Top of the Monk wins 2015 Asheville Wine & Food Festival Elixir Cocktail Competition

Press release from Top of the Monk:

Top of the Monk Wins 2015 Asheville Wine & Food Festival Elixir Cocktail Competition, Announces Fall Events, Second Anniversary Celebration

ASHEVILLE, NC – 2015 has been an exciting year so far for Top of the Monk. The cocktail bar, which opened above Thirsty Monk on the top floor of 92 Patton Ave. less than two years ago, was named the #1 Cocktail Spot in North Carolina this spring by Scoutology.com. Then in August the bar won the Elixir cocktail competition at the 2015 Wine and Food Festival, and they’ve now announced an exciting event schedule for the fall.

Kicking off the fall slate of events will be a Steal the Glass event on September 22nd with Larceny Bourbon. The featured cocktail of the evening will be The Smoking Jacket, a delicious and well-known Top of the Monk creation that features house-made pipe tobacco bitters and is made with Larceny. Attendees will also be privy to some cool swag and giveaways from Larceny, including some special glassware, while supplies lasts.

October 14th-17th will bring the bar’s Second Anniversary Celebration & Halloween Menu Launch. The celebration will last for four evenings, Wednesday – Saturday, and feature numerous giveaways, specials, and visits from brand ambassadors.

Then, on November 11th there will be a special, open to the public bourbon class, led by Heaven Hill Brand Ambassador Jason Bradley, on the evolution of bourbon, and what bottled in bond means. This class, which will be presented free of charge, is a don’t miss for all American whiskey enthusiasts, and will offer a detailed look at some of the fascinating ins and outs of the history of whiskey production in the US, from a noted industry expert.

“We’re really excited about these fall events, and celebrating our second anniversary,” said Thirsty Monk VP Chall Gray, “Kala has been really pushing the envelope and doing some great stuff, and the drinks at Top of the Monk recently have been some of the best anywhere on the east coast.” Earlier this year the bar was named the #1 Cocktail Spot in North Carolina by Scoutology.com, and also was voted as having the Best Specialty Liquor Selection in the Mountain Xpress’ annual Best of WNC poll. Gray said numerous other events were in the works for later in the winter that would be announced soon, including a Scotch and chocolate pairing event.

“It’s going to be a really fun winter, and we’ve got some awesome drinks and events planned, and a few other surprises that are still a little early to talk about,” according to Gray. As their reputation grows outside of Asheville, Top of the Monk is increasingly being referred to as one of the hottest up and coming cocktail bars in the eastern US, and that quickly burgeoning reputation shows no signs of slowing.