Largest LGBT Cocktail Competition Names Winner During Key West Pride
Happy Pride Month! As you may be aware, this past weekend, Stoli Vodka held the grand finale of THE Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic – North America’s largest annual LGBT cocktail competition – during Key West Pride, naming the 2015 champion.
Matthew Mello, bartender at Beaux in San Francisco, was named the 2015 winner of the Cocktail Classic with his winning cocktail: Forbidden Fruit, featuring Stoli Gala Apple. In addition to winning the competition, Matthew rode in the Key West Pride Parade as Honorary Grand Marshall and received $5,000 to be donated to his chosen charity, The Empowering Spirits Foundation, Inc.- a national nonprofit civil rights organization working to achieve LGBT equality through community service activities.
The competition traveled to 14 cities before the finalists in each city battled for the winning tittle at Key West Pride. The Cocktail Classic was created to support of some of the most creative and inventive mixologists within the LGBT community and is an opportunity for LGBT bartenders to showcase their skill and ingenuity. Participants were asked to create a Stoli Original Cocktail that was evaluated on uniqueness, taste and appearance.
THE Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic is just one of the several initiatives Stolichnaya Premium Vodka does in support of LGBT individuals and stands strong and proud with the global LGBT community against discrimination and for justice and equality.
In partnership with the Key West Business Guild, an organization of LGBT-owned and LGBT-friendly businesses in Key West, the competition was hosted by Patrik Gallineaux, National LGBT Ambassador for Stoli USA, and TV personality Jai Rodriguez. It also feature a panel of celebrity judges including clothing designer Andrew Christian, legendary funnyman Bruce Vilanch, actress and singer LaToya London and Key West personality and star of the annual New Year’s Eve High Heel Drop, Sushi. For more information about the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic and the 14 finalists, please visit www.gaycities.com/cocktailclassic.