For Sacramentans who have ever pondered the mystery of what makes a cocktail special and want to sample new, classic, exotic and experimental cocktails, then they will have the opportunity beginning Monday. Midtown Cocktail Week is coming back to Sacramento for the fourth year, and for seven nights, 15 designated Midtown or downtown bars and restaurants will be featuring specialty cocktail events. For more information and a full list of events, click here.  “It’s good for business, (but) not in the monetary sense,” said Jason Boggs, co-owner of Shady Lady Saloon. “It lets people in Sacramento know they can drink better, and that makes quality of life better for everyone.” Midtown Cockt

Lounge on 20's second cocktail competition was held Wednesday, June 3 at around 6:30 p.m. But this time instead of gin, French liqueur Domaine de Canton, took center stage, and sponsored the competition. The ginger-flavored drink was popular during the French occupation of Southeast Asia. The contestants included Ken Lipska of Crush 29, Vincent Laform of Lounge on 20, Rene Dominguez and Chris Dooley of Ella Dining Room and Bar, Eric Giardina of Tres Agaves, Steve Gontarz of Capitol Garage, and Nicole Tyler of Hangar 17.  Judges included Garrett Van Vleck of Shady Lady Saloon, Chris Tucker of L Wine Lounge (the winner of the first Lounge on 20 cocktail competition), Alma Martinez of Tres

A mouthful of gin spews into an open flame sending a ball of fire several feet into the air and the heat from the blast can be felt from the audience. With the fireball's deafening sound, Kris Laidlaw, bartender from GV Hurley's, draws the whole room's attention as well as a round of applause. Earlier, this article previewed Wednesday night's cocktail competition, which took place from 6-8 p.m. at Lounge on 20. To add to a base of Broker's London Dry Gin, the competitors used ingredients as diverse as frozen papaya to Peruvian chili peppers to edible flowers. Ali Mackani, owner of the Lounge on 20 MC’d the event and interviewed the 10 competitors for the nearly 100 people who showed up.

Anything goes Wednesday night when eleven area mixologists will mix drinks in a cocktail competition with only one rule: the drink must include Broker's London Dry Gin. But aside from that, contestants will be putting in anything and everything else to express their creativity and win a cash prize. The event host, Lounge On 20, will open doors at 5 p.m. and the competition will begin at 6 p.m., with a specially priced cocktail menu being served all night. It is sponsored by Broker's London Dry Gin and company Director Andrew Dawson will be one of the four celebrity judges along with Joe Anthony Savala of Z´calo, Darryl Corti of Corti Brothers, and Mike Heller of the Heller Company. Alma