The Cincinnati Cocktail Competition, Art, and Music Festival
We're proud to announce that our partner for Cincinnati Alchemy Fest 2023 is Smoke Justis in Covington!
It goes down May 21st this year, with your favorite Cincy & NKY bartenders. We'll have repeat competitors and some will be new and rest assured - they will all astound you with their prowess and cocktail alchemy!
Tickets on sale now on EventrBrite!
Cincinnati Alchemy Fest
Tickets will sell out so don't wait until the last minute!
Check out this award winning video filmed and produced by my high school buddy, Dr. Bill Bolduc from UNCW and his crew! Huge shout out to Thad and Will for making the 10 hour trek up with Bill to create this awesome video of our 2nd annual event!
Awards of Excellence: Cincinnati AlchemyFest 2022: Building Brands & Building Community; Thaddaeus Freidline & Will Matthews, University of North Carolina @ Wilmington
HERE ARE YOUR JUDGES FOR 2023
Returning Judge Molly Wellmann
Former owner of Japp's, author, master mixologist, and Cincinnati historian Molly Wellmann needs no introduction. She'll be a third time judge for Cincinnati Alchemy Fest and we're thrilled to have her back in the judge's seat again this year for another awesome competition.
Instagram @mollywellmann
CAF 2022 Winner Jade Colwell
And look who's joining us this year, none other than our Cincinnati Alchemy Fest 2022 winner, Jade Colwell! Jade is the bar manager at Smoke Justis, a brand new mom, and it will be very cool to have her lending her expertise in a judge's chair for 2023. Welcome Jade!
Instagram @hrecomesthesun
Boars Room GM Dan Altom
Help me give a big CAF welcome to my buddy Dan Altom! GM at Boars Room in Covington, Dan is an accomplished pro in the hospitality industry and has a palette like none other I know. He does bourbon and wine tastings at Boars Room and is putting the private club on the map in the region. We're very happy he said yes to our invitation!
Instagram @boarsroom
Tickets on sale now!
Cincinnati Alchemy Fest
Don't wait until the last minute! Click that link and get in on the fun!
Just like last year, here's what we do:
15 eager and crafty bartenders start by making batch cocktails for you to sample and vote on. Yeah that's right! You get to sample drinks and vote on your favorite. This is audience participation at it's finest! And we guarantee that you've never had drinks like this before.
There are three prelim rounds of five bartenders, each round sponsored by a distillery. Scroll down to see who they are! Two bartenders from each round advance to the final six, based on audience participation vote! Who are you going to come vote for and get to the finals?
The top 3 win in the money!
Competitor registration has started so ask your favorite bartender if they're going to compete so you can come and help them make it to the podium!
Aaaaand... here are our three distillery partners for this year! Michter's, Log Still, and Three Keys! We're so proud and fortunate to have these three join us this year. Thanks to each of you for supporting Cincinnati Alchemy Fest.
Website link: Michters.com
Proof that the journey home never seems quite as long
It’s been said that the greatest moment of any journey is the turn you make that points you toward home. For us, the horizon holds Gethsemane and southern Nelson County, Kentucky. The place we were raised – and the people we call neighbors. New in structure and substance, yet built on the time-honored foundations of faith, family, and community.
At Log Still Distillery, the road ahead is filled with opportunity and fueled by strong bourbon and even stronger family and community bonds. It’s our hope that many lifelong memories will be made here. Visitors will share stories of a journey on a new road, to a new place that felt very much like the home of an old friend. Come see our distillery, 2300-seat Amphitheater – the Amp, our train experience, and all amenities this 350 acres of a true bourbon destination has to offer.
Website Link: logstilldistillery.com/
THE STORY
We believe in the traditional time-honored process. We believe in doing what’s required to make great bourbon and nothing more. We believe there's beauty in this simplicity.
Bourbon has always been in the water here, along with a rich history that runs through our family and the people that came before us. Our bourbon is made the same way it always has been, using Kentucky’s rich ingredients and by doing only what is needed and nothing more, to make bonafide Spirits.
Website Link: threekeysdistillery.com/
Here's what it's all about!
Cocktail Competition
We bring together the community for a friendly competition and show Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky what incredible talent there is in our area.
You get to vote to get us down to the finalists and our judges lend their expert opinions for the finals.
Music
Music is a form of Alchemy and we do our best to bring you the best.
The band will play at the break between prelims and the final round, and we're pretty sure you don't want to miss them perform.
In between and all throughout the competition you'll be listening to tunes from a prominent local DJ who'll be locked in soon.
Artists and Crafters
Upstairs we'll have 10 local artists and crafters that we hand-pick for the event. Some you'll be familiar with from past years and some you may have seen at Art on Vine or other crafts fairs.
We'll be reminding everyone to go up and see them so please help us support our vendors and show them the Cincy/NKY love!
Food and Drink
You've been to Smoke Justis before, right? Then you know how good everything is there. You'll be able to eat their tasty food and have whatever drink your heart desires from their cocktails menu.
And if you've never been, you're in for a treat! Can you image a cocktail competition that gives you more? I'll bet not!
© 2023, Cincinnati Alchemy Fest
Email us: jeff@cincinnatialchemyfest.com
Instagram: @cincinnatialchemyfest