It was a perfect night at Playland Park in Rye, New York for the 15th annual Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival’s Party on the Pier 2025, part of the fun festivities of the 6-day festival. Beautiful blue skies, a pretty setting on sparkling Long Island Sound, great music to get the party vibe going, fabulous food from the Westchester area, and of course, interesting beers, spirits, creative cocktails to sample, and The 7th Annual Bartender Shake-Off! competition made it a perfect evening. Competing Bartenders included Natalia Atehortua of Divino Cucina Italiana, Michael Boulos of The Raconteur Bar & Kitchen, Veronica Kallas of ISCO, Nick Munoz of Augustine’s Salumeria and Vida, and Emilio Ugarte of RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen. If you missed this year’s event, be sure to add it to your 2026 wine and food calendar! Cheers!
We attended Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival Party on the Pier on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, and it was a perfect evening of delectable food, wine, cocktails, beer, music, friends, and fun!
Liz Bracken-Thompson, Partner, Thompson & Bender Welcomes Everyone
Party on the Pier – Participating Restaurants and Food Trucks:
Allegria Ristorante
Augustine’s Salumeria
Chef Carolina of Boleria Brazilian Bakery & Debra C. Argen
Boleria Brazilian Bakery
Brooklyn Organic Kitchen
Crazy Taco-Mex
Crazy Taco Mex (food truck)
Crispin Dopamine
Divino Cucina Italiana
Hook & Reel
ISCO Aquavit
Jungle Restaurant
Jungle Restaurant
Little Mexican Restaurant
Milkcraft Food Truck
Milkcraft (food truck)
One Rare Italian Steakhouse
Penny Lick Ice Cream
Pizza Girls
Pizza Girls NY (food truck)
Pizza Gourmet Restaurant
Quenas Restaurant
RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen
Sammi’s Sweets Baking
Tecas Tacos (food truck)
The Great American BBQ Co.
The Raconteur Bar & Kitchen
The Taco Project
The Timeless Cookie Company
Debra C. Argen & Robison Mascot
7th Annual Bartender Shake-Off!
The Emcees
Daniel Posner from Grapes the Wine Company, and Kate Schlientz from IntoxiKate.
The Bartenders
Natalia Atehortua from Divino Cucina Italiana (Hastings-On-Croton, NY)
Kate Schlientz & Bartender Natalia Atehortua
Michael Boulos of The Raconteur Bar & Kitchen (Pleasantville, NY)
Bartender Michael Boulos
Veronica Kallas of ISCO (The Industrious Spirit Company), returning two-time champion, 2023 & 2024
Bartender Veronica Kallas
Nick Munoz from Augustine’s Salumeria and Vida (Mamaroneck, NY)
Bartender Nick Munoz
Emilio Ugarte, three-time champion of RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen (Tarrytown, NY)
Bartender Emilio Ugarte
The Judges for the 7th Annual Bartender Shake-Off:
Bartender Shake-Off Judges
Kevin Zraly – Wine Educator/Wine Author
https://www.facebook.com/KevinZralyWineWriter
https://www.instagram.com/kevinzraly/?hl=en @kevinzaray
Nicky Jazz – Sponsor of The Bartender Shake-Off! with El Tequileno Tequila
Jeanne Muchnick – The Journal News, Lohud
https://www.facebook.com/jeannemuchnick
https://www.instagram.com/jeannemuchnick/# @jeannemuchnick
Todd Kosakowski, Co-Owner of the Tiki Beach Pier Restaurant
https://www.tikibeachrye.com/
The Competitors and their Creative Cocktails:
Each competitor had to use El Tequileno Tequila in their cocktails as a base, then could add whatever other ingredients they wanted to include, were able to select glassware that would best display their cocktail creations and use creative rims if desired along with choice of garnishes.
Natalia Atehortua – Divino Cucina Italiana, cocktail: Tequilombia
Michael Boulos -The Raconteur Bar & Kitchen, cocktail: Teatime in Talum
Veronica Kallas – ISCO, cocktail: The Streets Have Ears
Nick Munoz – Augustine’s Salumeria and Vida, cocktail: Heartbreak Hotel
Emilio Ugarte – RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen, cocktail: La Reina’s Offering (The Queen’s Offering)
Cocktail judges look for creativity in the cocktail name, the use of ingredients, balance, use of glassware, and garnishes. All five competitors did an outstanding job at creating cocktails to get the judges’ attention. While all of the cocktails entered were interesting, creative, and totally delicious, Emilio Ugarte from RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen continued his reign, making him a four-time champion.
The art of the cocktail begins with a compelling story that intrigues the patron to want to try it, then delights the senses as the bartender creates the cocktail, through the creative selection of their ingredients and aromatics, and finally when the patron has their first sip. Emilio’s creative storytelling style as well as his choice of ingredients and cocktail presentation that included a torch and gold leaf, made his cocktail the winner of The 7th Annual Bartender Shake-Off 2025.
Emilio Ugarte with his dog Guapo
Emilio Uharte’s Winning Cocktail – La Reina’s Offering (The Queen’s Offering):
The Base Ingredients:
El Tequileno Blanco
Syrup: Piloncillo, Tamarind, and Vanilla
Lime Juice
Kahlua
Chocolate Bitters
Foam Ingredients:
Guava, Agave, Egg Whites
Fire Ingredients:
Chile De Arbol
Clove
Orange
Heart Ingredients:
Rose
Hibiscus
Citrus
Aperol
Michael Boulos of The Raconteur Bar & Kitchen was the First Runner-up with his cocktail, Teatime in Talum.
7th Annual Bartender Shake-Off competitors
After sampling such amazing food and creative cocktails during Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival – Party on the Pier 2025, we cannot wait to return next year! In the meantime, we look forward to visiting the participating restaurants and enjoying more of their food and cocktails!
Until next time, Cheers and Bon Appetit!
See you at Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2026!
Read more about Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival in the Gastronomy section.
For more information on Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival or to purchase tickets for the next events, please visit the website: https://westchestermagazine.com/events/wine-and-food/
Playland Park
1 Playland Parkway
Rye, New York 10580-2741
United States
Telephone: +1-914-820-3013
Website: https://playlandpark.org/
Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival – Social Media:
Instagram: @westchestermagevents
#westchestermagazine
#WMWineandFood
Website – https://westchestermagazine.com/events/wine-and-food/
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1 comment
[…] fifteen years, with 6 days of 7 exciting events. We began the 2025 festivities by attending the Party on the Pier at Playland in Rye, New York on Wednesday, June 4, followed by Burger & Beer Blast! at Kensico Dam Plaza on Thursday, June […]
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