Our good friend H. Joseph Ehrmann forwarded us the details of a special cocktail competition in San Francisco next week. We thought we'd pass this on to the rest of you in case any of you happen to be in San Francisco next Tuesday (September 25, 2007).

Tuesday, September 25
5:30pm-7:30pm
San Francisco Ferry Building
$10/person, includes cocktails and food
(To buy your tickets online: click here.)

The contest is being held by Chow.com, and is focusing on seasonal, organic cocktails. They solicited recipes from both amateurs and professional bartenders/mixologists, and from a selection of six finalists, have narrowed the list down to a "Professional" winner, and an "Amateur" winner. Here are the finalists, and winners in both categories:

In the Professional category
1st Place:  Ronaldo Colli - Rose Mary
Chris Tunstall - Happily Ever After
Peter-John Hanne - A Taste of Summer

In the Amateur category
1st Place:  Abigail Gullo - The Flying Fig
Cheryl Perry - "Warm" Ancho Melon Cooler
Amanda Gager - Pearfect!

Recipes for these cocktails, and many other entries, can be found on the Chow website.

At the finale event next Tuesday, the two 1st place winners will square off to see who will be crowned champion of organic cocktails. They will face a panel of judges and will be challenged to develop a cocktail using ingredients they've picked that day from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. They will also be asked to create a cocktail using a mystery seasonal organic ingredient chosen by the judges.

This sounds like an event not to be missed!

All proceeds from the event will benefit two community non-profit organizations:  OM Organics and CUESA.  OM Organics works to increase the demand for sustainable agriculture in the San Francisco Bay Area through its educational website and comprehensive online directory. CUESA is dedicated to promoting a sustainable food system through the operation of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and its educational programs.

On September 5th, fashion label Trovata’s fall presentation had a Brazilian theme and featured Sagatiba Pura cachaça. A packed house at Tunnel in Manhattan was treated to a Brazilian caiporera show and musical entertainment by Perry Farell & The Brazilian Girls. The Sagatiba Caipirinhas were a perfect vehicle to transplant Manhattan south of the equator for the night. Sagatiba provided guests with a CD, Pure Spirit of Brasil, a perfect musical accompaniment to cachaça that will be a great cocktail party soundtrack.

Three Sagatiba cocktails were featured. With a lovely aroma and a taste that let cane, elderflower, citrus, pineapple and pink grapefruit each shine through; the Trovata Spring was a true stand out. The Sagatiba Seven is a refreshing Pellegrino Limonata highball that will be most appreciated when it is sweltering next July and August (unless you are lucky enough to be heading to Brazil soon while the rest of us sip hot toddies through winter!) A signature black Sagatiba muddler resembling a relay race baton served as the tool for creating the easy to drink Sagatiba Classic Caiprinha.

Trovata Spring

• 2 oz Sagatiba Pura
• 1/2 oz St Germaine Elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 2 oz fresh pineapple juice
• 1 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Serve over ice.

Sagatiba Seven

• 2 oz Sagatiba Pura
• 3 oz Pellegrino Limonata
• 1/2 orange slice

Pour Sagatiba into a long glass full of ice and top up with Limonata. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Sagatiba Classic Caipirinha

• 2 oz Sagatiba Pura
• 1/2 of a lime cut in wedges
• 2 teaspoons of sugar

Place the lime and sugar in an old-fashioned glass and muddle gently. Add ice, pour Sagatiba and shake well.