The winner of the seventh annual Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery Mixoff has been announced.
More than 200 people attended the booze battle at the Laurel Packinghouse in Kelowna on Thursday night.
The competing cocktails had to contain two Okanagan Spirit ingredients and a wine, beer or cider from the area.
Some of the bartenders in the fight had spent months creating their own unique extracts and spirits for their drinks.
The judges – taking into account originality, taste, presentation and name – chose the “Spiked Chai” cocktail from the Waterfront Cafe’s Kyle Friesen as the winner on the night.
Friesen’s invention was also the people’s choice.
The “Best Bite,” meanwhile, was awarded to Raudz Regional Concepts for their “turkey bacon wrapped root vegetable torte”.
The evening was filled with the sounds of jazz and intriguing appetizers (including Summerhill’s plant-based tuna ceviche).
“The creativity and originality the competitors showed was amazing,” said Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery owner Tyler Dyck.
“These bartenders continue to raise the bar every year.
“It’s so great to see the bartenders working as a team with their chefs to pair the drinks with amazing food!”
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
