Want to go?
What: Dayton Visual Art Centers "Holiday On Ice Preview Party & Artful Cocktail Mix-Off"
When: 5:30-8 p.m. Nov. 19
Where: 118 N. Jefferson St., Dayton
Cost: Tickets to the party are $20 for DVAC members, $25 for non-members, and may be purchased through DVAC. Admission includes one drink ticket for the cash bar ($2 for beer, $3 for wine and $3 for the house cocktail), 10 percent off of gift gallery purchases and a voucher for free admission and skate rental at Riverscape Metroparks. To vote and try the mix-off Holiday on Ice cocktails the night of the party, $1 will buy guests one two-ounce sample and a voting marble. The winner with the most votes will be announced at 7:45 p.m.
More info: Holiday On Ice tickets can be purchased at www.daytonvisualarts.org or by calling 937-224-3822.
The holidays are upon us, and so are the events.
From now until Jan. 2 there will be festive parties happening every weekend, both private and public.
A new event that caught my eye recently thanks to my love of the organization, the David Sedaris reference and the terrific restaurants involved is the Dayton Visual Art Center's "Holiday On Ice Preview Party & Artful Cocktail Mix-Off."
The celebration, happening Thursday, Nov. 19 from 5:30-8 p.m., will kick off the annual DVAC ARTtoBUY: Holiday Gift Gallery, opening Friday, Nov. 20 and running through Dec. 24.
Holiday on Ice, featuring retro-diner inspired dishes provided by Scratch Catering, is a bartending competition to crown the most Artful Cocktail mixed by celebrity bartenders from Coco’s, Corner Kitchen, De’Lish, Lily’s Bistro, Salar and Wheat Penny. The idea is to shop, buy, eat, drink and cast your vote for the best cocktail.
I love events like these because they give ticket-holders a chance to eat and drink a variety of different creations and flavors, in this case with an added bonus of supporting a worthy non-profit in town (all proceeds benefit DVAC exhibitions and education programs).
The mix-off is sponsored by and features Belle of Dayton vodka. It’s a great opportunity to get ideas for something to mix up at your own holiday party and to kick off an enjoyable evening out on the town.
Be sure to bring some cash with you. To vote and try the mix-off Holiday on Ice cocktails the night of the party, $1 will buy guests one two-ounce sample and a voting marble. The winner with the most votes will be announced at 7:45 p.m.
The bartenders and restaurants will be on hand to talk about their creations. It’s a perfect time to learn more about mixology and get ideas for your own holiday cocktail creations. It’s also a snapshot of what several local restaurants are all about when it comes to their bars.
“We’re not really looking at it so much as a competition, but as a way to support and showcase what Lily’s (Bistro) is all about,” said General Manager Emily Mendenhall, who will be featuring a creation called the Mule-tide. The drink features bright, light flavors that can best be described in Mendenhall’s words — “if a (Moscow) mule and a Mojito had a baby.”
The entry was put together by Lily’s Bistro Bar Manager Amber Brady and features vodka, pineapple mint shrub, homemade lemon bee balm bitters, fresh mint and is topped off with a spicy ginger beer from Fever-Tree — it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds.
Craft cocktails are a category that many local restaurants are saying has continued to grow and garner interest from customers when dining out, so it makes a great theme for a fundraising event.
“We’ve been open a little over two-and-a-half years now … I could not sell a Negroni when we first opened and now we have a stone fruit Negroni and it’s one of our top-sellers,” says Mendenhall. “People are embracing quality over quantity.”
In the spirit of looking for different ways to showcase her restaurant, this year Mendenhall will be spotlighting Lily’s side dishes and cocktails in a free holiday recipe book the restaurant will be giving to diners until they run out from Thanksgiving to New Years.
The restaurant is also offering pre-sale side items of customer favorites for holiday meals and parties as they did last year. Creamy Cavatappi mac and cheese, Lily’s signature mashed potatoes with chicken gravy or roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon will sell for $10 a quart, which feeds 2-4 or $25 for a half pan that serves 8-12 with the exception of the quart of Brussel sprouts which is priced at $12.
The dishes may be pre-ordered 48 hours in advance starting Nov. 20 and can be picked up at Lily’s Bistro (329 E. 5th St., 937-723-7637).
Other 2016 Holiday on Ice bartenders and cocktails that will be looking to wow guests include:
- Coco's Bistro Fraise Sauvage, mixed by Nikolas Hunt, featuring vodka, strawberry maple syrup and lemon juice
- Corner Kitchen's Partridge in a Pear Tree, mixed by Callie Young, featuring vodka, Pear Shrub, Fever-Tree ginger beer and Ace Joker Cider
- De'Lish Cranberry Mule, mixed by Art Paul, featuring vodka, cranberry ginger simple syrup, ginger beer, fresh lime juice and fresh cranberries
- Wheat Penny's Rudolf's Remedy, mixed by Drew Mains, featuring vodka infused with pineapple and ginger cranberry reduction, topped off with ginger beer and cranberry juice
- Salar's entry is still pending.
I don’t know about you, but I know where I’ll be this Thursday!
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