Winner of the 2024 Walnut Creek Calipolitan Cocktail Contest!

Jenn Crider of Tiki Tom’s Wins the 2024 Visit Walnut Creek Calipolitan Cocktail Competition!

Tiki Tom’s Calipolitan pays homage to Walnut Creek with a sophisticated but playful cocktail bursting with flavor! It draws inspiration from tiki culture, Walnut Creek’s geography, and the proximity to California’s breathtaking wine country and olive groves.

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Tiki Tom’s Calipolitan:

2 oz Olive Oil-Washed White Rum (Angostura White Oak)

1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon

0.75 oz Calipolitan Syrup

2 Dashes of Walnut Bitters

Drops of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Shake hard with cubed ice

Double strain into a coupe glass

Garnish with drops of olive oil on top

Optional: pair with apple slice, candied walnut, and walnut gouda

Notes:

Olive Oil Washed Rum:

1:3 ratio of olive oil to rum

Shake and let sit at room temp for 2 hours. Move to freezer. After 5-6 hours or overnight, remove hardened olive oil off top and discard. Strain rum to ensure all olive oil chunks are removed.

Calipolitan Syrup:

3/4 cup white cane sugar

3/4 cup water

1-1.5 bourbon vanilla beans

1/4 tsp white pepper

4-5 orange peels

Put everything in a pot on medium-low and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let it sit to infuse all of the flavors. Split vanilla in half and scrape out beans and add them to pot. Express the oils from each peel first before dropping into pot. After about 45min, taste to make sure you are getting a sweet vanilla orange presence and the spice of white pepper at the end. Strain through cheesecloth and bottle. Refrigerate

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The Walnut Creek Visitors Bureau is in partnership with the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce. The Visitors Bureau was formed in 2011 as a sales and marketing TBID (Tourism Business Improvement District) as support for Walnut Creek hotels. Walnut Creek is home to five hotels and two motels with over 1,100 total guest rooms and over 20,000 square feet of total meeting space. For more information, go to https://visitwalnutcreek.org/. 

CONTACT: Nicole Hankton 
Executive Vice President
Visit Walnut Creek 
nhankton@walnut-creek.com 
Mobile: 925-951-6957