Garrison Brothers Distillery, the first legal whiskey distillery in Texas, recently announced the semi-finalists in its Bourbon Brawl 2020 contest, a state-wide bartender competition with a grand prize of $10,000. (Garrison Brothers Distillery, 2020)

The five semi-finalists from San Antonio include:

• Trinh Quan Huy-Philip – Rebelle at St. Anthony Hotel – Golden Ticket Winner
• Gladys Estrada – Range – Consumers’ Choice Winner
• Cruz Gutierrez – Jet Setter
• Michelle Stephenson – Tributary at Marriott Rivercenter
• Johnny Yumol – Bar du Mon Ami

Dan Garrison, founder and proprietor of Garrison Brothers Distillery, visited a selection of bartenders and after tasting their cocktails and listening to their stories of inspiration, Garrison offered a select few the opportunity to advance on the Bourbon Brawl Semi-finals, on the spot. Those are the Golden Ticket winners. Consumers’ Choice winners are the bartenders whose cocktails received the most votes via Garrison Brother’s voting app.

In each semi-final competition, the city’s top five bartenders and mixologists will showcase their creative and technical cocktail-making skills, vying for the opportunity to represent their home turf at the state-wide final competition in Austin and take home the prestigious title of Garrison Brothers 2020 Bourbon Brawl “Bartender of the Year.” During these events, attendees will enjoy libations while watching the bartenders compete in a three-round, Top Chef-style match-up.

In Round One, guests will sample the five best cocktails in each city and interact with the five semi-finalist bartenders. These cocktails will be crafted with love using the 2020 vintage of Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon. Guests will receive one (1) wooden token at check-in to cast a vote for their favorite cocktail.

During Round Two, each bartender will take the stage to prepare and present “Native Texan Wildlife”-themed cocktails in real time. A panel of judges will score each cocktail and factor in the crowd-favorite cocktail from Round One. The two bartenders with the highest scores will advance to Round Three.

Round Three is a mystery ingredient challenge. In this round, the city’s top two bartenders will go head to head to create the best cocktail using secret ingredients from a veiled box. Sampled and scored by the judges, one bartender will be announced as the winner of this semi-final event and will advance to the Finals to compete for the prestigious title of Garrison Brothers 2020 Bourbon Brawl “Bartender of the Year.”

Tickets for each semi-final event are $30. Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to Good Bourbon for a Good Cause, a 501(c)3 public charity founded by the Garrison Family and their staff in 2018.

Dates, time, and locations for each event are below. The Garrison Brothers team highly encourages attendees to use local ride-sharing services, ensuring a safe ride home for everyone. Lyft codes are provided for $5 off each ride for up to 200 rides at each event.

Houston
Thursday, March 26 | 6:30p.m. – 10p.m.
The Houston Event Venue | 3118 Harrisburg Blvd | Houston, TX 77003
Tickets | Lyft code BB2020HOUSTON

San Antonio
Thursday, April 2 | 6:30p.m. – 10p.m.
The Arcadian at Sunset Station | 1174 E Commerce St. | San Antonio, TX 78205
Tickets | Lyft code BB2020SA

Dallas
Thursday, April 9 | 6:30p.m. – 10p.m.
The Empire Room | 1225 N Riverfront Blvd | Dallas, TX 75207
Tickets | Lyft code BB2020DAL

Fort Worth
Thursday, April 16 | 6:30p.m. – 10p.m.
The Ostreum | 108 South Fwy Ste. 130 | Fort Worth, TX 76104
Tickets | Lyft code BB2020FW

Austin
Thursday, April 23  | 6:30p.m. – 10p.m.
Springdale Station | 979 Springdale Rd. Ste 160 | Austin, TX 78702
Tickets | Lyft code BB2020AUS

FINALS (Austin)
Thursday, May 7 | 6:30p.m. – 10p.m.
Fair Market | 1100 E 5th Street | Austin, TX 78702
Tickets | Lyft code BOURBONBRAWL2020

Qualifying contestants must have participated in Garrison Brothers’ Bourbon Takeover of Texas, two weeks during which 75+ distinguished bars and restaurants across Texas featured cocktails incorporating the 2020 vintage of Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon. From February 17 – February 28, the Garrison Brothers team visited every participating location to taste, critique, examine and enjoy the creations, considering each for potential advancement to the next round of the competition. However, the cocktails themselves were not the sole criteria for advancement; the bartender’s attitude, charm, camaraderie with customers and concern for the well-being of their community were also factors under consideration.