Regional Finalists for 2016 'Star of the Bar' Competition Announced

CHICAGO, March 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The National Restaurant Association today announced the six finalists of the 2016 Regional Star of the Bar Market Challenge, who will compete in the upcoming Star of the Bar Finals at BAR (Beverage Alcohol for Restaurants) as part of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show . Taking place at Chicago's McCormick Place on Sunday, May 22, the Finals will be emceed by Spike TV's Bar Rescue Host and Executive Producer Jon Taffer, with a panel of judges selecting the overall winner of the annual mixology competition.

This national cocktail competition invites six finalists from leading culinary citiesincluding Chicago, San Diego, Boston, Charleston, New York City, and San Franciscoto mix up the most innovative cocktail creation using Jgermeister, exclusively imported and distributed in the U.S. by Star of the Bar sponsor Sidney Frank Importing Company. Finalists from each market are flown to Chicago to face off in a live event on the 2016 NRA Show floor for a chance to win the coveted Star of the Bar title and $5,000 grand prize.

The annual Star of the Bar regional competition series kicked off in Chicago on February 29 at Gallery at GreenRiver, with regional competitions concluding this week at Twenty Five Lusk in San Francisco. The complete list of regional finalists competing for the overall Star of the Bar title at the NRA Show this May include:

• Chicago Finalist: Carlos Cuarta
  Restaurant/Bar: 90 Miles Cuban Caf
  Winning cocktail: "Curt's Summer Dram," a complex cocktail created with Jgermeister, rum, passion fruit, lemon juice, and bitters
• San Diego Finalist: Brian Prugalidad
  Restaurant/Bar: Bracero Cocina
  Winning cocktail: "Finishing Move: Serious, Serious Punch," a complex cocktail using pineapple, pisco, bitters, and cinnamon bark syrup to complement the Jgermeister
• Boston Finalist: Tenzin Samdo
  Restaurant/Bar: Trade-Boston
  Winning cocktail: "56 Secret Admirers," a mix of Jgermeister, mezcal, ginger beer, bitters, and candied ginger
• Charleston Finalist: Teddy Nixon
  Restaurant/Bar: Bar Mash
  Winning cocktail: "Day Tripper," a tropical blend of toasted coconut pineapple rum, pineapple juice, lime, orgeat, peychaud bitters, and absinthe along with Jgermeister
• New York Finalist: Matt Friedlander
  Restaurant/Bar: Fools Gold NYC
  Winning cocktail: "Any Which Way But Left," blending Jgermeister with aperol, amaro, mol bitters, and a grapefruit peel garnish
• San Francisco Finalist: Baron Stelling
  Place of work: Paragary's Midtown and The Shady Lady Saloon
  Winning cocktail: "The Stag Savior," blending Jgermeister with gin, lime juice, grenadine, and apricot liquor, topped with dashes of bitters and absinthe

For more information on how to attend the final Star of the Bar showdown at the 2016 NRA Show, please visit www.restaurant.org/show or www.restaurant.org/bar.

The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest annual gathering of restaurant, foodservice, and lodging professionals in the world. NRA Show 2016 will be held May 21-24 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and the 2016 BAR at NRA Show Event, held in conjunction with NRA Show, will take place May 22-23. The events attract 66,000+ attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and showcase the latest products, services, innovative ideas, up-to-the-minute information about trends and issues, and growth opportunities. For more information, visit the NRA Show and BAR websites at Restaurant.org/Show and Restaurant.org/BAR and find the NRA Show on Twitter@NRAShow,Facebook, Instagram@NRAShow,YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest and our year-round content hub Brainfeed.

About the National Restaurant Association
Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises more than1 millionrestaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 14.4 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry's largest trade show (NRA ShowMay 21-24, 2016, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF'sProStart); as well as theKids LiveWellprogram promoting healthful kids' menu options. For more information, visitRestaurant.organd find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

About Jgermeister
Jgermeister is the second largest selling imported liquor in the United States and one of the top shot brands in the world. The famed herbal liqueur, which features natural ingredients including cinnamon, star anise, ginger and cardamom, gets its full-bodied flavor from a four-stage cold maceration process applied over several weeks to extract aromatic compounds from a closely guarded recipe of 56 of the finest exotic herbs, roots, blossoms and fruits, plus aging in oak casks for one year. The production process is exacting and includes sourcing premium ingredients in their raw, unprocessed form, along with 383 quality checks to ensure its iconic taste profile. Sidney Frank Importing Company Inc. is dedicated to responsible consumption by those of legal drinking age and is a member of The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association

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