The Great American Distillers Festival & Portland Cocktail Invitational

Every fall, distiller from across the country converge on Portland for the Great American Distillers Festival. The 2010 event is set to kick off on October 23 at Portland’s historic Tiffany Center, and we’re very excited that this year’s festival will also be happening in conjunction with the first annual Portland Cocktail Week, taking place October 21-24. The festival will bring together more than 30 craft distillers who will be sampling everything from small-batch bourbon to specialty liqueurs.

There will also be seminars covering a range of topics, such as Japanese whiskey and artisanal tequila, and once again, bartenders from around the country will be on hand to compete in the Portland Cocktail Invitational. The winner will be receiving $1000 cash from Tuthilltown Spirits, the 2nd-place runner up will receive $500 from House Spirits and the 3rd-place runner up will receive $250 from Bull Run Distillery. Competitors will be creating signature cocktails using spirits from the festival, and in the final round, they’ll have to create an original cocktail using a secret “black box” ingredient. The competition is always a highlight of the Distillers Festival, and we can’t wait to see who takes home top honors. Festival tickets include entry to the competition, which will be taking place during both days of the festival, October 23 and 24.

Tickets to the festival are $10 for a one-day pass, $16 for a two-day pass, and you can purchase them on site. For more details on this year’s event, head to distillersfestival.com. And to get more information on Portland Cocktail Week, head to portlandcocktailweek.com.