The 12th and last stop of the Viva Sangrita competition organized by Tequila Ocho and the Bon Vivants made its way Denver on Tuesday. Eight bartenders (seven entries) competed and hoped that their original recipe would be named the city's best sangrita by a group of four judges that included Allison Widdecombe of Williams & Graham, Stephen Gallic, formerly of the Squeaky Bean, Andra Zeppelin of Eater Denver, and Mike Henderson of Linger/Root Down/Ophelia's.
Guests to the fun rooftop patio got to sample sangritas from Chad Larson, Jason Snopkoski, Mclain Hedges, Ted Lamontaigne, Daryl Pryor, Nicole Laurita and Whitney Allen, and Brian Smith. The winning sangrita came from Mclain Hedges of the RiNo Yacht Club who created a Southern-inspired drink and experience complete with fresh cornbread and pimento cheese macarons.
Hedges, who also won last year's city contest, will head to New Orleans to Tales of the Cocktail in July to face against 11 other regional winners from across the country. The national champion will win a trip to Arrandas, Jalisco, Mexico for a week to party with Tequila Ocho, tour a few distilleries, and spend a day at La Altena where Ocho was created and still made.