Corcoran’s 1869 Society Toasts ARTINI 2013 Next Week

NORTHWEST -- Art and alcohol will combine next Friday, as the Corcoran Gallery of Art hosts the museum's signature spring ARTINI celebration.

Sponsored by the 1869 Society, the Corcoran's young benefactor support group, this year's event will see eight of Washington's top mixologists compete for both a "popular vote" and a "critics choice" award.

Inspired by a single work of art within the Corcoran's famed (and priceless) collection, each contender was charged with crafting a cocktail that artfully represented his/her interpretation of the piece in question.

Over the past few weeks and continuing through next week, each participating venue has hosted or will host a special "Feature Night" that allowed the District's cocktail hounds to preview the cocktails to be tasted during next Friday's event.

Everyone is then encouraged to vote for their favorite art-inspired cocktail on the Washingtonian website, with the winner of said "popular vote" to be announced, along with a "critics choice" award, during the event itself.

This year's competing cocktail creators and cocktails are as follows:

The Passenger

Mixologist: Alex Bookless
Inspiration: Antonio Canova, Venus

The Gibson

Mixologist: Frank Jones
Inspiration: Henri Regnault, Head of a Moor

Zentan

Mixologist: Josh Berner
Inspiration: Eugène Carriere, Arsène Carriere Venus

Jack Rose

Mixologist: Amy Russell
Inspiration: Martin Johnson Heade, View of Marshfield

P.O.V at the W Washington, D.C. Hotel

Mixologist: Joe Ambrose
Inspiration: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, View From Cap Martin of Monte Carlo

Ambar

Mixologist: Milton Hernandez
Inspiration: Albert Bierstadt, Mount Corcoran

Bandolero

Mixologist: Taha Ismail
Inspiration: The Salon Doré

Daikaya

Mixologist: Eddie Kim
Inspiration: Iona Rozeal Brown, Afro.died, T.