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It’s time to get ready for a sensory journey as Wisconsin’s top bartenders go head to head in a botanically-driven cocktail competition unlike any other.
After a sold-out inaugural year, Botanical Battle Royal returns better than ever on Sunday, June 1 from noon to 4 p.m. at The Ivy House, 906 S. Barclay.
During the 2025 event, participating bartenders from throughout Wisconsin will once again exercise their creativity, skill and ingenuity to craft original cocktails that showcase the botanical profiles of both Bittercube Bitters and Heirloom Liqueurs. Participants include top bartenders from venues including Lost Whale, Screaming Tuna, Wiscocktail, Public Parking, Station No. 6, Pufferfish Tiki and more.
Attendees will have the opportunity to taste their way through the competition, casting votes for their favorites while enjoying live presentations, gourmet bites from local food trucks. New this year, guests can also visit sponsor tables to sample the individual spirits, bitters and liqueurs used to make the featured cocktails.
Also new is a live pop-up art exhibition from judge and visual artist Josh Stover who will debut five custom posters designed for Heirloom Liqueurs. The posters will be available for both viewing and purchase alongside a collection of his other original works.
Live judging
New this year, each participating bartender will present their cocktail live to the judges' panel inside The Ivy House, giving guests a front-row seat to the action. The judging panel will include:
- Robert Simonson, acclaimed cocktail journalist for The New York Times
- Toby Maloney, legendary bartender and author of "The Bartender’s Manifesto"
- Immortal Girlfriend, Milwaukee-based musicians and self-proclaimed cocktail aficionados
- Mikel McGee, owner of 414loral and botanical design specialist
- Josh Stover, artist and creative collaborator with Heirloom Liqueurs
Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased online. Tickets include access to all cocktail samples, spirit tastings, food trucks and a collectible recipe card from each booth.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
