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Industry Spotlight Skyy Spirits Honors Local Bartenders S kyy Spirits hosted the semi-fi nal and fi nal rounds of the SF Chefs' "Skyy's the Limit" cocktail competition as part of the fi rst-ever SF Chefs. Food. Wine. festival held in August in San Francisco's Union Square. The innovative recipe selected as "Best Cocktail 2009" was conceived by bartender Nick Varacalli of RN74 in San Francisco; his "Ambassador Pepper" featured Wild Turkey Rare Breed bourbon, lemon juice, orange curaçao, Falernum and Luxardo Mara- schino, highlight- ed with a dash of orange bitters and muddled red pepper. Each "Skyy's the Limit" semi- fi nalist was asked to produce a cocktail integrating one surprise ingredient revealed on-the-spot— fresh herbs on Friday; white peaches, cherries, plums and apricots on Saturday; and peppers on Sunday—testing the mixologists' talents. Foley's Following T im Matz, President of Foley Family Wines, producer of several premium wine brands, announced new strategic partnerships with Wattle Creek Winery in Alex- ander Valley and Boomerang vodka from Barossa Valley in Australia. Boomerang vodka and Wattle Creek wines will join the highly respected portfolio of Foley Family Wines (FFW), which includes Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, Kuleto Estate, Merus, Lincourt, Foley Estates, Fires- tone Vineyards and Three Rivers Win- ery. FFW will represent the brands and become the sole sales agent for the national distributor network put in place by the company. Chris Williams, proprietor of Wattle Creek Winey and Boomerang vodka, commented on the partnership, "We are very happy to be partnering with Foley Family Wines. Bill [Foley] is fully committed to the wine business and his team is one of the best in the industry. We are expecting great things to come for Wattle Creek and Boomerang vodka." The "Skyy's the Limit" San Francisco fi nalists Nick Varacalli of RN4 and Carlo Splendorini of Gitane Restaurant & Bar. T he New York edition of the Fancy Food Show was the site for the American de- but of Caffo Solara, a triple grand orange liqueur produced by Distilleria Caffo in the Calabria region of southern Italy; the product will be initially distributed in NY, NJ, TN and parts of MD. The average SRP is $20.99 to $21.99. Caffo has distilled spirits and wines since 1915. Larry Sachs, Na- tional Sales Manager for Caffo, says, "It's a really progressive company; it's just taken a long time to get into the U.S." —Lana Bortolot New Italian Liqueur Launches at Fancy Food Show 10 / the tasting panel / october 2009