The gala raises funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland and for the guild itself, while promoting local bars and eateries.

“We have 17 Baltimore bars attending, all featuring their own version of a rye cocktail,” said BBG president Brendan Dorr.

Judges from New York, Chicago, D.C. (and Baltimore’s
senior editor Jess Blumberg Mayhugh) will be selecting their favorite
concoction made with either Bulleit Rye or George Dickel Rye. The
creator of the winning cocktail will win a trip to nightlife Mecca New
Orleans.

Guests can get in on the action, too, by casting votes
for the winner of the People’s Choice Award for best cocktail and best
restaurant. There will also be live music, a silent auction, and select
wines, as well as beer from Union Craft Brewery.

Last
year, Dorr said, the event had more than 200 guests and raised about
$3,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “This year, we’re hoping to
break $4,000,” he said.

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“We were certainly not trying to clone Old Bay exactly,” says Philadelphia Distillers president Andrew Auwerda. “But we know a lot of crab houses make their own seafood seasoning, so that was sort of the model we were following.”

The vodka, which is currently available in some bars in D.C. and will be available in Baltimore “in a matter of days,” is described as a briny and spicy concoction, best suited in Bloody Marys, oyster shooters, or even Negronis.

And, in case you were worried about a Philadelphia company making an Old Bay-like drink, Auwerda, who is a University of Maryland graduate and Cecil County resident, assures us it’s the real deal.

“Members of the Baltimore Bartender’s Guild were part of the taste-testing last summer,” he says. “And all of the spices are made in Maryland.”

Check out the vodka’s Facebook page for updates about where to find the spirit in local bars and liquor stores.

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