American 35 owner wins top awards for Pacific Northwest Bloody Mary

PORTLAND, ORE. - The Bloody Mary Liberation Party holds annual Bloody Mary festivals nationwide; the most recent was in Portland, Oregon, on September 14.

Judy Bennett, a co-owner of Waitsburg's American 35, and owner of Portland Bloody Mary Mix teamed with Wild Roots Spirits to create a Pacific Northwest Bloody Mary at this year's festival. The unique cocktail was topped with a blackberry, a bit of smoked salmon, and a chunk of Tillamook cheese.

Bennett batched 20 gallons of mix for the festival and served over 700 cocktails in three hours. Competitors included several restaurants and three bottled mixes, including Bennett's. Attendees voted by awarding tokens to their favorite cocktails, which were also judged by a panel of experts.

"I was so excited to learn that I won both the People's Choice and the Judges' Favorite Awards," said Bennett.

The award-winning mixologist'a Portland Bloody Mary Mix is always available at American 35, 128 Main Street, Waitsburg, Washington.