San Antonians love margaritas and citrus-based summer drinks. While an Old Fashioned may be fine in the winter, you can’t beat a refreshing cocktail made with fresh citrus (never prepackaged mix) in a South Texas spring and summer. And the 8th annual Rivertini event, hosted as a benefit for the San Antonio River Foundation, is the premier pour off for bars and restaurants across town. I’m proud to say that I’ll be a judge at this years event on Thursday, March 31st!
Get your Rivertini tickets now! Or go VIP for a river barge experience!
I’ve been attending Rivertini since it’s inception and have made most events. Along with the San Antonio Cocktail Conference, NIOSA, summer movie at the Pearl and a Spurs playoff game, this is a must-attend event worth every penny of the entry fee. Not only do you get high quality cocktails, the proceeds go to benefit the organization behind many of the public artworks along the Museum and Mission Reach of the San Antonio River.
But while you can feel good about your donation, what makes Rivertini shine is the drinks. The creativity of bartenders and restaurateurs is on full display—I’ve been impressed by the overall quality of the drinks in years past and often wish they would put their creations on the main menu.
(You can read about one of my experiences from the 4th annual Rivertini here, but fair warning, it’s before I got a decent camera!)
I’m excited to see what theme emerges from Rivertini this year—I remember that hot/spicy cocktails made with pepper infused liquor was all the rage one year. I’m also looking forward to see what the other judges like the most, to connect with old friends (like my former neighbor Eileen Pace and Johnny Hernandez) and to meet some in person for the first time (in particular Mezcal aficionado Houston Eaves).
For all you medal hounds out there, the River Foundation will have their 2016 Fiesta Medal on sale and it looks awesome! I will also have a couple of Chicken on the Stick medals that I would be happy to trade as well, so be sure to say hi!
Sign up for the SA Flavor Newsletter for all the best of SA without the spam! And be sure to shop the SA Flavor Store for the best Fiesta Medals, stickers, shirts and more!