The Virginia Cocktail Games

Cheers to Another Successful Competition!

Thanks and congratulations to everyone who participated in the 2025 Virginia Cocktail Games. After advancing through a competitive submission process, 22 bartenders competed in the regional, digital round of voting. Each bartender crafted a unique cocktail that pays tribute to a “hidden gem” location or area and features a Virginia spirit produced in their region.

Digital, Regional Round 1 Results

After a tight race, these five bartenders and their cocktail creations rose to the top, earning gold in round 1:

🏅 Notorious F.I.G by Shannon Dunbar-Wilson, The Barrel House at Sandy River Distillery | Central Va.

🏅 Drift Flower by Ken Howe, Wang Jiang Lou | Coastal Va.

🏅 Honeycrisp by Dan Kurzenknabe, Vault & Cellar | Northern Va.

🏅 Fog on the New by Zoey Blankenship, Palisades Restaurant | Southern Va.

🏅 Virginia Sunryes by Christa Marie Thomas, The Omni Homestead Resort and Spa | Western Va.

Congratulations to our 2025 Winner, Christa Thomas!

Our five region winners competed for the top spot at Virginia Distilled this September 13 at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. With a new prompt to craft a new cocktail that sheds light onto something that was previously “hidden in plain sight,” our finalists brought their all to the competition. After tallying up a combination of popular votes and scores from a panel of judges, Christa took first place with her cocktail, “Cardinal Rose.”