Tequila Sunrise Social!
Celebrate #NationalTequilaSunriseDay with us and Santo Tequila! We provide the cocktails, snacks, prizes and vibes. You provide the energy and dance moves.
Free to attend. Sign up using the link below
Juneteenth Cocktail Crawl
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. To celebrate Juneteenth and Black Excellence, this tour aims to highlight some of the Black bartenders in the Holy City bar scene. The group will hop aboard a party bus to visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Every cocktail will feature a premium spirit made with Jack Daniels and Herradura Tequila. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue.
Purchase tickets using the link below:
PRIDE Month Cocktail Crawl
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. This tour aims to highlight some of the LGBTQIA bartenders in the Holy City bar scene.
The group hop aboard a party bus to visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Each cocktail will highlight one of our featured spirits: Jack Daniels, Chambord Liqueur or Herradura Tequila. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue. The tour is guided by Charleston’s Beverage Ambassadors, The Cocktail Bandits and will include special guests entertainment and gift bags. Event is powered by Brown-Forman.
Purchase tickets to the event using the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-month-cocktail-crawl-tickets-633327328087
Mexico for the Win!
Mexico may very well be my favorite country to visit. I look for any excuse to visit and am delighted by the new discoveries I make during each trip. This voyage was at the invitation of our friends at El Tequileno. This brand is based in Tequila, Mexico, the birthplace of the iconic spirit. Unlike other trips to Tequila country, this distillery is located in a more remote, more rural part of the city.
As such, El Tequileno and Casa Salles hotel have created resort-like accommodations for guests. Complete with a gourmet restaurant, craft cocktail bar, full spa and my favorite feature, a sparkling swimming pool.
While this location is perfect for a vacation, I was there to study and hopefully pass my Level 1 Spirits exam hosted by WSET. The Wine & Spirits Educational Trust is an internationally recognized organization of spirits educators. The instructors are trained to explain the nuances of each spirits category in an understandable and consumable way. Our instructors, Peter Smolarz and Gina Castillo were engaging and informative.
I was most impressed by the diversity among the exam takers. Our class consisted of bartenders, chefs and beverage professionals from Mexico and the United States. Some attendees needed help with language translation that our WSET educators were able to accommodate. Very impressive.
After the studying and test taking was complete we received a guided tour of El Tequileno distilling operation. The brand stays true to its roots, following family tradition by using the same tried and true methods since their 1959.
But El Tequileno isn’t stuck in the past. We had the pleasure of trying the newest edition to their brand portfolio, Reposado Rare. This aged Tequila has been rested in American Oak barrels for 6 years. This limited expression essentially created a new age statement for Tequila. Way to lead the pack.
In an industry full of celebrity brands, El Tequileno is staying true to form while pushing the limits of product innovation.
Cocktail Bandits Host: Trappy Hour
Highlighting up-and-coming Charleston artists, Trappy Hour is truly a unique experience.
The energy in the room was magnetic and it was so special to hear live hip-hop performances in a downtown Charleston venue.
We had great live performances by Matt Monday and Salis.
Matt Monday has opened shows for artists like J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa. He brought that same energy to his intimate live performance at The Royal American
Salis’ first EP, Cadillac Chronicles was inspired by artists like UGK, Outkast, and Big Krit. He did an awesome job opening up the show.
The Cocktail Bandits shared their love of Tequila with rounds of Espolon Tequila shots and delicious Tequila sours.
The Royal American kept the crowd hydrated with their 32 oz Royal American Whiskey Punch featuring William Wolf Whiskey. The Royal American always has great drink specials.
DJ T.O. kept the crowd moving all night. We love to work with women making their mark on male-dominated industries.
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Negroni Week Bike Ride
Negroni Week Charity Bike Ride
Negroni is a classic Italian drink that begs to be celebrated.
Campari & Imbibe Magazine host Negroni Week anually to raise money for charities around the world.
This year the Cocktail Bandits participated in Negroni Week by hosting the Negroni Week Charity Bike Ride as a part of the Charleston US Bartenders Guild.
We rode from Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek to Mex 1 on Sullivan’s Island to benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank!
1 out of 5 children in Charleston rely on food banks for their meals. Lowcountry Food Bank is committed to serving those that need it.
A Negroni is a classic cocktail that uses only three simple ingredients. To make your own, combine
1 part Gin
1 part Campari
1 part Vermouth
Garnish with an orange peel and serve in a cocktail glass on the rocks.
The beautiful Tegroni featured above (Negroni with a twist) was served as our reward for successfully completing our four mile ride through Charleston. Mex 1 added a fun coffee infusion to the cocktail that really showed off the classic cocktail’s versatility.
We also enjoyed delicious Negroni spiked push pops and pie
Are you celebrating Negroni week? Upload your pictures below!
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[usp_gallery]Los Muertos
Day of celebration to honor loved one lost – Dia de los Muertos. This Mexican holiday represents vibrancy and love. November 1st and 2nd is a time for family and friends to gather for festive food, drinks and dancing. Marigolds have long been used in ceremonies and rituals to pray respect to the deceased. We used handmade marigold flower crowns and marigold scented candles to pay homage to the Mexican tradition.
We invited our friends and family to join us at Apartment A to have a Sauza Tequila cocktail we created to celebrate the occasion. Our cocktail reminds us of the best parts of life: adventure, opportunity and love. We served the “Last Dance” from a Mikasa pitcher as everyone enjoyed tacos and danced to bachata.
Below are a few of the other cocktails we created using Sauza Tequila, Menage a Trois Berry Vodka, Cocktail Crate Syrups and Hooch limeade soda.
Megavirus
Sauza Blanco Tequila – Six & Twenty Cream Whiskey – b’Lure Blue Hibicus extract – Lemon Juice – Cocktail Crate Ginger Bee syrup
Rebirth
Sauza Reposado Tequila – Sage Liqueur – Rose Extract – Lime Juice – Tonic Water – Black Lava salt rim
The Ritual
Crown Royal Vanilla – Amaro Montenegro – Menage a Trois Berry Vodka – Hooch Limeade Soda – Wild Hibiscus Syrup
THANK YOU
www.sauzatequila.com www.b-lure.com www.cocktailcrate.com www.oandohooch.com www.amaromontenegro.com www.crownroyal.com www.sixandtwentydistillery.com www.apartmentachs.com www.creechsfloristinc.com
The Patron Experience 101
If any of you know the Cocktail Bandits, you know that our first love is tequila. It is the reason why we created the brand. For the last 3 years, we have been studying/tasting different tequilas, learning about the culture and we have been praying for a way to get down there to learn more. We were so thrilled that our prayers were answered when the USBG- Charleston as well as the Patron Academy gave us the opportunity of a lifetime! They invited us, along with other bartenders/mixologists to visit the Patron Hacienda in Mexico this week!
In 2016 the #HaciendaPatron and USBG partnered together and are inviting top USBG bartenders from around the country each month to visit their distillery , learn the whole tequila process, and show why Patron is not a tequila made for the “Gringo” palate. (Total myth)
Antonio was very knowledgeable about the tequila business. We love how excited he was during the presentation and the tour. We love what we do so it’s nice to be around people who love tequila as much as we do.
Mexico + Patron
We are so pumped to announce that we are going to Mexico the week of February 22 to the Patron Hacienda tequila academy!! Look at the sexy passport case that @patron sent us. ???? We can’t wait to share everything once we’re there!
30 Days 30 Faves – Cocktail Club Charleston
Cocktail Club is the exact place where we coined the terms “Cocktail Bandits”. We found ourselves at the end of the night with a table full of glasses of all shapes and sizes in different states of imbibe surrounded by good friends discuss past adventures and future plans of mischief.
We had no intention of staging at the bar that long and absolutely no inkling. That we would consume that many spirited beverage.
That typical of our time spent at Cocktail Club. Before your realize it, you’ve sipped hours away in the dimly light upstairs bar entertainment by the preparation of each drink and the look of satisfaction on the face of its intended.
Photography by Black Dave Made It
Makeup by Marie Fox MUA
