Competition Closed

2025 Competition coming in Spring 2025

Now Hiring

Kástra Elión Vodka is looking for its first Chief Martini Officer. This is a yearly competition where we invite bartenders from around the US to showcase their skills and creativity. This is an opportunity for individuals passionate about cocktails to become the CMO of Kástra Elión Vodka for one year and craft the perfect martini.

Win a Trip to Greece

The Chief Martini Officer will enjoy exclusive perks, a feature in promotional materials and videos, represent Kástra Elión at industry events, and a signature cocktail on the Happy Hour menu at the Palihouse Hotel in San Diego and the Palihouse West Hollywood. WIN A FULLY PAID TRIP TO GREECE, with a three-night stay at one of Katikes’ 5-star Luxury Hotels where 5-star service meets unique design and spectacular landscapes. Each hotel contains a hint of the Greek islands' magic, and together they celebrate beauty, authenticity and life itself.

*CMO Cocktail Competition is not an actual job posting

1

Submission

Bartenders submit their take on a martini using at least 1.5oz of Kástra Elión Vodka. It should be inspired by the Mediterranean and use elements that can be recreated easily at most bars and restaurants.

2

Semi Finals

The top 15 scores will be selected and sent a special Kástra gift back. Of those, our judges will recreate all those cocktails and pick the best five to move on to the finals.

3

Finals

5 bartenders will be selected to receive an all-expense trip to San Diego for the finale at the Palihouse Hotel rooftop. They will present their cocktails in front of our four renowned judges as well as the Kástra Elión Vodka founders.

Partner 1
Partner 2
Partner 3
Partner 4

Judges

Image 3

Takuma Watanabe

Best 50 bars in North America No.4 (Martiny’s)

Image 1

Jillian Vose

Co-founder of Hazel & Apple

Image 2

Harrison Ginsberg

Best 50 bars in North America No.3 (Overstory)

Image 4

Pamela Wiznitzer

2014 Bartender of the Year

About Kástra Elión

How to Enter

Bartenders submit their take on a martini using at least 1.5oz of Kástra Elión Vodka. It should be inspired by the Mediterranean and use elements that can be recreated easily at most bars and restaurants. Each bartender will enter at kastraelion.com/CMO, fill out the form, submit their recipe and a video or photo making it, and follow us on Instagram @kastraelion. Anyone who posts the recipe video or photo on their Instagram tagging @kastraelion and hashtag #KastraCMO will receive an extra two points.

Scoring

Creativity - 1 to 5 points
Originality - 1 to 5 points
Cocktail Name - 1 to 5 points
Appearance - 1 to 10 points
Get an extra 4 points for posting on social & tagging @kastraelion

What's Next


Semi Finals

The top 15 scores will be selected and sent a special Kástra gift back. Of those, our judges will recreate all those cocktails and pick the best five to move on to the finals.

Finals

5 bartenders will be selected to receive an all-expense trip to San Diego for the finale at the Palihouse Hotel rooftop. They will present their cocktails in front of four industry legends Takuma Watanabe, Jillian Vose, Harrison Ginsberg, and Pamela Wiznitzer as well as the Kástra Elión Vodka founders.

Timelines

July 8 Submissions Open
July 26 Submissions Close
July 29 Semi Finals
August 28 Finals
Winner’s Trip to Greece

GUIDELINES & REQUIREMENTS: In the following text, “Sponsor” or “The sponsors” refers to CMC Wine & Spirits (Kástra Elión), their media partners; sipsy, and any nominated country partners/distributors or importers. Any entries attempted through the use of agencies or robotic, repetitive, automatic, programmed or similar methods will be void. Any attempt by a person to use multiple email accounts or identities to gain more entries than permitted by these Official Rules shall result in disqualification at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting an entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the “authorized account holder” associated with the email address at the time of entry, which must comply with these Official Rules. The authorized account holder is defined as the natural person who is assigned an email address by the service provider or other organization that is responsible for assigning email addresses.
Potential winners may be required to provide evidence (to the Sponsor’s satisfaction) that they are the authorized account holder of the email address associated with a winning entry. In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the person who actually submitted an entry cannot be resolved to Sponsor’s satisfaction, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible. Entries and other submitted material become the property of the Sponsors and will not be acknowledged or returned.
Prizes are not exchangeable and cannot be converted in cash. Judges’ decisions are final. Refer to additional rules below for more details regarding the requirements for your entry.

EXPENSES & REIMBURSEMENTS: Competitors will bare all costs in order to make the drinks to participate in submission (exceptions may apply by discretion of the distributor) and distributor will cover travel and accommodation costs where applicable. All travel and accommodation for participation in the Finals will be covered by the competition organisers.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Entries must be in English.
Entries must not allude to the over-consumption or irresponsible consumption of alcohol.
Entries that do not include all required information and do not adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void and will not be considered in the judging of this contest.
Entries that are deemed by the Sponsor in its sole discretion to be illegal, obscene, profane or not in keeping with Sponsor’s image will be disqualified.

REQUISITES OF APPLICATION: You are the creator of the entry.
The entry is wholly original.
The entry does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights or any other legal or moral rights of any third party, including any current or former employer, and does not defame any person or identify any person by name or other identifying information.
The entry has not previously been entered in any other contest.
The entry has not been previously published in any medium.
The entry does not violate any law or regulation.
The Sponsor’s determination as to whether any entry potentially violates the rights of any third party is final.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: By entering this program, you are giving the Sponsor explicit rights to use your photo, an image of your drink, drink recipe name and your drink recipe for publicity purposes, including but not limited to press, social media, digital activation and promotional activation.
Each contestant grants to the Sponsor a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual and unlimited non-exclusive license to edit, adapt, copyright, publish, use, reproduce or distribute the recipe in any form or manner or media, whether now known or hereafter devised, including, without limitation, on the internet, for any purpose in connection with this competition without further notice or compensation to any contestant.
Each contestant consents to the publication and/or use of the contestant’s name, city/province of residence, photograph, image and/or likeness in any form or manner or media, whether now known or hereafter devised, including, without limitation, on the internet, for any purpose in connection with this competition without further notice or compensation to any contestant.
Each contestant represents and warrants that the recipe submitted by the contestant is the original work of the contestant exclusively, and the contestant waives any and all moral rights that he/she may have in the recipe with respect to the uses contemplated herein.
Each contestant represents and warrants that each recipe submitted by the contestant will not infringe any rights (including without limitation copyright, trademark, privacy, personality or other property, civil rights or intellectual property rights) of any person.
Each contestant agrees, before being named as a finalist, to sign any and all documents required by the Sponsor confirming the foregoing.

ELIGIBILITY: Employees of the Sponsor, and their affiliates and liquor wholesale licensees, as well as advertising/promotion agencies and their immediate family members and household members of each and retail license holders, are not eligible. This promotion is void wherever prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. In the event that the contest is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, the Sponsor or Administrator reserves the right to discontinue or modify the contest or disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, the Sponsor and Administrator shall have no liability to any entrants who are disqualified due to such an action.
You must be a resident of the United States of America; and be at 21 years old to be eligible.
By accepting a prize, any winner: (a) releases the Sponsor and their affiliated companies and licensed alcohol wholesalers and retailers from any/all liability claims, action or proceedings arising out of or for injuries or damages sustained while involved in any promotion activity or connection with the use of the prizes; as well as (b) consents to the use by Sponsors for promotional purposes in connection with this promotion of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice without further compensation where permitted.
The Sponsor and participating promotional companies are not in any way liable for damage, loss or injury resulting from computer malfunctions, misdirected or incomplete entries or acceptance and use of the prize. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this contest should virus, bugs or other causes beyond the control of sponsor corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the contest.
The Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate or suspend the contest.
The Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries.
CAUTION: Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the game is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such attempt.

Have any questions? Email us at info@kastraelion.com