Patrons decide which cocktail is Pasadena’s favorite during SIP-tember: A Celebration of the Cocktail in Pasadena. From August 15th through September 26th, local restaurants will serve cocktails that will be paired against each other in a competition.
64 cocktails, ranging from drinks specially concocted for the competition to margaritas and sangria, will begin the competition that will last six weeks and culminate in a live taste-off of the four drinks that win their bracket.
The 64 cocktails competing in 32 brackets are available for viewing at the Pasadena Restaurant Week website at www.pasadenarestaurantweek.com.
Voting went live on Thursday, August 15th, with the first bracket voting open for two weeks. The top vote getter in each bracket automatically advances to the next round. Vote at www.pasadenarestaurantweek.com/vote.
Round one ends Wednesday, August 28th. Round two, with 32 drinks remaining, ends September 11th when 16 drinks will advance to the third round of 16.
The SIP-tember Cocktail Bracket Challenge and Celebration of the Cocktail is a fun and novel way to lead into our Taste of Pasadena event. The four finalist drinks will face off in a live sip-off at the Taste of Pasadena on September 26th at the Rose Bowl. The first challenge will take place over two weeks and pit 32 pairs of cocktails against each other. Each week following the winners will be paired head-to-head with another winning cocktail until, on September 26th, the four finalists will be matched in a live tasting during the annual Taste of Pasadena hosted by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce at the Rose Bowl from 6pm to 9pm.
In addition to the cocktail tastings, twenty Pasadena restaurants and caterers will showcase their menu and drink offerings to attendees at the Taste of Pasadena. Admission to the Taste of Pasadena is $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Those attendees each receive tickets to taste the competition cocktails and get to sample the food and drink from among Pasadena’s finest restaurants and caterers who will be showcasing their culinary expertise at the event. You can sign up and pay for Taste of Pasadena admission by clicking here.
Voting in the cocktail bracket challenge went live on Wednesday, August 15th. SIP-tember kicked off with a citywide cocktail party to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the birth of America’s first culinary celebrity - Pasadena’s own Julia Child.
Venues offering cocktails for the SIP-tember Cocktail Bracket Challenge include:
- Gale’s Restaurant,
- Vertical Wine Bistro,
- a/k/a an American Bistro,
- Toro Sushi Bar Lounge,
- Slater’s 50/50,
- Clearman’s Galley,
- El Cholo,
- New York Deli,
- Trattoria Neapolis,
- Green Street Restaurant,
- Colombo’s Italian Steakhouse,
- ix-tapa cantina,
- Bar Celona,
- California Pizza Kitchen-Pasadena,
- Sushi Roku-Pasadena,
- BowlMor-300 Pasadena,
- BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse-Pasadena,
- Dog Haus Biergarten,
- POP Champagne and Dessert Bar,
- Salt at iPic Cinema,
- McCormick and Schmick’s,
- Kings Row Gastropub,
- 168 (OneSixtyEight)
- The Tap Room at the Langham Pasadena,
- Bistro 45
- Market on Holly
- El Portal,
- Haven Gastropub,
- Kal's Mediterranean Bistro
- Grill 168 at The Hilton Pasadena,
- Bar 1886 at The Raymond,
- Ruth’s Chris Steak House will offer last year’s favorite cocktail, the Broad Street Hurricane, as reigning champion, along with other cocktails.
Many of Pasadena’s restaurants and lounges take part in the friendly bracket competition. SIP-tember: A Celebration of the Cocktail and the Taste of Pasadena provide a terrific opportunity for patrons to visit new places, remember old favorites and see the breadth of excellent offerings found in the Pasadena area.
Sponsors of SIP-tember: a celebration of the cocktail include Presenting Sponsor the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. Gold Sponsors of SIP-tember and the Taste of Pasadena are The City of Pasadena, Southern California Gas Company’s Advanced Meter Project and Trusted Choice Agents of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena. Pasadena Magazine is Media Sponsor. Dance Syndicate will provide entertainment at the Taste of Pasadena and SIP-tember Finale at the Rose Bowl.