Maine Distilleries Announces Details For Its February 28th "2nd Annual Cold River Bartenders Bash"

Competition in Portland to feature Cold River cocktail creations from 15 of Maine's best mixologists

Partners at Maine Distilleries, LLC (www.mainedistilleries.com), creators of super-premium Cold River Classic Vodka, Cold River Blueberry Vodka, and Cold River Gin, this week announced details for the 2nd Annual Cold River Bartenders Bash, to take place Monday, February 28 from 5-8:30 pm at Portland's Ocean Gateway (14 Ocean Gateway Pier).

The event, sponsored by Maine magazine, the Maine Restaurant Association, Maine Beverage Company, and Maine Home + Design, will feature 15 of Maine's top mixologists competing for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prizes, to be decided by "People's Choice" votes. Guests will enjoy an impressive variety of cocktail creations, heavy hors d'oeuvres from area culinary talent, and live classic blues and rock tunes by the Ken Grimsley Band throughout the evening.

Tickets ($35) are available at http://tinyurl.com/28rmueg . A portion of event proceeds will be donated to Share Our Strength Maine's recently launched "Cooking Matters to Maine" nutrition education program.

"Our mixology events throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic are always big hits with cocktail pros and Cold River fans alike," noted Bob Harkins, managing partner and director of marketing and sales with Maine Distilleries. "We expect this year's event in Portland to be a sellout, and look forward to an outstanding evening at the Ocean Gateway with some of the most skilled bartenders Maine has to offer."

In addition to its Cold River Classic and Blueberry Vodkas, new at the 2nd Annual Cold River Bartenders Bash will be creations made with the Freeport-based company's recently launched Cold River Gin (http://tinyurl.com/2cr4lhk), recently named by spirits guru Robert Plotkin to his "Hottest New Backbar Prospects" list.

"Maine restaurants and chefs are justifiably earning all sorts of national attention, but it's great also to see so many Maine bartenders and spirits earning recognition," said Dick Grotton, president and CEO of the Maine Restaurant Association. "Mixologists throughout Maine are making real inroads on the cocktail scene; there's an incredible amount of creative bar talent here in our state. The Cold River Bartenders Bash is a great way to recognize and celebrate this talent."

About Maine Distilleries, LLC (www.mainedistilleries.com)
Founded in 2005, Maine Distilleries, located in Freeport, Maine, is the brainchild of four talented Maine entrepreneurs: Donnie Thibodeau, owner of Green Thumb Farms in Fryeburg, ME; his brother, Lee Thibodeau, a neurosurgeon in Portland, ME; Bob Harkins, a former Sunday River ski executive from Paris, ME; and Chris Dowe, Head Distiller, from New Gloucester, ME.

Known for their distinct nose and satin-smooth finish, the company's gluten-free vodkas and gin are hand-crafted and batch-distilled in a copper pot still, using water from Maine's Cold River Aquifer and farm-fresh Maine potatoes. Maine Distilleries, which solely produces Cold River Vodka, Cold River Blueberry Vodka, and Cold River Gin, is the only "ground-to-glass" distillery in the nation, where the company controls every aspect of production from the planting of the potatoes to final bottling. The company's award-winning Classic and Blueberry Vodkas currently are available at major markets, restaurants, and fine spirits retailers in 26 states, the District of Columbia, western Canada and London. Cold River Gin begins its 2010 launch with a presence in seven northeast and southeast states and the District of Columbia.


For more information, visit www.mainedistilleries.com or call (207) 865-4828