News from Scout supporter The Refinery

Vancouver, BC | The Refinery is proud to welcome the fourth month of The Cocktail Kitchen Series. October celebrates the cuisine of ITALY, paired with Ramazotti sweet vermouth. This six month long interactive bartender competition recognizes the finest bartenders in British Columbia, and gives each a chance at demonstrating their expertise as restaurant bartenders. Basically, we are putting candidates to the test: allowing them to showcase their abilities while pairing cocktails to food. Check the premise of the program after the jump…

Each month, a bartender is paired with a different spirit, and a different country – this will be repeated weekly, for the duration of the month with a different bartender competing each Thursday. Guests are invited to come down and experience the interactive teachings of the featured bartender, who will attempt to effectively pair the featured country’s menu, with a set of three cocktails using the featured base spirit. Plus, there’s another spin: the bartenders will shop at The Refinery – it is mandatory that each cocktail include a Refinery house bitters. One week prior their Cocktail Kitchen, the bartender will be able to score 1 oz x 3 types of bitters/vermouths available at the Refinery for cocktail testing. The Refinery’s Bitters Program inventory sits at 23 types – 10 seasonal and 13 replenished.

Rules – for bartenders and guests

Bartenders

The three cocktails should be submitted at least 48 hours in advance – including methods, names, recipes. The cocktails will be paired to the featured 3 course tapas-style dinner, the menu of which bartenders will see in advance. Each cocktail must include a Refinery bitters/vermouth/tincture. Each bartender receives a gift for participating, and a cash prize is awarded to the winner of each themed month. The winning bartender will also be invited to participate the following month, increasing the chances of being included in the January showdown, where 4 bartenders will be competing for an all-paid trip to Napa Valley, California.

Guests

Each Thursday, guests will be given a score card, rating the bartender in the following criteria: Presentation, Taste, Originality, Knowledge, Presence, Showmanship, Inspiration, Passion – but here’s the catch – guests are grading the bartender’s ability to pair the cocktail and dish together effectively. Each week, guests are inviting to fill out all of the pertinent information on the their ballots, as they too will be entered to win a trip, which will be drawn by raffle at the January finale.

Menu | Italy vs. Ramazotti (no menu modifications may be made)

First
Truffled Arancini, Tomato Relish

Second
Local Pumpkin & Bacon Agnolotti, Sage Brown Butter Sauce, Crispy Prosciutto

Third
Braised pork cheeks, Madeira, Wild Mushroom Polenta, Swiss Chard, Dried Fruit Sauté

Cost:
$32 per ticket
30 seats available each week. Tickets are available through the Refinery by calling 604-687-8001 with a valid credit card to hold the spot.

Schedule:
* July 2010 – Region: CENTRAL AMERICA – TEQUILA
* August 2010 – FRANCE – COGNAC
* September 2010 – Region: INDIA (vegetarian) – GIN
* October 2010 – ITALY – RAMAZOTTI – starts October 7
* November 2010 – THE WEST INDIES – HAVANA RUM
* December 2010 – SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY – BOURBON
* January 2011 – Region: EASTERN EUROPE – Bartender Showdown
* February – June 2011 – Countries and Spirits to be determined

OCTOBER BARTENDERS:

October 07, Week 1: BRAD STANTON (Uva Wine Bar)
October 14, Week 2: SHAWN SOOLE (Clive’s Classic Lounge)
October 21, Week 3: COLIN TURNER (Cin Cin)
October 28, Week 4: September Winner (TBA)

If you are a bartender reading this, and wondering how you can get involved, please email Lauren Mote at [email protected]. Subject should read: “Cocktail Kitchen Series Bartender” – copy and paste the following into the body of the message, and fill out the questionnaire – we are booking in advance up until January 2011.

Full Name:

Which Bar(s)/Restaurant(s) are you representing?

How long have you been in the Industry?

Please include a short 250-400 word bio about yourself:

What’s your bartending style?

Do you have a preference of which country and spirit you’d like to be paired up with in a perfect world?

Please include a pic of yourself!

About The Refinery

Granville’s newest hotspot, designed by Marilou and May of Vancouver based M-Studio is Vancouver’s best way to experience a new world eatery with an old world feel. The room designed with the environment in mind has used sustainable materials, led lighting and energy efficient equipment. Committing to a sustainable work environment, a dedicated bicycle storage area and public transit subsidy are examples of how they are trying to minimize their carbon footprint.

The Refinery is a food primary restaurant, with a strong focus on dynamic BC and worldly wines, eclectic beers and unique cocktails. With a 75-seat capacity, the Refinery will house Granville Streets only fresh, market-style-eatery. We take pride in introducing elements of charcuterie, cheese culture, cured and fresh seafood, fresh breads, antipasti and all things market fresh to the Granville scene. With the recent addition of General Manager and award-winning mixologist Lauren Mote, the Refinery remains a step ahead of the competition through exemplary service and great value. To commit to the establishment of a sustainable environment The Refinery will maintain a majority of local high quality products wherever possible.

We expect our guests to share. Share food, drink and celebrations but more importantly ideas, stories and laughs. A traditional, yet unique, menu and atmosphere will create a sense of ‘belonging’ for locals and tourists alike. At The Refinery we are providing an environment that allows our guests to feel carefree and full of life. Giving people the sense gathering in a small village in Europe, while being in their own backyard.

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