lime juice, agave, tajin and celery bitters. Monarch Ocean Pub’s competing drink is Life’s a Peach, which is made with Hendrick’s Gin, lemon juice, peach nectar, egg whites and orgeat.
Votes can be submitted at cocktailchampionship.com/contest. Participants must be age 21 and over. Voters are automatically registered for a drawing for $2,100 worth of gift cards, representing $100 from each of the 21 participating restaurants and bars, according to an event announcement.
For the April 28 block party, general admission tickets are $49, which include mini cocktails from the competing establishments from 2 to 5 p.m. VIP tickets, which include food and early access starting at 1 p.m., are available for $79.
An awards ceremony, presented by Z90.3 FM radio personality Rick Morton, runs from 5 to 6 p.m.
More information, including ticket reservations, is available at cocktailchampionship.com.
