Captain Gregory’s has advanced to the 2025 Virginia Cocktail Games, one of five northern Virginia establishments among 22 bartenders selected statewide for the competition.
The Virginia Spirits Board competition celebrates the state’s bartending community and local distilleries. Competing bartenders created original cocktails that pay tribute to a Virginia “hidden gem” location and feature a Virginia spirit produced in their region.
Brandon McDermott of Captain Gregory’s said the restaurant is “proud to represent the northern Virginia cocktail scene” as one of the finalists. McDermott’s cocktail, “Rosé All Day,” features A. Smith Bowman Distillery Tinkerman’s Gin and draws inspiration from escaping city life by a river.
Other northern Virginia competitors include Julieta Hernandez of The Catamount Lounge (Front Royal, VA) with “Creekwater Revival,” featuring Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin; Erica Brown of Vault & Cellar (Middletown, VA) with “Sunburnt Memory,” made with Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye; Dan Kurzenknabe of Vault & Cellar (Middletown, VA) with “Honeycrisp,” featuring KO Distiller’s Reserve Bottled-in-bond Rye Whiskey; and Shenan Hahn of The Catamount Lounge (Front Royal, VA) with “Where The Wild Things Are,” made with Copper Fox Chestnut American Whisky.
Public voting runs daily through Tuesday, Aug. 19, at virginiaspirits.org. Votes will determine which five bartenders advance to the final round Sept. 13 at Virginia Distilled, an event at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond.
This year’s theme, “Off the Beaten Path,” challenged bartenders to capture the essence of their favorite Virginia hidden gem through cocktails that reflect the location’s flavor and presentation.
Captain Gregory’s, located at 804 N. Henry St. in Alexandria, will feature its competition cocktail for the next two weeks for customers to sample and vote.
The competition highlights Virginia’s growing craft cocktail scene while promoting the state’s spirits industry.
