Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2026 – Party on the Pier, Playland Park, Rye, NY, USA

We started Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2026 with their Party on the Pier at Playland Park in Rye, New York on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, where the party vibe flowed all night long with delicious food from area restaurants, wine, beer, inspired cocktails, and live Calypso music. The highlight of the evening was the Bartender ShakeOff featuring Derrick Chang from The Pelican Room, Alexia Iuni from Invito Restaurant, Yocely Ochoa from 1881 Kitchen Table, and Mariana Rodriguez from Goosefeather. Cheers, it’s cocktail time!

Cocktail Judges - photo by Luxury Experience

Cocktail Judges – Daniel Posner, Nicky Jazz, Emilio Ugarte, Vinnie Corso

Nestled along Long Island Sound, Playland Park in Rye, New York, was the ideal venue to host the Party on the Pier, part of Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2026, and the vibe for the start of a Summer of fun. The multi-day festival was the perfect showcase for area restaurants to show their talent with creative food, cocktails, and music. Luxury Experience was on hand to share the experience with you.

Participating Restaurants

1881 Kitchen Table - photo by Luxury Experience

1881 Kitchen

Boleria Brazilian Bakery

Boleria Brazilian Bakery

Chutney Masala

Chutney Masala

Dos Marias Bar Restaurant

Dos Marias Bar & Restaurant
Duck Donuts

Goosefeather

Goosefeather
Grey’s Donuts

Hillside Provisions

Hillside Provisions
Hook & Reel

Invito Restaurant

Invito Restaurant
Jungle Restaurant & Bar

La Bocca Ristorante Vineria

La Bocca Ristorante & Vineria
La Casa Bronxville/La Casa Purchase

La Catrina of Westchester

La Catrina of Westchester

Maska Indian Street Food

Maska Indian Street Food
Penny Lick Ice Cream
RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen
Sambal Thai & Malay
The Great American BBQ Co.
The Pelican Room

The Shawarma Station

The Shawarma Station

Food Trucks

Brooklyn Organic Kitchen

Brooklyn Organic Kitchen

Crazy Taco-Mex

Crazy Taco Mex

Tecas Tacos

Tecas Tacos
The Taco Project

The Taco-ish Taco Truck

The Taco-ish Taco Truck

The Bartender Shake-Off

The Bartender Competition is always exciting and fun to watch as these talented bartenders push boundaries using the Sponsor’s tequila, El Tequileño Blanco, to create creative cocktails that are judged on ingredients, taste, as well as presentation.

Kate Schlientz from IntoxiKate was the fabulous emcee on the stage who kept the cocktail competition fun and the conversation flowing with the participating bartenders. Cocktail Judges: Daniel Posner from Grapes the Wine Company, Nicky Jazz – Sponsor of The Bartender Shake-Off! with El Tequileno Tequila Blanco, Vinnie Corso from Tiki Beach Pier Restaurant, and Emilio Ugarte (three-time winner of the Bartender ShakeOff) from RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen

The Bartenders and Their Cocktails

Bartenders had to create their cocktails with El Tequileño Tequila; however, each interpretation was different and creative.

Alexia Iuni – Invito Restaurant
Cocktail: Herencia
(Clarified Juice, turbinado sugar, plus lots of extra special housemade ingredients including one made from Avocado seed)

Derrick Chang – The Pelican Room
Cocktail: Secrets Worth Sharing
(Mexican Triple Sec, grapefruit shrub, ginger liqueur, Mexican aperitivo)

Mariana Rodriguez – Goosefeather
Cocktail: Open Sesame Me
(Sesame Wash Tequila, Yuzu Cucumber Cordial, Pineapple, Coconut, Togarashi)

Yocely Ochoa – 1881 Kitchen
Cocktail: The Blush Affair
(Peach, Hibiscus, Mint, Cucumber, Lime)

Bartender ShakeOff Cocktails

All cocktails were creative, well-balanced, and delicious; however, it was Alexia Iuni who brought the trophy home!

Cheers, and congratulations to all of the fabulous participants!

A Sampling of Some of the Food Available For Tasting

Boleria
Brigadeiro and Cupcakes with Brigadeiro

Brooklyn Organic Kitchen (Traditional Plant-Based Food)
Truffle Mushroom Sliders, Red Rocket Salad, BGreen Juice, Traditional (classic) or Vegan

Chutney Masala Indian Bistro
Mumbai Bhel: Puffed rice salad with tangy chutneys, red onions, and cilantro

Goosefeather
Smashed Cucumber Salad: baba

Hillside Provisions
Charred Stonefruit Panzanella: House Burrata, Tomato, Grilled Sourdough

Invito Restaurant
Shrimp Salad

1881 Kitchen Table
Roasted Eggplant Tahini, Smoked Labneh, and Hummus

La Bocca Ristorante & Vineria
Penne Calabresi with sausage, pancetta & porcini mushrooms

Maska Indian Street + Chai Café
Chicken Reshmi Kebab (spiced minced chicken, onion, cilantro, house blend spices), Beetroot Croquettes (shallow-fried beet & potato medallions, house-made ketchup)

Shawarma Station

Teca’s Tacos
Birria (Shredded Beef), Chicken

The Taco-ish!
Limey Chicken with our famous sweet + smokey Bang Bang Sauce, Chimichurri Shrimp with fresh pico de gallo

Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival Featured Cocktail Recipes

Woodinville Rye Tai

Woodinville Rye Tai
Ingredients:

2	Ounces	Woodinville Straight 100% Rye Whiskey
0.75	Ounce	Orgeat (or 0.5-ounce Amaretto + 0.5-ounce Simple Syrup)
0.75	Ounce	Pineapple Juice
0.75	Ounce	Fresh Lemon Juice
5	Dashes	Angostura Bitters

Method: Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Tasting Notes: A whiskey-forward twist on the classic Mai Tai. Woodinville Rye delivers warm baking spice and rich character balanced by tropical pineapple, citrus, and nutty orgeat.

Hennessy VS Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients:

1.5	Ounces	Hennessy VS
2.5	Ounces	Strawberry Lemonade
1	Ounce	Simple Syrup

Method: Shake with ice. Strain into a Collins glass. Garnish with a strawberry and lemon wheel.

Tasting Notes: A refreshing summer cocktail featuring Hennessy VS. The ripe strawberry and bright citrus complement the cognac’s fruit-forward profile for an approachable, crowd-pleasing serve.

Volcán Blanco Paloma
Ingredients:

2	Ounces	Volcán Blanco Tequila
2	Ounces	Fresh Grapefruit Juice
2	Ounces	Sparkling Water
0.5	Ounce	Fresh Lime Juice
0.25	Ounce	Simple Syrup

Method: Shake all but sparkling water with ice. Strain over fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Tasting Notes: Bright, crisp, and endlessly refreshing. Fresh grapefruit and citrus highlights the clean minerality of Volcán Blanco for a modern take on Mexico’s most iconic cocktail.

Tequilas

Astral Tequila

Código 1530 Tequila

Código 1530 Tequila

Don Anibal Tequila

Don Anibal Tequila
Dulce Vida Tequila

El Tequileno Tequila

El Tequileño Tequila
Espero Tequila

Patron Tequila

Patrón Tequila

Tanteo Tequila

Tanteo Tequila

Until next time, cheers and Bon Appetit!

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/