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The Tri-Valley Craft Cocktail Competition is growing for its third year in downtown Livermore.
The special event, which supports the nonprofit Pacific Chamber Orchestra, is offering more cocktails, food, tickets, silent auction items and a reconfigured layout for better spacing when it returns to Bankhead Plaza on the first Saturday of May, according to organizers.
“This third year is all about originality,” PCO music director Lawrence Kohl told the Pleasanton Weekly.
“Guests will sample 21 completely unique cocktails crafted exclusively for TVC3 — one-night-only creations you won’t find on any menu,” Kohl said. “The first two years sold out, and the excitement keeps building. It’s inventive, it’s competitive, and the audience gets to vote, which makes the whole evening feel electric.”
Kohl noted that the Craft Cocktail Competition “is fun, but its impact is serious” for PCO, a resident company at the Bankhead Theater that puts on concerts and music education programs in the area.
“With arts funding under pressure, community-driven events like this allow us to continue bringing live music into schools and onto our stages,” he added.
The event is set to run from 4:30-6:30 p.m. May 2, although purchasing a premium ticket will earn early entry at 4 p.m. Attendees – capped at 400, up 10% from last year – will be able to sample 21 original cocktails from local mixologists at festively decorated booths across the outdoor plaza, many of which will have small-bite food pairings from downtown restaurants.
The lineup is slated to feature Azotea, Commonwealth, Crush’d Wine Bar & Kitchen, Demitri’s Taverna, Honeycomb Cocktail Lounge, Hops and Sessions, Market Tavern, Mornings on First, Nightcaps at Rosetta, Pivot Craft & Sport Bar, Rebel Kitchen & Libations, Rosemarino, Sabio on Main, Sauced BBQ & Spirits, Sidewinder Spirits Co., Sons of Liberty Alehouse, The Black Cat, Espresso, The Bourbon Pear, The Fat Pigeon and Hop DeVine, and The Syndicate.
The top awards, including Mixologist of the Year, will be awarded by designated judges – but attendees can get in on the mix, as “Sip. Sample. Vote.” will be the spirit in the air with Audience Favorite and Best Table Display awards handed out by the people.
“TVC3 showcases creativity and friendly competition at its best,” said Jennifer Haus of Keller Williams Tri-Valley, which is a lead sponsor for the event. “You can feel the energy and community spirit the moment you walk in.”
The Craft Cocktail Competition falls one weekend after PCO’s premier concert of the spring.
The orchestra will perform “the gorgeous melodies and sunny disposition” of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “5th Symphony”, along with a rendition of American composer Edward MacDowell’s “2nd Piano Concerto” accompanied by renowned pianist Jon Nakamatsu, on April 25 in Lafayette and April 26 at the Bankhead.Â
Tickets for the cocktail event are $80 standard and $150 premium. For more information, visit TVC3.info.
