Creative Loafing’s HighBall 2017

FOR HIGHBALL ANOTHER ROUND 2017
ON MAY 11TH AT RIALTO THEATRE, CLICK HERE!

Featuring local spirits, bartenders, and more, HighBall will showcased craft cocktails created by Tampa Bay's top mixologists with either whisky, vodka, gin, or rum as they competed to win over your taste buds!

Attendees suited up and sipped their way around more than 15 craft cocktails as they sampled and judged the tasty concoctions all for the sake of finding the best whisky, vodka, gin, and rum cocktails, as well as 'Tampa Bay's Best Cocktail' at HighBall 2017!

Not to mention, we celebrated the release of our cocktail issue – in print and online on January 26th – and the winning cocktails will be featured at Creative Loafing's annual Best of the Bay Awards Party in September!

HighBall 2017

A craft cocktail competition by Creative Loafing

Thursday, January 26th, 2017

VIP: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. | GA: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Kozuba & Sons Distillery | 1960 5th Ave. S. in St. Pete

TICKET INFO

General Admission

included craft cocktail samples from each bar/restaurant; bites by Ox and Fields Restaurant + Bar, District Tavern, & The Galley: A St. Pete Tavern; & voting in each category of the HighBall competition.

VIP Admission

included early entry for an extra hour of sampling without the crowds from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; craft cocktail samples from each bar/restaurant; bites by Ox and Fields Restaurant + Bar, District Tavern, & The Galley: A St. Pete Tavern; a private VIP area featuring VIP-only perks like food samples by Casey's Craft Bar Kitchen & a signature Kozuba & Sons Cocktail; & voting in each category of the HighBall competition.

Congrats to this year's winners:

Best Whisky Craft Cocktail & Best Overall Craft Cocktail
Flanagan's Irish Pub | Cory Tompkins Best Vodka Craft Cocktail
The Cask and Ale | Nicholas Notarpole Best Gin Craft Cocktail
Casey's Craft Bar Kitchen | Dylan Clements Best Rum Cocktail
District Tavern | Ryan Fitzgerald

FEATURING CRAFT COCKTAILS BY:

Competing with Kozuba & Sons Vodka:

Casa Tina | Duane Bitter 

Mayan Fury | Kozuba & Sons Vodka, fresh ginger root, habanero peppers, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, fresh lime juice, organic agave nectar, & habanero tincture

Cask and Ale | Nicholas Notarpole

Beets by C&A | Kozuba & Sons Vodka, egg white, beet simple syrup, lime juice, Licor 43, & coconut/lime sea salt rimmer

Roux | Kristi Sanchez

Pink Fairy | Kozuba & Sons Vodka, Corsair red absinthe rinse, elderflower, lemon juice, coconut water, & blueberries

The Mill | Chelsea Daniel

Paradiso | Kozuba & Sons Vodka, guava, pink peppercorn, salt, & lime

Competing with Kozuba & Sons Mr. Rye Whisky:

BRGR Kitchen & Bar | Ty Thomas

Smoke'n Ginger | Kozuba & Sons Mr. Rye Whisky, local blueberry mint from BRGR’s vertical wall garden, muddled with honey & lime, topped with ginger beer, & garnished with a smoked candied ginger

Castile Restaurant | Robby Rosello

I'll Have Zamora That | Kozuba & Sons Mr. Rye Whisky, fresh muddled ginger & basil, ginger liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice, Fever Tree Bitter Lemon, & basil crystals

Datz | Morgan Zuch

White Girl Wasted | Kozuba & Sons Mr. Rye Whisky, White Girl Rosé, lemon juice, champagne raspberry tea simple syrup, rhubarb bitters, Florida strawberries, powdered mini donut, whipped cream, & mint sprig

Flanagan's Irish Pub | Cory Tompkins

Roasted Orange Rye | Kozuba & Sons Mr. Rye Whisky, roasted blood orange, & rosemary old fashioned

Competing with Siesta Key Rum:

District Tavern | Ryan Fitzgerald

Catch Me If You Cane Gingerbread Daiquiri | Brown butter washed Siesta Key Rum, allspice, molasses, ginger root, & lemon

Iberian Rooster | Brandon Muske

Pimento Promises | Siesta Key Rum, house crafted allspice dram, house made cherry bitters, & lime

T

he Bricks | Joshua Gonzalez

Sarasota Sling | Siesta Key Rum, guava, tangerine soda, & candied strawberry garnish

Tryst | Pat Lee

Tropical Temptation | Siesta Key Rum, cucumber, orange, strawberry, Myers's Dark, Bacardi 151, simple syrup, & Ting Ginger Beer

Competing with Tamiami Gin:

Buya | Ryan Pines

Fifth Element | Tamiami Gin, Chareau alo

e, kale & cucumber juice, pineapple syrup, ginger bitters, & Q Club Soda

Casey's Craft Bar Kitchen | Dylan Clements

NY to LV | Tamiami Gin, lemon, dragon peach tea, & Luxardo Maraschino liqueur

Mandarin Hide | Courtney Tonge

Doctor’s Orders | Tamiami Gin, Zucca Amaro, apple, tangerine shrub, lemon juice, & rosemary garnish

The Birch & Vine | Tim Goodrich

Fabuloso Tamiami | Gin, purple rose, rhubarb, hibiscus simple syrup, lemon juice, soda, & violet liqueur

A portion of proceeds to benefit Current Initiatives and their projects, such as the Laundry Project, Hope For Homes, and Affordable Christmas!

Featuring complimentary on-site valet by

We teamed up with Lyft to get attendees to and from HighBall safely! First-time Lyft users, got their first ride free up to $20 by downloading the app, creating an account, and entering the code CLTAMPA in the 'Payment' section at checkout.

Attendees RSVPed on Facebook to stay in-the-know & invite your friends!

     

21+. Programming subject to change. Event takes place rain or shine. No refunds are available.