The Pathfinder Presents First Brand-Created Non-Alc Cocktail Competition at Seattle Cocktail Week

The Pathfinder, the trailblazing non-alcoholic spirit brand pioneering the new era of no-, low- and full-ABV imbibing, is thrilled to announce the first-ever brand-created, non-alcoholic cocktail competition held during Seattle Cocktail Week (April 19-26). The competition includes competitors from all corners of the country: On Monday, April 20, from 7:15 p.m. - 11 p.m. at Screwdriver Bar (2320 1st Ave), bartenders will compete for the auspicious title of “Executioner of the Mocktail.” The event is free to attend.

The competition will be judged by industry vets Jeffrey Morgenthaler, award-winning bartender and co-owner of Pacific Standard; Anu Apte, owner of several award-winning Seattle bars Trade Winds Tavern, Vinnie’s Wine Shop, and Navy Strength; and Robin Nance, a member of the National USBG Board of Directors and former Director of Trade Engagement and Advocacy for Beam Suntory. The victorious “Executioner of the Mocktail” will receive a $2,000 cash prize and a trophy to commemorate their spiritual mocktail journey.

This cocktail competition has been going on behind the scenes for months, now culminating in the exciting final round at Screwdriver Bar. In the first round, more than seventy bartenders submitted recipes for non-alcoholic riffs on classic cocktails using The Pathfinder Hemp and Root, followed by a second round where contestants were tasked with creating an original “stirred” cocktail.

The competing finalists are as follows:

• Sarah Ku - Hello Hello Bar & Cafe (New York City, NY)

• Daddy Long Legs - Bar Bambi (Chicago, IL)

• Jeanette Perez - The Roosevelt Room (Austin, TX)

• Justin Lam - Viridian and Pagan Idol (San Francisco, CA)

“Death to the Mocktail! The Pathfinder has broken down the walls of traditional non-alcoholic cocktails as an afterthought,” commented Michael Toscano, East Coast Regional Director for The Pathfinder. “These true pioneers in our industry have taken the ‘mock’ out of ‘mocktail’ and shown the world there's nothing fake about a great cocktail!”

The Pathfinder—which debuted in the counter-cultural epicenter of Seattle—launched their flagship zero-proof spirit, Hemp and Root, in the fall of 2021, which became the first in a line of unprecedented disruptors to the non-alcoholic and alcoholic sectors. The non-alcoholic spirit is made with fermented and distilled hemp, which is then blended with botanicals to pair perfectly with any cocktail. The Pathfinder then followed up with their ready-to-drink Espresso Tonic, Negroni, and Spritz.