Who's the best bartender in all of LA?

***CONTEST CLOSED***

So I have the skinny on a must-do event for cocktail enthusiasts. It takes place next Monday at Takami Sushi downtown and will feature six of L.A.’s best bartenders and their never-tasted-before cocktail punch recipes. Guests will be able to try all the concoctions (each serving is 4-5 ounces) for free and mingle with fellow boozers.

The bad news is that it’s invite-only and oh-so exclusive with about 100 guests. But the awesome news is that I get to pick five of my lucky crackheads to go!

This party is the grand finale for the Table 20 Best Bartender in LA contest. For weeks before, you were given the chance to nominate your favorite drink slingers in all of Los Angeles. And then my fellow judges and I had to visit the top six contestants and vote for a winner. Well, the party is where it’s all going to go down. The contestants — Matt Biancaniello (People’s Choice winner) of Hollywood Roosevelt’s Library Bar, Joseph Brooke of The Edison, Max Diaz of Cicada Club, Devon Espinosa of The Tasting Kitchen, Dee Ann Quinones of Susan Feniger’s Street and Alex Straus of Hemingway’s Lounge — will be there. Only one of them will be announced as the Best Bartender in LA. BTW, your guess is as good as mine as to who will walk away with the title. And you won’t want to miss it. The tears, the cry of defeat, the roar of victory, the free cocktails!

To even get a chance at an invite, you must already “Like” my Facebook page* (that’s how I know you’re serious about me) and then do the following 1-2 punch:

1. Post on your own Facebook page: “I want to win an invite from @Caroline on Crack’s Crackheads to next Monday’s exclusive Table 20 cocktail punch party! http://wp.me/pNkdL-1pL” The “@” is to make sure it links back to my page.
2. Leave a comment on my FB page telling me you did the above so I’ll know. And I’ll check!

I’ll close this contest Saturday, October 2 at 9am, tally up the entries, pick five winners and check their Facebook pages to make sure they posted on them. The five winners will then be notified via Facebook.

Good luck!

* Got this idea from my fellow judge at Vixen’s LA Happy Hours. She’s all smart and stuff.

Cocktail at the Edison

***CONTEST CLOSED***

I’ve got another special Edison Downtown giveaway for you. More nights of cocktailing and dining! And this one is only for Twitter and Facebook users. Sorry, non social media types.

To kick off their #FF@TheEdisonLA summer contest, I’m giving away not just one but TWO prizes this time. The first prize is dinner and cocktails for two (worth $100) at the Edison and the second is the more casual Dog Days of Summer for two which includes two beers and two hotdogs with rings (available Wednesday-Friday; 5pm-8pm).

All you have to do is the following:

1. Tweet this today and/or tomorrow and most definitely Friday as much as you want: “LA cocktails #FF @TheEdisonLA @carolineoncrack http://bit.ly/bfumE1”
2. Become a fan of (aka “Like”) my Facebook page.

**You have to do both of the above for your contest submission to be valid.**

You have til Friday at noon PST to get all your Tweets up and like my FB. Then later at 4pm I’ll pull a couple of Tweets out of a hat (the Randomizer) and the first winner will get the dinner and drinks while the second one the Dog Days. I’ll notify you via Twitter and post your names on my Facebook page so keep an eye out! Good luck!

The Edison
108 W. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, California 90012 (map)
(213) 613-0000
Twitter: @TheEdisonLA
Facebook: The Edison

The winner. She's the one in the back.

If you left your comments and did everything I asked for, your entry to my contest to win VIP tickets to the sold-out LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting Event was counted. And after consolidating all the entries and getting rid of duplicate “I forgot to include my food truck pick/Twitter” I fed the numbers into the Randomizer and it spat out the winner.

So the lucky person who gets two VIP tickets to the food truck lover’s paradise this Saturday is @omgbren! Congrats, Bren Lee Gomez! Have fun and I hope to run into you at the event.

And thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. I wish I had more tickets to give away, but alas two’s all I got.

LA Street Food Fest founders Shawna Dawson and Sonja Rasula by BoudoirRougePhoto.com

*****CONTEST IS CLOSED*****

With only four days until the LA Street Food Fest at the Rose Bowl, I’m sure you’ve heard all about it by now. That you get to eat food from over 60 LA food trucks, enjoy live music at an outdoor concert, partake of an ice cream social, shop the Unique LA Marketplace, explore the tequila and mezcal tasting and indulge in the open bars featuring Sailor Jerry Rum and Camarena Tequila. I know, it’s pretty awesome and it’s definitely the must-do this weekend if you’re a fan of food trucks, nomminess and tasty cocktails.

But if that’s not enough to get you champing at the bit, I’ve got more good news for you that isn’t even published on the event’s site yet but has been confirmed by Shawna Dawson, co-founder of the LA Street Food Fest.

Skilled mixologists Michel Dozois (Neve Ice) and Devon Espinosa (Tasting Kitchen) have created special cocktails — a couple for the VIP hour and two more for general admission — just for the occasion.

VIP Hour Cocktails:

• #5 (by Michel) – Camerena Reposado, freshly squeezed lemon juice, chili slices and fresh cherries
• Camarena Fresca (by Devon) — Camarena Silver, Lime, St. Germain topped with sparkling lemonade

General Admission Cocktails (both by Michel):

• Los Pelomas – Camerena Reposado,  fresh grape fruit juice, simple syrup and a splash of soda
• Mexican Spice — Camerena Silver, fresh squeezed lime juice, agave nectar and a strawberry

Also, Sailor Jerry Rum will offer the thirst-quenching Arnold Palmer and its signature Dark & Stormy made with spicy ginger beer. Perfect for a warm summer day.

So if you’ve already bought your tickets you’re probably very happy right now. But if you haven’t yet, you procrastinator, I’m sorry to say that all the general admission tickets have sold out as of this morning.

If you don’t mind splurging a bit and getting in early there are still a few VIP tickets available. At $65 a person, you get entrance into the event an hour and a half before everyone else, access to the VIP parking lot, those two bonus cocktails and special food items plus a surprise guest on stage. Not too shabby, and if you want to get in the event, VIP is the only way to go.

That is unless you win the pair of VIP tickets (worth $130) I’m giving away! That’s right, one lucky crackhead will get to attend the LA Street Food Fest in style. Lucky!

For your chance at the tickets all you have to do is the following:

1. Leave a comment below with your email address (so I can contact you if you win) and your Twitter handle as well as which food truck you’re looking forward to trying at the fest.
2. Tweet this: “I’m hungry, @carolineoncrack! Gimme VIP tix to @lafoodfest! http://bit.ly/d3w3gZ”
3. And lastly become a fan of (aka “Like”) my Facebook page.

**You have to do all of the above for your contest submission to be valid.**

Contest ends Thursday at 7pm PST. And at 1pm PST on Friday the 23rd, I’ll plug the entries into the randomizer, pick out a winner and notify you.

Good luck, all!  By the way, if you don’t win this time, make sure to buy your tickets online as they won’t be sold at the door.

EVENT: SATURDAY, JULY 24 4pm (VIP) or 5:30pm (general admission)

Venue: Rose Bowl
1001 Rose Bowl Drive
Pasadena, California 91103 (map)
Facebook: LA Street Food Fest
Twitter: @lafoodfest

A Table at The Edison.

*****CONTEST CLOSED*****

Next week’s Radio Room at the Edison Downtown will bring a little bit of Gotham to Los Angeles as Manhattan bar Ward III — an upscale drinking hole known for quality, experimental cocktails — will be featured. The owner and bartenders of Ward III — Michael Neff, Kenneth McCoy and Abdul Tabini — will strut their stuff on the shakers during the popular monthly bar night on Tuesday, July 13.

Here’s their list of cocktails ($14 each) for the evening:

• Baby Eveline (by Michael Neff): Muddled strawberries, lemon juice, Peychaud bitters, Martini & Rossi Prosecco and vodka of your choice
• Four Stars (by Michael Neff): Herradura silver tequila, lime juice, muddled rosemary and cilantro, and a dab of Sriracha hot sauce
• Hell Bent for Leather (by Kenneth McCoy): The Edison’s private bottling of Woodford Reserve bourbon, Irish whiskey, orange & lemon peel and muddled cardamom seed
• The Collective (by Kenneth McCoy): Dewar’s 12, Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth, clover honey, lemon juice, orange bitters and egg whites
• Angel Zakir (by Abdul Tabini): Martin Miller’s gin, muddled cucumber, basil and lime juice and Aperol
• Tortuga (by Abdul Tabini): Bacardi 8 rum, muddled lime, orange & lemon with a dusting of shaved cinnamon

OK, now for the part you’ve been waiting for. I’m giving away a VIP night at this Radio Room. This prize package (valued at $250) includes:

• Free entrance for 4 guests (cover is normally $10)
• A reserved table for the evening
• 8 complimentary cocktails tickets so you can sample the entire menu, plus some from Joseph Brooke, the Edison’s director of spirits
• A selection of complimentary hors d’oeuvres

Pretty suh-weet, right? I love it all: free entrance, guaranteed seating, freebie cocktails and food! And all you have to do to enter the contest for a chance at this fab prize is the following, oh and be on Twitter AND Facebook. Sorry, non social media types:

1. Leave a comment below with your email address (so I can contact you if you win) and your Twitter handle as well as what’s your favorite classic cocktail.
2. Tweet this: “I need a drink @carolineoncrack! Gimme tix to @TheEdisonLA’s Radio Room! http://bit.ly/aU4kAq”
3. And lastly become a fan of (aka “Like”) my Facebook page.

**You have to do all of the above for your contest submission to be valid.**

Contest ends Sunday at 7pm PST. And at 1pm PST on Monday the 12th, I’ll plug your entries into the randomizer, pick out a winner and notify you.

Good luck, all! Oh, and if you win, remember to tip your bartenders and servers! Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t show your appreciation for their service!

EVENT: TUESDAY, JULY 13 at 8pm

The Edison
108 W. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, California 90012 (map)
(213) 613-0000
Twitter: @TheEdisonLA