The event will be staged at The Good Saint Urban Reserve (2518 B St., Sacramento) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets sold out in 2 weeks with a waitlist of hundreds of fans. Sponsors include Clover First Data, Paradiso Tomato and the California Restaurant Association Sacramento Chapter. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Restaurants Care® who provides emergency assistance grants to restaurant employees facing unforeseen hardships.
A sample entry from Station16
Attendees will be able to sample the best Blood Marys from 12 participating restaurants featuring Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Paradiso a local tomato company. Central to the Bloody Mary Fest will be a Bloody Mary cocktail competition, with restaurants looking to claim bragging rights for both a judged competition and crowd favorite People's Choice Award, based on collected tokens. Delicious bites will be provided by South restaurant for a la carte purchase. The local band “New Crown” playing Sacramento area garage soul will be playing beats all day for the crowd to enjoy.
People’s choice will get an award plaque they can take and keep in their restaurant and bragging rights. Judge’s choice award will receive a $500 purse and award trophy with restaurant name on it that they will be able to keep for the entire year until next year’s competition.
Margaret Schroeder, VP of Marketing with Specialty Restaurants Corporation, sits on the Board of the Sacramento Chapter. “Crave Sacramento is excited to present the inaugural Blood Mary Festival in Sacramento. We created this festival to celebrate the incredible cocktail scene emerging in Sacramento with one of the most beloved cocktails, the Bloody Mary,” she said. “We have received tremendous interest from local restaurants that want to participate to win the competition, plus give back to our charity, Restaurants Care.”
Contestants to date include Devere’s Irish Pub, Bacon & Butter, LowBrau, Scott’s Seafood on the river, Red Rabbit, Tank House BBQ & Bar, Capitol Garage, Station 16, Fat’s, Rio City Café, and Canon. All of the entrants will use Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Paradiso Foods tomato products in their creations.
“Crave Sacramento was created to share everything craveable in the Sacramento region,” explains Schroeder. “We are local restaurateurs and hospitality professionals focused on making Sacramento a prime culinary attraction – and the buzz is catching on. There’s a lot more to come with Crave Sacramento, including Sacramento Restaurant Week, pop-ups with local chefs and owners, and exclusive access to culinary events.”