Caroline Pardilla

LA’s Top Bartenders Compete at The Taste LA Cocktail Confidential’s Mixology Contest This Saturday

— by Caroline on Crack

Julian Cox by Caroline on Crack

Mixologist Julian Cox is on the hunt for the best bartender at the Taste LA Cocktail Confidential.

If you lovvve drinking you’ve probably already bought your ticket for Los Angeles Times’ The Taste: Cocktail Confidential this Saturday, part of the weekend-long multi-event food fest on the Paramount Studios lot. And if you haven’t yet, you better get on that. Hosted by ubiquitous bartender Julian Cox (Rivera, Playa, Picca, Short Order) and LA Times‘ food and nightlife writer Jessica Gelt, The Taste LA Cocktail Confidential promises to showcase the best our city’s cocktail culture has to offer with mixology demos and all the food, wine, booze you can consume from the top restaurants and spirits sponsors (well, but, Skinny Girl is going to be there as well).

But the highlight of the event has gotta be the “Mix-Off on the Backlot” cocktail competition which will be judged by an alliteration of foodie force: Julian, Jessica and Jonathan, as in Gold. They’re tasked with crowning the top mixologist.

And with this roster of six contestants slated to compete it’s gonna be a hard-earned win.

Yeah, I don’t envy the judges…well, OK, maybe I do because they get to taste the contestants’ delicious efforts.

Here’s how the contest is going to run:

  • Round 1: In a nod to Iron Chef, the contenders will each be given three secret items and then have to use two of the three in a cocktail. Top three of this round will move on to the next.
  • Round 2: A secret chef will present the finalists with dishes that they have to create cocktails to pair them with. Then they have to serve their pairings to the judges who will then determine the winner.

Who are you rooting for? Marcos and Damian are superstars who were part of the Seven Grand opening crew and who have since gone on to bigger and better things. But all the other contestants — Jaymee, Nathan, Paul and Brian — have the benefit of working in restaurants so may have an edge with pairing food dishes.

It’s going to be an exciting, mouth-watering show.

EVENT: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 from 8pm to 11pm

The Taste LA Cocktail Confidential at Paramount Studios
5555 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90038 (map)
Facebook: The Taste LA
Twitter: @TheTasteLA
Tickets: $65