Creative Loafing To Host First Cocktail Competition

Who makes the best cocktail in Tampa Bay? Creative Loafing (CL) is letting locals decide at the very first craft cocktail competition hosted by CL, HighBall 2017, on Thursday, January 26th, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Kozuba & Sons Distillery (1960 5th Ave. S. in St. Pete).

Featuring local spirits, bartenders, and more, HighBall will showcase craft cocktails created by Tampa Bay's top mixologists with either whisky, vodka, gin, or rum as they compete to win over attendees' taste buds. Attendees will be able to suit up and sip their way around more than 15 craft cocktails as they sample and judge the tasty concoctions all for the sake of finding the best whisky, vodka, gin, and rum cocktails, as well as 'Tampa Bay's Best Cocktail' at HighBall 2017.

Not to mention, Creative Loafing will be celebrating the release of their Cocktail Issue, featuring cocktail trends, touching on everything from smoked cocktails and Japanese whisky to bitters and craft ice - in print and online on January 26th - and the winning HighBall cocktails will be featured at Creative Loafing's annual Best of the Bay Awards Party in September.

A portion of proceeds to benefit Current Initiatives and their projects, such as the Laundry Project, Hope For Homes, and Affordable Christmas.

Featuring craft cocktails by:

Competing with Kozuba & Sons Vodka
Casa Tina
Cask and Ale
Roux
The Mill

Competing with Kozuba & Sons Mr. Rye Whisky
BRGR Kitchen & Bar
Castile Restaurant
Datz
Flanagan's Irish Pub

Competing with Siesta Key Rum
District Tavern
Iberian Rooster
The Bricks
Tryst

Competing with Tamiami Gin
Buya
Casey's Craft Bar Kitchen
Mandarin Hide
The Birch & Vine

Tickets for HighBall are on sale now and available for purchase at cltampa.com/highball.

General Admission (GA) tickets are $25 in advance now through January 25th and $40 at the door on January 26th. GA includes craft cocktail samples from each restaurant/bar, bites, and voting in the 'Tampa Bay's Best Cocktail' contest.

VIP tickets are $50 in advance now through January 25th and $80 at the door on January 26th. VIP includes early entry for an extra hour of sampling without the crowds from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., craft cocktail samples from each restaurant/bar, bites, a private VIP area featuring VIP-only perks like food samples by Casey's Craft Bar Kitchen and a signature Kozuba & Sons cocktail, and voting in the 'Tampa Bay's Best Cocktail' contest.

Complimentary on-site valet will be provided by Select Valet.

Creative Loafing has once again teamed up with Lyft to get attendees to and from HighBall safely. First-time Lyft users get their first ride free up to $20 by downloading the app, creating an account, and entering the code CLTAMPA in the 'Payment' section.

Attendees are encouraged to stay in-the-know on all event details by RSVPing to the Facebook event here: bit.ly/clhighballfb

Special thanks to our sponsors and partners Kozuba & Sons Distillery, Siesta Key Rum, and Tamiami Gin.

For more information on HighBall, including information on purchasing tickets and sponsoring this event, visit cltampa.com/highball. Please use the following hashtag for all digital promotions: #CLHighBall

About Creative Loafing
Creative Loafing is an award-winning alternative, weekly newspaper and website committed to providing Tampa Bay with an independent perspective, up-to-the-minute local news, and a comprehensive listing of local happenings. Creative Loafing offers readers' unique monthly events and CL Deals, a locally focused platform featuring dining and event experiences at half-off their regular price. For more information about Creative Loafing, visit cltampa.com and cldeals.com.

About Southcomm, Inc.
Formed in 2007, Southcomm Inc. is the nation's second-largest publisher of alternative weeklies, one of the largest publishing companies serving chambers of commerce, and with the Cygnus Business Media purchase in 2014, a significant player in the B2B publishing world. The Nashville-based company now owns more than 30 titles reaching millions of B2B professionals and consumers annually, via its diverse suite of print, digital, online and live-event products. The company has offices in Nashville, Tenn.; Fort Atkinson, Wis.; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Kansas City, Mo.; Cincinnati; Tampa, Fla.; Arlington Heights, Ill.; and Florence, Ky. For more information, visit southcomm.com.

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