SRQ Daily | Get Connected

Get SRQ DAILY: Freshly Squeezed Content Every Morning, published Monday to Saturday throughout the year. With a genuine local angle, SRQ DAILY is a must-read for localvores who want to know their hometown. From new foodies hot spots to behind-the-scenes stories about upcoming arts and culture events, you will love starting off your day with us. Get signed up and you'll have an upbeat and thoughtful companion to your morning cuppa joe. 

Check out an article from today's SRQ DAILY below.

Get Our Newsletters

Set the Bar to Shake up April

Pictured: Geoff from Harry's Continental Kitchens at a previous Set the Bar. The competition is fierce, with most winners from last year returning to defend their titles. Photo Courtesy of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals.

On April 14, the Set the Bar Cocktail Competition returns to Sarasota for its sixth year. This exciting event, run by the Sarasota-Manatee Originals and hosted at Ed Smith Stadium, is a must-attend if you love the art of making, or drinking, creative cocktails.

“I like to talk about the Food Network and things like that, where there was that shift when chefs became celebrities, and they were taken out of their kitchens and put on stage,” says Liza Kubik, who does marketing and communications for the Sarasota-Manatee Originals. “People love to learn about the people who are making their food. We were of course aware that the people behind the bar were as integral to the success of a restaurant in many cases as sort of the chefs of the bar. They were doing some very innovative, delicious and beautiful things, so we wanted to provide a platform for these artists to be showcased, and we made it a very fun and playful platform.”

The event will feature 25 mixologists from restaurants that are part of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals competing in five spirit categories, each with a five-ingredient limit. The restaurants are given several weeks to prepare the cocktail they will feature, and those that have previously participated are challenging themselves to use a different spirit than the one they highlighted at the last Set the Bar in their cocktails. The cocktail’s identity is top secret until the event, where guests and judges will sample them. A panel of expert judges will blindly evaluate each drink’s flavor, appearance, bartender presentation and imagination, and Clive Daniel Home will judge the eateries on the best tablescape at each of their stations.

Attendees will be given a punch card, which acts as a passport that helps them keep track of which cocktails they’ve tried. They can vote for the People’s Choice Award using a stub that they detach from the card, and observe how their tastes match up with those of the judges. An auction and raffle of tickets for the 2025 edition of Forks and Corks Food and Wine Festival, another Original’s event, will be available and will benefit Children First. Guests will also enjoy live music and entertainment, as well as light bites from Original’s restaurants. “It’s fun and engaging,” Kubik adds, “and the guests are not simply observers.”

Set the Bar, April 14 from 4-7pm, Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St., Sarasota. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit eatlikealocal.com/events/setthebar.


SEE MORE FROM THIS EDITION

SRQ Daily Archives

Welcome to the archives of SRQ DAILY: Freshly Squeezed Content Every Morning, produced by the team at SRQ Magazine. From this page, you will be able to view the most recent SRQ DAILY editions as well as search for a specific edition and keyword. The SRQ DAILY Business Edition runs on Mondays; the SRQ DAILY Philanthropy Edition publishes on Wednedsays; the SRQ DAILY Weekend Edition featuring arts and culture publishes on Fridays; and, the SRQ DAILY Perspectives Edition featuring op-eds, columns and letters publishes on Saturdays.

Thank you for being an SRQ DAILY reader. 



This Week's SRQ DAILY Editions



Thursday Family and Recreation Edition – Mar 28, 2024

New College Hosting Socratic Stage Dialogue Series Event Featuring Dr. Stanley Fish and Dr. Mark Bauerlein •  Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open Names Coastal Orthopedics as Medical Partner for 2024 Tournament  •  Basketball Hall-of-Famer and Co-Founder of the NBA's Orlando Magic, Pat Williams, will Serve as Guest Speaker for Grandparents and Special Friends Day event at Sarasota Christian School on April 9th. •  Al Fuller and The Moonlight Movers •  2024 Best of SRQ Local Party •  Second Annual Wellen Park Half Marathon and 5K Draws Big Crowds to Downtown Wellen  •  Venice Farmers Market Earns Venice Spirit Award •  Set the Bar to Shake up April

Wednesday Philanthropy Edition – Mar 27, 2024

Tonika Conaway, Kelly Romanoff Named Co-Chairs of First 1,000 Days Suncoast Steering Committee •  Tom and Mary James Donate $2 million to Parc Center for Disabilities •  Child Protection Center Hosts Signature Event During Child Abuse Prevention Month •  Cousin of Israeli Hostage to Speak in Sarasota •  Self Care Fair to Raise Awareness About Mental Health •  A Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County Will Boost Choral Artists Production of Considering Matthew Shepard •  First Sarasota Church Presents Good Friday in Payne Park •  Young Changemakers Empty their Piggy Banks for Those in Need •  Project 180 Announces the Retirement of Founder and CEO, Barbara Richards •  Promote Your Volunteer Opportunities in Lakewood Ranch •  Community Harvest SRQ Reduces Food Waste and Feeds the Hungry •  Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation's Heritage Awards Celebrated Achievements in Preservation

Tuesday Dining and Food Edition – Mar 26, 2024

Centennial Park Boat Ramp to Close for Emergency Repairs April 1-5 •  Manatee Clerk of Court and Comptroller's Office Closed on Good Friday •  Reserve Your Seat for Longboat Key Democratic Club April 2 Luncheon •  Teen Night at MidFlorida Credit Union •  Sarasota Open Announces Qualifying Player Entry List •  Calling All Cookie Monsters •  All Faiths Food Bank Holds Sold-Out Walk to End Summer Hunger

Monday Business Edition – Mar 25, 2024

Christopher Alan Homes Hires Smale as Vice President of Strategic Planning  •  Pultegroup to Expand 55+ Presence in Tampa with 2nd Del Webb •  S-One Awarded as USA Today Top Workplaces 2024 Recognition Based on National Employee Survey and 15 Culture Drivers  •  Manatee Memorial Hospital Earns Re-Accreditation as a Center of Excellence with Surgical Review Corporation •  Lee BIA Builders Care Names Christopher Alan Homes 2023 Contractor Partner of the Year •  Sarasota Memorial Named One of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women •  Condo Market Moved Into Balance •  Avelo Airlines has the Cure for the Post-Spring Break Blues

Freshly Squeezed Content Every Morning – Mar 24, 2024

Saturday Perspectives Edition – Mar 23, 2024

The Lawmaker to College President Pipeline •  Where are the Men? A Look at the Higher Ed Gender Gap. •  North Port has Always Been Transparent

Friday Weekend Edition – Mar 22, 2024

Peachy Keen •  3 of 9 Local Iconographer To Exhibit Byzantine Style Icons at All Angels Church •  The Sarasota Players Presents The Secret Garden •  Ruby Premieres at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe •  Van Wezel Unveils New Broadway Season Full of Glitz and Glam •  Sarasota Film Festival Reveals 2024 Lineup, Celebrity Guests •  Sarasota Music Festival Announces 60th Anniversary Theme and Concert Highlights

Thursday Family and Recreation Edition – Mar 21, 2024

Engineering by Experience •  Perspire Sauna Studio is coming soon to The Landing!  •  DutchCrafters Heritage Scholarship Application Open until May 1, 2024 •  Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open Announces Tennis Tournament Dates and Unveils Sponsorship Opportunities •  Registration Open for Conservation Foundation's Eco Explorers Summer Camp •  New College and International Churchill Society to Host Churchill at Yalta •  Enjoy the Spectacle of Cirque des Voix

Read More

Where Oil Meets Water

Where Oil Meets Water

Phil Lederer | Mar 1, 2024

Freedom to Wander

Freedom to Wander

Laura Paquette | Mar 1, 2024

Drive and Dine

Drive and Dine

Laura Paquette | Mar 1, 2024

A Mesmerizing Journey

A Mesmerizing Journey

Barbie Heit | Mar 1, 2024