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John Britton - Crowd Favorite

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Joel Teitelbaum - Overall Winner

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Keli Rivers

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Benjamin Smith

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Brian Means

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Meryll Cawn

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Yael Amyra

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Shaher Misif

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Cointreau decor

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Benjamin Smith prepares his cocktails for the first round of competition

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7x7's Noel Kvisler with friend J. M. Hood

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Ron Elder and Melissa Suaza stop for a picture with their Cointreau cocktails

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Guests enjoying the first round of competition

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Yael Amyra in action

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Picture perfect Cointreau cocktails

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John Britton shaking up a fresh batch of Cointreau drinks for guests

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Guests dropped voting cards at their favorite mixologist's station in the first round

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Jupiter provided music as guests sipped their Cointreau drinks

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Micky Tal and Ellian Raffoul enjoy their Cointreau together

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Sarah Zeiger and Liz Curtis dancing the night away

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Micky Tal, Ellian Raffoul, and Daniel Chen indulge in one the Brixton's yummy bites

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Brian Means readies his first Cointreau cocktail for the judges

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Yael Amyra shows off her pretty Cointreau drinks

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Judge and brand ambassador, Brooke Arthur, samples a Cointreau cocktail

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Keli Rivers smiles as she presents her first cocktail

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Shaher Misif maintains a poker face upon approaching the judges

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Benjamin Smith poses with his first Cointreau cocktail

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"Crowd Favorite" winner, John Britton, gets ready to share his cocktail with the judges

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Brian Means sharing a laugh with the judges in the first round

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Joel Teitelbaum proudly displays his Cointreau cocktail

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Meryll Cawn with her rendition of the perfect Cointreau cocktail

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Judge, Frank Jakubka, utilizes all of his senses to make his decision

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The second round "Iron Chef" competition underway

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Yael Amyra and Benjamin Smith unwrap their "secret ingredient" for the second round of competition

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Frank Jakubka, Allie Pape, H. Joseph Ehrmann, and Brooke Arthur judged the competition

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The aftermath of the "Iron Chef" second round

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Joel Teitelbaum's winning Cointreau cocktail

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Joel Teitelbaum's cocktail qualifies him for the Cointreau Ambassador of Libations Cannes 2013 Championship in NYC

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On Tuesday, September 11th, The Brixton hosted the San Francisco regional finals for the Cointreau Ambassador of Libations - Cannes Film Festival 2013 competition. The event consisted of two main rounds, the first being an open tasting where all eight mixologists offered their qualifying recipes to event guests. This round gave attendees the chance to vote on their favorite cocktail and name a crowd favorite. The second round was an "Iron Chef" style competition in which the mixologists competed head-to-head for 20 minutes using a secret ingredient chosen by Cointreau. Following the two stages of competition, the judges added their scores along with the crowd's votes to come up with the winners. John Britton was named the Crowd Favorite, while Joel Teitelbaum took the overall win and will be moving on to the championships in New York City where the final winner will be determined and go on to represent Cointreau at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in France.

The Brixton's dim lighting, funky wallpaper, and beautiful dark wood bar offered the perfect ambiance for this event. Pops of bright Cointreau orange throughout the venue contrasted nicely with the rich colors of the restaurant. 

Photos: Moanalani Jeffrey Photography

Mixologists:

1.Joel Teitelbaum (Winner) |San Francisco | Five Rings

Second Round: San Tropez Rose

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: Blood orange Rose(made with a curled blood orange peel)

1 1/2 oz Macallen 10 yr

3/4 Cointreau

3/4 Carpano Antica

1/2 oz Blood orange Juice

Muddled Blood orange Peel

2.John Britton (Crowd Favorite) | San Francisco

First Round: Club 55

Glass: Highball

Garnish: Horse's neck spiral of orange peel

1 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. dry vermouth

1/2 oz. orange juice

4 ox. Orangina

3.Yael Amyra | San Francisco | Soleil Sour

4.Meryll Cawn | Fairfield | St. Tropez Sling

5.Keli Rivers | San Francisco | Fine & Dandy

6.Shaher Misif | San Francisco | Last of the Oaxacan’s

7.Benjamin Smith | Lodi | The Black Swan

8.Brian Means | San Ramon | La Nouvelle Vague

Judges:

• Brooke Arthur  - Brand Advocate for Cointreau
• Frank Jakuba - Cointreau
• H. Joseph Ehrmann - Proprietor, Elixir &  National Ambassador, United States Bartenders Guild
• Allie Pape - Food & Drink Contributor, 7X7

MC:

• Hooman - Alice Radio 97.3