Butler Downtown

Blending, mixing, shaking and pouring in a gallery of Butler’s best, local arts and crafts, seven local restaurants competed for bragging rights to call their best cocktail Butler’s Own, last night, during the second annual competition staged by Butler Downtown at the Art Center on Main Street.  The Field House Restaurant of Cabot, PA, won the panel of judges’ grand prize for a delectable concoction of warm, mulled apples and locally crafted Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka in a drink named the “Apple Snuggie.” The Field House has won exclusive bragging rights to Butler’s Own Best Cocktail for 2012.  Finalists in the drinks competition included Natili’s Restaurant and Lounge, and Mimosa’s on Main.  Three judges served on a tasting panel to score the drink entries according to taste, presentation and name. 

A majority of the more than 150 guests who attended last night’s event and who were entitled to sample each competing drink voted differently, awarding the American Legion Post 117 entry as the evening’s Most Popular drink.  “Bantam Jeep Juice,” a mixed cocktail including raspberry puree and coconut milk, was garnished with two opposing lime wheels to replicate the look of Butler’s most famous contribution to WWII.

All of the evening’s cocktail recipes were created with Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka, twice recognized as the World’s Top Vodka by Spirit Journal, and yet more locally famous for its one craft distillery in Glenshaw, PA.

Proceeds for the evening benefited Butler Downtown, a Main Street economic development program of the Butler Chamber of Commerce.  Boyd & Blair, the Associated Artists of Butler County, and Minuteman Press of Butler, served as in-kind sponsors of the annual drinks competition.