Homeward Bound is thrilled to bring back our Toast! event to benefit families facing homelessness in the Valley.

Enjoy a wonderful afternoon traveling around the world with wine, beer and spirit tastings, brunch, shopping and the main event, The Cocktail Competition and Auction.

We are searching for all walks of mixologists, beginner to experienced, to perform in front of a live audience.

Mixologists will mix their favorite cocktail recipe utilizing Vodka with Whispering Angel Rosé as their secret ingredient for this competition and a chance to win $750.
(Liquor and Rose will be provided for you)

Your cocktail will then be paired with an auction package and auctioned off to the audience to raise funds for the Homeward Bound families!

Our vibe this year is The Hamptons!

Check out the participation qualifications and
guide below:

1) Give your Cocktail a clever name
Set the tone for your drink and your performance with a creative name.
Have fun with it! It's the set-up for what's to come...

2) Make a GREAT drink!
Your final drink will be tasted by a panel of judges so it should taste GREAT!
Naturally, if it's overly sweet, sour, strong, etc. it may hurt your score! But remember the judging is all relative. Get inventive with the ingredients, the garnish, the glass rim, even perhaps the ice! Go all out!!!!

3) Presentation
This is for the auction. The judges will get a taste of your creation in a taster's cup, but the final presentation will go to the highest bidder in the audience and it should be eye-popping!
The drink should add perceived value for the bidder and become a beautiful souvenir from the event. Examples are oversized cocktail glass, exotic themed glassware, a pitcher of some sort (then they can share), or even a vintage Ebay find! It can even be the way that you serve it into the glass and to the highest bidder!

4) Add more value!
If you are sponsored by a bar (or if you are independent perhaps your employer), see if you can get them to provide added value to the bidding. Examples: free dinner, event tickets, swag, mixology lessons, dining experience anything that promotes your sponsored business and gets your cocktail the highest bid!

5) Showmanship
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, make your drink preparation a show! You will be on stage with the Cocktail Auctioneer and the judges. Your showmanship is the opportunity to get more audience participation, bring up the judges enthusiasm and ultimately increase the bidding will make a difference! Bring music, dancers, costumes, props, whatever you have up your sleeve to get the party going! Include a personal story to connect to your drink or the audience.
Many 1st time contestants say after the event, "If I had only known...". So think outside the box on this one! In other similar events people have utilized test tubes to mix, poured the cocktail through a fountain type contraption and one mixologist even proposed to his girlfriend!

6) Ideas, Approvals, and Disqualifications
Feel free to run any ideas you may have by our event planner, Chelsea Guffy. Chelsea will also need to approve your final presentation as so it aligns with the licensing and expectations of the event and the venue. No need to make the actual drink, but provide her the plan of action!
Make sure to keep in contact with Chelsea as you plan for your cocktail mixing so you don't finalize everything and then the venue won't allow for a certain element of your performance.
All music will have to be given ahead of time so we can provide it for our DJ. Cocktail names, costumes and any other props used in your performance must be appropriate for a public performance setting. Please prohibit from using inappropriate language or designs in your performance or you may be disqualified.
You may be interviewed by our MC/Auctioneer while you are mixing. Be prepared to answer questions about your cocktail and your mixing background