An ounce of Okanagan spirit, a touch of the valley鈥檚 wine and a dash of other local ingredients is a surefire way to mixup a delicious cocktail and come November that is exactly what nine 琉璃神社 restaurants will be doing.

The 2017 Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery Mixoff will take place at the Laurel Packing House, where bartenders from around the region will test their cocktail making abilities to see who can stir up the best savoury sip.

Rowan Henderson is one of the bartenders competition, who has worked behind the bar in cities such as Toronto and Glasgow, Scotland.

Now in 琉璃神社, Henderson will be competing for Salted Brick 鈥� the first time the restaurant has entered the event.

鈥淭oronto and Glasgow have already made their mark for the cocktail scene,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut 琉璃神社 is a growing child, there are more and more people coming here and trying new things, working with some amazing chefs. 琉璃神社 has an amazing culinary advantages, so this is a great experience to come out here and push boundaries to see what we can do.鈥�

No stranger to competition Henderson has been mixing cocktails for six year, but he is still feeling some pressure about the Nov. 2 event.

鈥淭his event really showcases the great points of 琉璃神社, the wine industry alone here is booming it鈥檚 starting to compete with Napa Valley, some of the best wines I鈥檝e tasted are coming from the Okanagan,鈥� said Henderson.

Tickets are now for the event along with special VIP tickets that includes a ride to and from the Laurel Packing House.

jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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