It’s a fine week to be a cocktail lover in Montreal.
Tonight, Monday, Dec.15th, is the annual Made With Love cocktail competition. 19 of the city’s top bartenders and mixologists are going to strut their stuff at the SAT from 6pm-10pm. They’re given a short list of alcohols to work with (from sponsors including Campari, Disaronno and a couple of gin, rum and other producers) and spend four hours making it for a crowd of increasingly inebriated and rambunctious—though mostly well-meaning—patrons. Event-goers choose their favourites by giving the bartender of their choice their dog tag. Official jurors also rank the best concoctions. Sometimes there’s dark chocolate involved or black walnut bitters or earl grey tea or infused balsam tips. Plus homemade syrups and tonic.
Tickets are pricey but it’s all you can drink. Dangerous.
Then on Sunday, Dec. 21st, Montreal tiki bar Le Mal Nécessaire is having their second annual “Drunken Masters” cocktail competition. 15 of the cities top bartenders get judged on execution and speed making 5 pre-determined cocktails:
– New York Sour
– Zorro Rojo
– Rum & egg nog
– Penecilin
– Hanky Panky
$20 gets you 4 cocktails. That’s the best cocktail deal in town outside of Made With Love (unless you can only drink 4 cocktails—me—in which case it’s the best cocktail deal in town…).
Finally, I know that Christmas comes before New Years, but I’m preparing a couple of articles on the best places to eat on New Years Eve in Montreal. If you’ve got a recommendation on a cool restaurant with a special menu, a great restaurant with no special menu, a cheap restaurant or another NYE suggestion, let me know.
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