Spring has sprung in gay Key West with lots of visitors in town to get an early start on their summer tans and enjoy our balmy springtime temps. On spring weekends, I like to head out to the Island House Resort (located at 1129 Fleming St.) and take advantage of their fabulous sundeck and pool area (with eye-candy galore!). It’s the perfect place to chat with friends, soak up sun and mingle with guests from around the world.
Kayla Hasbrook pours ingredients during the final round of the 2017 Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic. Hasbrook’s libation, named “No Sleep Till Sunrise,” took top honors in the competition. (Photo by Carol Tedesco, Florida Keys News Bureau)
When I’m not lounging by the pool or blogging, I do have a few jobs on the island (note to my Mom if she’s reading this). I work outdoors as much as possible (thanks to a very long extension cord, laptop and backyard patio), which allows me to enjoy island life at its best.
Some of my work entails assisting with exciting outdoor events. One of my all-time favorites is the finale of the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic, featuring 14 regional bartending champions from the U.S. and Canada. Each finalist wins an all-expense-paid trip to Key West for the grand finale festivities.
The mixology challenge is one of North America’s largest annual LGBT bartender competitions — and the final rounds take place June 5-11 during our Key West Pride celebrations.
Now in its fifth year, the cocktail classic is presented in partnership with the Key West Business Guild. The pairing of the classic and Key West Pride has been a tremendous success and increased the number of LGBT visitors to our island paradise in June.
The finale features regional winners from LGBT bars in 14 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Each contestant competes to create an original Key West cocktail that reflects the island’s creativity and spirit. The top two winners will receive a combined total of $20,000 for charity — with a portion given to a Key West organization of their choice and the rest to a favorite hometown charity.
Stoli’s national LGBT brand manager, Patrik Gallineaux, appears with Key West Cocktail Classic 2015 winner Matthew Mello in a previous Key West Pride Parade.
On Wednesday, June 6, Island House opens its doors at 5 p.m. for the all-welcome Pride kick-off gala. It’s the only day of the year that my female friends can check out the usually all-male resort (and the hunky hotel staff serving delicious hors d’oeuvres and bottomless libations).
Contest elimination rounds are planned Thursday and Friday, June 7 and 8, at LGBT hotspots in the 700 and 800 blocks of Key West’s legendary Duval Street. Each features multiple bartenders vying for spots in Saturday night’s much-anticipated final round.
The Stoli group truly raises the bar with its action-packed final round, set for 7 p.m. Saturday on an open-air stage in the 700 block of Duval Street. Hosts are Stoli USA’s national LGBT ambassador Patrik Gallineaux and “Real Housewives of Dallas” star LeeAnne Locken.
The dueling bartenders will be rated by an incredible all-star lineup of celebrity judges including Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and actor Bruce Vilanch, singer/actress and former “American Idol” finalist LaToya London, and acclaimed Key West female impersonator Sushi.
Kayla Hasbrook, left, hoists the 2017 Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic championship trophy following her victory. At right is 2016 winner Rocky Collins. (Photo by Carol Tedesco, Florida Keys News Bureau)
This year’s entertainment headliners will include chart-topping singer/songwriter Debby Holiday, who’s sure to wow the audience with her latest musical offerings.
The winning bartender will be the honorary grand marshal of the 2018 Pride Parade that begins about 5 p.m. Sunday, June 10.
The all-welcome parade features a 100-foot section of Key West’s famed 1.25-mile-long sea-to-sea rainbow flag, created in 2003 by the late Gilbert Baker. The parade route proceeds up Duval Street from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.
Afterward, Pride revelers can attend Stoli’s official after-parade party at La Te Da (located at 1125 Duval St.), home of the popular Sunday Tea Dance.
So whether you want to embrace your inner mixologist or simply celebrate Pride, our all-welcoming island paradise awaits your arrival.
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