‘Gin & Jam’ Cocktail Wins Top Honors at Places Rating Party

It takes finesse to please the distinguished palates of the Austin, Texas, food blogger crowd, but the star chefs at Second Bar + Kitchen successfully took on the task Tuesday night at the Cocktail Rating Party hosted by Google Places. The challenge: have the bloggers rate and review three different off-menu custom cocktails on Places-style ratings cards, with the most popular libation earning a spot on the bar’s seasonal menu.

Taking the top nod was the “Gin and Jam,” a sweet and fruity concoction that one blogger described as “nicely nuanced, with a good balance between the raspberry jam and juniper base.” Second place went to the citrus-y “Dickle Daisy,” while the anise-flavored “Forever My Queen” came in third.

Of course, man cannot live on drinks alone, so celebrity chef David Bull made a variety of delicious appetizers — including the avocado fundido, chicken fried pickles, and braised short ribs — before coming out to chat with the crowd.

All in all, it was a great evening, and our blogger guests had a blast learning fun ways to incorporate Google Places into their websites and share their recommendations with readers.

Where's your favorite local spot to grab a cocktail? We'd love to hear it in the comments.

Posted by Whitney Francis, Austin community manager