More than 300 votes were tallied for the SIP-tember Cocktail Bracket Challenge Finale and The Ish from Sushi Roku emerged the favorite at the Taste of Pasadena at the Rose Bowl on September 28th. Presented by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce as part of the Taste of Pasadena at the Rose Bowl, and the culmination of a six-week cocktail competition, the live cocktail taste-off brought Sushi Roku to face Bar 1886 at the Raymond, Bistro 45 and White Horse Lounge. This is the first appearance in the SIP-tember Finale and first win for Sushi Roku.
Voters at the 2017 Taste of Pasadena at the Rose Bowl voted The Ish their favorite drink by a very narrow margin. Sushi Roku’s The Ish is a local favorite concocted from Grey Goose Vodka, shishito peppers, Cynar, passion fruit, L’Orgeat and lemon juice, garnished with a whole Shishito Pepper.
The other SIP-tember Finale competition drinks were:
- The White Horse Lounge No Problemo made from Ford’s Gin, Ancho Reyes, Green Chartreuse, lime juice, Peychaud’s Bitters and candied jalapeño).
- The Bistro 45 Vieux Carre which featured Old Overholt Rye, sweet vermouth, VS Cognac, Benedictine, Angostura & Peychaud’s bitters.
- Bar 1886 at the Raymond’s The Quagmire by Luis Nava, a stirred Old Fashioned with Larceny Bourbon, house made fig syrup and Tiki Bitters.
“This was our closest competition yet, with only ten votes separating the winning drink from the fourth-place finisher,” said Pasadena Chamber CEO Paul Little. “We are delighted at the level of competition and the quality of the drinks in the SIP-tember Cocktail Bracket Challenge Finale. We are also very grateful and pleased with the hundreds of people who turned out for the Taste of Pasadena.”
The Taste of Pasadena also featured food samplings from some of the Pasadena’s area’s favorite restaurants. 400 guests enjoyed food and drink from many Pasadena favorites, including Cabrera’s Restaurant, California Pizza Kitchen, Clearman’s Galley, El Cholo, Juan’s Rotisserie Chicken, Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Old Oak Cellars, Paradis Ice Cream, Pasadena Sandwich Company, Pizza Rev, Stark Spirits, Stonefire Grill, Sushi Roku and White Horse Lounge.
To view Sushi Roku’s website, visit innovativedining.com/restaurants/sushiroku
