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Sample and Vote For Your Favorite Cocktails at Cincinnati Alchemy Fest This Weekend

Ticketholders will get to vote for their favorite drinks in the three preliminary rounds, with the top two bartenders in each round moving to the finals.

May 19, 2023 at 12:39 pm

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Photo: Youtube.com/Jeff Hendrickson

A bartender mixes a drink at Cincinnati Alchemy Fest 2022.

You can help decide which of Cincinnati’s bartenders make the best drinks at the annual Cincinnati Alchemy Fest this weekend.

Smoke Justis is hosting Alchemy Fest Sunday, May 21 from 2-8 p.m. Fifteen crafty local bartenders will compete in a preliminary round – five to each round. Each 45-minute preliminary round will be sponsored by a distillery and the bartenders will use their products. Round One will be Three Keys Distillery; Round Two is Log Still Distiller; and Round Three is Michter’s Distillery.

Alchemy Fest ticketholders will get to vote for their favorite cocktails in the prelims and the top two vote-getters in each round will advance to the finals. Three guest judges – queen of cocktails Molly Wellmann, Alchemy Fest 2022 winner Jade Colwell and Boars Room general manager Dan Altom – will then decide the winners.

The Drinking Issue: 25 Greater Cincinnati Bars We’re Loving Right Now and What to Order There: It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, and that somewhere is here.

The winner will be crowned at 8 p.m., with the top three bartenders winning money. And not only will there be plenty of cocktail sampling, Alchemy Fest will also feature live music and arts and crafts vendors.

You can buy your Alchemy Fest ticket here.

Smoke Justis, 302 Court Street, Covington. More info: cincinnatialchemyfest.com.

Slideshow

35 of Our Favorite Greater Cincinnati Bars and What to Order There

Sundry and Vice18 W. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine, sundryandvice.com These bartenders are nothing short of artists working in the medium of booze. Grab a spot at the bar and be mesmerized watching them create drinks with equal parts precision and passion. The cocktail menu organizes your choices as “Fresh & Playful,” “Light & Elegant,” “Lively & Restorative” and “Spirit Forward & Timeless.” Good luck narrowing it down. What to order: I can’t resist a Penicillin; whether or not it’s on the current menu, the bartenders will make a killer version of this classic combo of blended Scotch, ginger, honey and lemon. Night Cure, a bourbon drink, also has been a standout here since day one. (PM)

Bar Saeso1208 Sycamore St., Pendleton, barsaeso.com Bar Saeso offers a transportive experience in Pendleton. Stepping through the skinny front doors into the petite space feels a bit like you’re stepping into a different city — a different country — entirely. Replete with flickering candles, exposed brick, plenty of plants and a terracotta color palette, it very much gives an old-world Barcelona vibe. Co-owner Christy Wulfson once told CityBeat, “Everyone who walks in here [says] it reminds them of somewhere they’ve been, and no one ever says the same place — Argentina, Mexico City, Lisbon, Rome, all across the globe.” What to order: The Condesa. Named after the hip La Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City, this drink is smoky, spicy and sweet featuring mezcal, lemon, hot honey and a Tajin-dusted orange slice. (MZ)

Somerset139 E. McMicken Ave., Over-the-Rhine, somersetotr.com Somerset is basically a giant urban oasis in Over-the-Rhine. It has two indoor bars — a cozy library-lounge and a large light-filled conservatory — but the main attraction is the back patio, which boasts a collection of the owners’ architectural treasures collected from across the globe. It feels like a Moroccan riad, with unique seating areas like out-of-commission tuk-tuks. What to order:The cocktails are made with house-infused spirits, like peach-Thai basil vodka, and all are delicious. But the mocktail menu is equally unique. The Ziggy Stardust is a favorite, with coconut milk, pineapple, lime and hibiscus. (MZ)

Alcove 1410 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, madtreebrewing.com/alcove MadTree’s renovation of the historic Wielert’s Café in Over-the-Rhine — where legendary Boss Cox once manipulated local politics in the 19th century — takes a step beyond the Oakley brewery’s crowd-drawing beers with some great specialty cocktails as well as smashes and sangrias. Alcove offers three distinct spaces: an indoor bar and lounge with a phenomenal wall of living foliage; an outdoor patio with trees, string lights and widely-spaced tables; and a glassed-over, year-round Greenhouse Bar. In addition to drinks, the food menu has lots of shareables and snacks. What to order: You can’t go wrong with a negroni — gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, with an orange peel garnish. (RP)

Mecca1429 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, meccaotr.com The original OTR garden bar with plants everywhere. Nestled between buildings on 15th Street, you’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there. It’s a relaxing, secret hideaway in the early evening hours but comes alive at night, attracting crowds of in-the-know revelers. Staffed by artists and musicians, colorful surrealist art covers the walls inside and the vibes are immaculate. What to order: The signature drink is the Chunker, an airline-sized mini-bottle of liquor inverted in the mouth of a can of fizzy water, served with a straw. Try 1800 Silver Tequila in a can of orange San Pellegrino, or keep it classic with vodka and LaCroix. (BC)

Junker’s Tavern4156 Langland St., Northside, facebook.com/northsidecincy Junker’s is the center of the universe, or at least the center of the Cincinnati rock-and-roll universe. Luckily, it is mostly untouched by time and trends. It is also one of the best live-music venues in the city and has one of the best jukeboxes. What to order: Anything — it’s all cheap; cash only with heavy pours and cheaper prices. A classic lager will work nicely, or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a Stella Artois or Grolsch. Anything will complement a re-listen of The Stooges’ Fun House on the jukebox. (BS)

Coppin’s Restaurant & BarHotel Covington, 638 Madison Ave., Covington, hotelcovington.com Coppin’s, located in the boutique Hotel Covington, has a glamorous, modern bar that manages to boast an approachable vibe with serious mixology flair. The seasonal drink menu is always distinctive and innovative. This summer, the bar staff picked five ingredients out of a hat and each employee had to use the spontaneous list and an assigned spirit to craft a one-of-a-kind cocktail. Every drink name is locally inspired, a complement to the locally-sourced ingredients. What to order: The Monmouth Mango is a refreshing lavender- and nectarine-infused gin concoction with a lavender-sugar rim. A bite from the mango skewer finishes the crisp and fruity but not-too-sweet drink. (KG)

Click to View 32 slides

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About The Author

Katherine Barrier

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she oversees the digital and social media strategies, edits web and print content and writes for the dining and arts...

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Sample and Vote For Your Favorite Cocktails at Cincinnati Alchemy Fest This Weekend