Calling to all cocktail lovers and event attendees!
Are you dying to know who won the Best Cocktail title at last month’s Art of the Cocktail?
It’s a happy surprise and a little unexpected!
It’s been nearly a month since the Crystal Gardens hosted a magical evening of socializing and signature cocktails at Victoria Film Festival’s 13th Art of the Cocktail fundraising event, and the buzz hasn’t stopped!
This year’s event was Las Vegas themed, and attendees strutted their best, most sparkly, and enticing while enjoying over 50 local and national distillers and taking photos with the ‘Vegas showgirls’ rocking the event.
Janey Paul claimed the prestigious title of Best Dressed, and because Art of the Cocktail is renowned for its annual Best Cocktail Competition, there had to be a winner for that too!
The top spot this year was won by Barrelhouse Brine, impressing with their signature pickle-tastic creation, the SourBack, which elevated them to victory.
Joel Wilson, the owner of Barrelhouse Brine, happily shared the recipe with Victoria Buzz and we’re going to pass it along to you!
Sourback:
- 1oz – Canadian Club 12yr whisky (classic Prohibition Canadian whisky)
- 1oz – Barrelhouse Brine ‘Sourback’ cocktail brine (the essence of the Barrelhouse Brine Kosher Dills)
- Garnished with a Barrelhouse Brine Sour gherkin (Mexican cucamelon)
They’re a local island-based business in Nanaimo and are known for their delectable pickled experiences—offering Pickles with Panache that are hand-packed in small batches and varieties of Fresh Pickles, crock-cured Kosher Dills and Briner, as well as Brewer collaborations that offer BIG, Bright and Bold flavours.
Their website reads, “To make a truly great pickle only takes a few simple ingredients, fresh organically grown produce, fantastic salt, the right vinegar and a little culinary talent.”
And the pickle juice must be pretty incredible as it helped them secure the top spot in this year’s competition with their unbeatable take on the classic Pickleback shot.
So, the next time you’re on a little road trip to Nanaimo, make sure you stop in and say hello to the newly crowned legends!
Tug Eatery and their mouth-watering peanut butter chocolate flavoured shaft earned them second place, while Spinnakers took third with their delectable concoction, Autumnal!
Festival Director Kathy Kay was super impressed by how the community came together to support this Victoria Film Festival fundraiser and took a moment to thank everyone involved.
“There are so many people to thank who make Art of the Cocktail a possibility like Spinnakers who are longtime supporters and Urban Grocer who joined us for the first time. They are integral to making this a great event.”
There was also a special “thank you” for the huge collection of dedicated volunteers, the 960 attendees, and the talented cocktail artists!
See you next year cocktail lovers!
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