One of Austin's most over-the-top drink events is eyeing its spring return. Austin's 6th annual Bloody Mary Festival will be held Saturday, March 22, at Fair Market. This year, Austin is one of five cities hosting the festival.
This festival is unique because it straddles the line between highlighting a cocktail and highlighting snacks. Garnishes are king, and participating bartenders really don't hold back — sometimes entire hors d'oeuvres are perched atop a drink, like a deviled egg, a chicken wing, and a wide variety of other snacks on skewers.
Besides having a chaotic, boozy brunch, the goal is to choose the best cocktail. There will be a panel of experts serving as judges, and fans will get to vote for their favorite.
Local restaurants, bars, and craft bottle mix brands will be facing off with each other. Last year, Industry East Side won the traditional category; The Cavalier won the best original category; and the now-closed 1417 won for best garnish. The runners-up in each respective category were 1886 Cafe and Bakery At the The Driskill, Honey Moon Spirit Lounge, and The Cavalier.
Attendees had different opinions during the two sessions of the festival. The people's choice winner for the first session was The Cavalier, with runner-up Hi Hat Public House; and the second session went to Yellow Jacket Social Club with Honey Moon Spirit Lounge as the runner-up.
Both judges and the audience agreed that Fat E’s Spicy Mator Mix and Momo’s Michelada presented the best packaged products, but judges marked them as tied and attendees both chose Fat E's as the winner and Momo's as the runner-up.
The festival hasn't announced yet who will be participating in this year's festivities, but The Cavalier and Yellow Jacket seem likely to return, since they've participated and been recognized multiple years in a row.
“With the flourishing brunch and cocktail scene in Austin, It’s no surprise that this event has become one of the most popular cocktail tasting events of the year,” said festival organizer Evan Weiss in a press release. “Festival attendees will have the opportunity to taste more than ten of the best Bloody Marys in Austin and then vote for their favorite to help crown the winner.”
Another repeat from last year is the beneficiary, Girls Empowerment Network. The local nonprofit teaches girls self-efficacy, which it hopes they'll use in "shooting for an A, overcoming a bully, becoming the first in her family to go to college, breaking up with an abusive partner, or just trying to take care of herself when she feels like no one else will." It also has a special focus on setting girls up for leadership and activism.
Tickets to the festival are $49.95 for general admission and $67.95 for VIP sessions. General admission runs from 11:15 am to 1:30 pm for the first session, and 3:45-6 pm for the second. VIPs get a 45-minute head start on both sessions.
