TELL ME MORE… Auchentoshan is creating the opportunity of a lifetime for two talented mixologists. One candidate from the US and one from the UK will switch countries for 14 days for this unique opportunity.

The task is set below but beware entry is only open until August 31st 2011.

HOW DO I ENTER? To become part of this program, please create a film of yourself making two simple drinks. On one film, create a lemonade from scratch (from raw ingredients) and an Old Fashioned made with unique Auchentoshan Three Wood.

They are not looking for the next Speilberg, (in fact they encourage you to simply use a smart phone) but they do want to see not only your cocktail making skills, but also your other tools of the trade. Explain to us why you’re doing what you’re doing, and why it works so well. And most of all make it entertaining.

ENTER NOW… http://switch.auchentoshan.com/enter.aspx

Need Inspiration….

The USBG is proud to invite you to participate in the “Emotion in a Glass” competition presented by Russian Standard® Vodka, a brand recognized for its true authenticity, superior quality and innovation.

Have you ever tasted Passion or Trust? Inspired by the successful vodka company, Russian Standard Vodka recently introduced cocktails that embody these emotions. Now Russian Standard is inviting bartenders across the country to create cocktails that use scent, texture, temperature and flavor to signify a variety of emotions.

Here’s a unique and first-ever opportunity to show off your skill by bringing your favorite emotion to life in a glass!

To compete go to USBG.org

The honorees were:
Jose F. Ancona, Our North America IBA Vice President
Fred Ireton, Long Time Member
Cesar Sandoval, Long Time Member
Vincent Cisneros, Long Time Member
Kelly Lightner, Long Time Member
Fructuso Prado, Long Time Member
William Cresswell, Long Time Member
Philo Miller, Long Time Member
Noreen Wood, Long Time Supporter and Honary Member
Naomi Filbern, Long Time Member
Arturo Pienado, Long Time Member
Philo Miller, Long Time Member
Marcel La Roque, Long Time Member

We had a wonderful cocktail party in their honor.

And now, without further ado….It gives me great pleasure to add to the above list and to present on behalf of the United States Bartenders’ Guild, “The Lifetime Membership Award”. For those outstanding supporters of our organization, always elevating the bar industry and for their years of service they have dedicated to refine our craft…

Please join me in congratulating our newest Lifetime Members to the USBG:

Dale Degroff, None other than King Cocktail himself
Brian Rea, The Bar Keeper
Tony Abou-Ganim, Our very own Modern Mixologist
John C. Burton, The Northern California King
Livio Lauro, Our former National President the man who set the standard
Bobby “G” Gleason, the Ambassador who never rests

Thank you all for your dedication and for helping the USBG become what it is today, a benchmark for what bartenders aspire to become.

Sincerely,
David Nepove
USBG National President

Immediate release
Contact: David Page
502-774-7701

Las Vegas, Nev. (Dec. 21, 2010) – A Las Vegas mixologist is heading to the Arctic Circle for a second time to compete against the world’s most elite bartenders in the 13th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup Finals to be held in the Lainio Snow Village SnowHotel in Finland on Feb. 2.

Patricia Richards, for the second year in a row, won the right to represent the U.S. during the Finlandia Qualifying round held in Las Vegas on Dec. 20. Last year, Richards placed fourth overall in the International Finlandia Vodka Cup, the best U.S. finish in the history of the competition.

“It is very exciting to be taking Ms. Richards back to Finland to compete in the Finals,” said Nick Nelson, U.S. brand manager for Finlandia Vodka. “Her top-five finish last year was the best the U.S. has ever done in the Finals, and we have high hopes she will win this year.”

To compete in the qualifier, U.S. bartenders had to submit drink recipes online to the United States Bartender’s Guild for an aperitif and long drink. The submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges that included members of the USBG, Finlandia Vodka and Tony Abou-Ganim, world-renowned mixologist and USBG National Ambassador, and narrowed to the top-ten competitors. The panel then re-created the drinks of the top competitors and scored each on the aroma, appearance and taste. Once the points from each separate drink category were tallied, Richards once again prevailed.

Richards will now compete against 33 bartenders from around the globe based on the art, style and craft of their original Finlandia cocktails and the final category of the contest, the “Quick Mix”, an Iron Chef-style category. In the “Quick Mix”, bartenders must create a recipe based on mystery ingredients within 10 minutes. This category tests the skills of even the best mixologist. To practice for the Quick Mix, Richards will attend a refresher training with Tony Abou-Ganim in Vegas in January.
“Patricia is a very talent mixologist who continually rises to the top,” said Abou-Ganim. “She demonstrated her abilities last year with her fourth place finish in the Finals. I am sure she will once again represent herself, the USBG, and all U.S. bartenders well in the Finals and hopefully will bring home the Cup to the U.S. this year.”

Besides a thrilling competition, Finlandia Vodka will once again host a special session of Finnishing School, a program taught to elevate the bartending vocation by providing an unbiased approach to mixology. Finlandia’s Global Ambassadors and the Soulshakers, representing three of the United Kingdom’s most respected and renowned drink consultants, will lead the session covering:
• An irreverent and illustrated history of vodka
• In-depth breakdown of the process of distillation, fermentation and filtration
• A blind tasting with tips to help identify ingredients used in making vodka
• The scientific approach to bartending
• Instruction on taste and balance
• And lastly, real concepts that influence every drink

Moreover, each competitor will have the opportunity to enjoy uniquely Finnish experiences such as dog and reindeer sledding. And, of course, participants will enjoy local foods like reindeer and fresh smoked salmon served with specialty Finlandia cocktails.
Good luck to Patricia Richards in the 13th International Finlandia® Vodka Cup Finals!

Las Vegas, Nev. (Nov. 16, 2010) – Calling all bartenders and mixologists…Shake up your career!
The United States Bartenders’ Guild is proud to invite you to participate in the United States Finlandia Vodka Cup qualifying round.
It’s a chance for your talent to shine. The winner will earn an opportunity to compete in the 13th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup, January 31- February 3, 2011, in the Arctic Circle of Finland, where undoubtedly the coolest competition on earth will take place.

To compete, you must submit two original drink recipes: a Finlandia Aperitif and a Finlandia Long Drink at usbg.org. The drinks will be judged on December 20 and the winner announced on December 21.

The winner of the U.S. qualifier will attend a special training session on January 13, 2011, in Las Vegas with master mixologist and USBG National Ambassador, Tony Abou-Ganim, to practice the final category that will take place in the International Finals in Finland, the “Quick Mix”.

The “Quick Mix” is an Iron Chef-style category in the Finals where the bartenders are provided with a mystery box that contains all the necessary ingredients to make a cocktail. They select four ingredients from the box and have 10 minutes to create a recipe. This category will test the skills of even the best mixologist.

To learn more about the Finlandia Vodka Cup, please visit usbg.org. Recipes must be submitted no later than December 10 by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

Note: Open to residents of the U.S. who are of legal drinking age and who are professional bartenders. Void in California, Louisiana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia and where prohibited or restricted by law.

Media Inquiries on the Finlandia Vodka Cup competition, please contact David Page at 502-774-7701 or david_page@b-f.com.

About Finlandia:
Finlandia Vodka is a product with a global reputation for its unique Nordic heritage and its crystalline natural spring water, a legacy of the Ice Age. Finlandia’s unparalleled quality can be attributed to only the finest ingredients. Our vodka is crafted by using pure glacial spring water and six-row barley, which offers the highest quality starch and the lowest possible content of natural oils, delivering a crisp, clean taste. Finlandia Vodka Worldwide Ltd (FVW) is a joint venture partnership owned 100 percent by Brown-Forman Corporation. FVW is responsible for the Finlandia trademark and marketing and distribution assets. Brown- Forman handles all global marketing activities for the Finlandia Vodka brand.

About Brown Forman
Brown-Forman Corporation is a producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Canadian Mist, Fetzer, Korbel, Gentleman Jack, el Jimador, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, Tuaca, Woodford Reserve, and Bonterra. We globally market and sell various categories of beverage alcohol products, such as Tennessee, Canadian, and Kentucky whiskies; Kentucky bourbons; California sparkling wine; tequila; table wine; liqueurs; vodka; rum; and ready-to-drink products. For more information about Brown-Forman and our brands, please visit our website at brown-forman.com.

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and prepare yourself for the greatest show in cocktails, the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup ‘Carnival of the Cocktail’. For the seventh year running, United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) invites the world’s most ingenious and audacious talents in mixology to showcase their skills, represent their country and square off against their peers on the cocktail world’s brightest stage, the 2011 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand.

Six countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France and Italy will hold contests at regional and national levels in which bartenders will compete to create the most innovative cocktail as judged by leaders in the cocktail industry. The top three (3) bartenders from each country will be selected to represent their nation in the 2011 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup finals in New Zealand March 21 to 26, 2011.

The U.S. portion of the competition began today. From now through Dec. 31 the USBG will recruit the top bartenders in the United States to enter their most creative and inventive cocktails into this illustrious competition. The winning cocktail entries will join the cocktail caravan and compete in head-to-head regional final events.

Regional finals will take place Jan. 16 to 25 in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C. The top two (2) finalists from each market will move on to compete at the national finals held in New York on Feb 13. From that group, three (3) U.S. champions will be chosen to represent the United States in New Zealand where they will compete for global cocktail dominance and glory.

Once in New Zealand, the six national teams will head to adventure playground, Queenstown, before making their way to Wellington to compete in the big dance. When the bartenders aren’t testing the limits of the human body and mixology by muddling limes in jet boats screaming through narrow canyons, or shaking while plummeting down a gorge on a bungee, they’ll be chumming it up with the ringmasters of the wonderful world of cocktails. Want to run away and join the circus? See the official 2011 Cocktail World Cup trailer here .

“The 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup is an amazing way to celebrate the superstars of the trade. The seventh time around it will be more extreme and exciting than ever before,” says 42BELOW Marketing Director Dion Nash.

For more information, please visit the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup website at cocktailworldcup.com or contact Josh Rangel at jrangel@golinharris.com.

Bartender Entry Criteria:
• Be over the legal drinking age in the United States
• Speak and understand a reasonable level of English
• Must not have previously participated in the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand
• Must have bartending experience
• Must create an original signature cocktail preferably using 42BELOW Vodka or 42BELOW Flavored Vodka (Contestants must submit entries to cocktailworldcup.com by Dec. 31, 2010)

About 42BELOW

42BELOW Vodka was launched in 1998 in the premium vodka segment and has shown strong volume growth since its inception. The brand known for its innovative, bold and entrepreneurial style has earned a strong reputation for authentic New Zealand quality and exceptional taste, reflected in winning numerous prestigious international awards including gold medals (for the fourth year running) at the 45th World Selection of Spirits and Liqueurs 2007 Barcelona, the San Francisco Spirits Awards and the International Wines & Spirits competition UK. 42BELOW vodka, acquired by Bacardi Ltd. In 2006, is currently distributed in more than 25 countries.

42BELOW® Vodka and Flavored Vodkas

NEW ZEALANDERS AGREE: DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

©2010 42BELOW AND THE 42 BOTTLE DESIGN ARE TRADEMARKS AND/OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. 42BELOW IMPORTING COMPANY, CORAL GABLES, FL. VODKA – 40% ALC. BY VOL. — 100% NEUTRAL SPIRITS DISTILLED FROM GRAIN. FLAVORED VODKAS – EACH 40% ALC. BY VOL.

Media Contacts:
Josh Rangel, GolinHarris
312.729.4168
jrangel@golinharris.com

Liz Edwards, United States Bartenders’ Guild
800.964.0052
ledwards@usbg.org

Thank you for your patience!

Here is some quick info you may need while we are down.

Membership
To join the USBG please fill out the USBG- New Member Application 2010 and email it to our Membership Director at usbg.membership@hotmail.com.

Current members, please wait to renew your dues until our website is back up.

For general membership inquiries please call Sheila Rosario at (702) 407-6970

MA Testing
To inquire about taking a USBG Master Accreditation Exam please email us at usbg.membership@hotmail.com

USBG Health Insurance
Please visit our USBG Bartender Health Insurance Flyer 2010 for more information on our new health care options for our bartender members.

USBG National Office (800) 964-0052

Pricing and Frequency of Program
The user will be charged by your carrier as message and data rates may apply for each alert. Any fees you incur through your use of the Service will be charged each month onto your cellular phone bill. Your cell phone provider may charge tax and standard text message fees for your use of the Service and any help or account related text messages that Bombay Sapphire sends you. Three (3) is the maximum number of messages a user will receive for the USBG GQ Voting program. If the user opts-in to subscription service by texting “SAPPHIRE” to 88704, four (4) is the maximum number of messages Bombay Sapphire will send each month.

Service/Help info
To get help, contact us at nationaloffice@usbg.org. From your mobile phone, you may request our contact information at any time by texting HELP to 88704. To reach us by phone, please call 877-290-6264

Opt In/Opt-Out info.
How to Opt-in: To participate in the USBG GQ Bartender Voting Program, text the letters GQ followed by the number assigned to the bartender to shortcode 88704 for which you want to vote. A confirmation text message will be sent to your phone. To opt-in further communication, reply with the word SAPPHIRE to 88704 to receive the confirmation text message from your mobile phone.

How to Opt-out: To opt-out from our SMS service, you can text “STOP” to 88704 from your mobile phone and we will unsubscribe you from our SMS text messaging service immediately. You will not receive any additional messages and will no longer be charged for the service.

Carriers supported on the program.
The Service is currently available to most wireless carriers in the United States, including Alltel, AT&T Mobility, Boost Mobile, Cellular One, Cincinnati Bell, Cricket, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Virgin Mobile subscribers. For all of these carriers, our short code number is 88704. Users can use the Service if they have the ability to send and receive text-messages on their cell phones.

The USBG is proud to announce that we now offer Health Insurance for our Bartender Members!

For many of our members health insurance may not be included in their individual employment benefits at work. Because the USBG is now in 18 cities and our reach expands from Hawaii to NY we are able to get a great group rate. Plans start as low as $77 per month.

We could not be more excited to announce this added benefit to our members. We have listed the various ways to learn more about our Bartender Benefits below.

Please see the attached USBG Bartender Health Insurance Flyer 2010 that gives an overview of the plans offered as well as some examples of pricing.

Please visit our USBG website for more information.

Or Call Homeland Member Services 866-348-7669

Please take a few moments to congratulate them when you see them next and don’t be afraid to offer up your suggestions and ideas. The future growth of the USBG looks as promising as ever with these professionals at the helm….

National President: DAVID NEPOVE (From the NoCA Chapter)

National Treasurer: PAUL POSILLICO (From the Las Vegas Chapter)

Your new council will be in office for two years and will lead the way into the future of the USBG. Congratulations to David, Aaron, Bridget and Paul and thank you for your true dedication as long-time volunteers of our organization. We all look forward to your term and all it may bring.