San Diego's Star of the Bar & Counterpoint's New Cocktails

NORMAL HEIGHTS— Last night at Sycamore Den, eleven local bartenders competed in the regional semifinals of the Star of the Bar competition, sponsored by BAR (Beverage Alcohol for Restaurants) at the National Restaurant Association show. Eater's 2014 Bartender of the Year, Christian Siglin, was among the judges who chose Kettner Exchange's Steven Tuttle as the ultimate champion; his winning drink, “Casa de Tiki” was made from Casamigos Tequila infused with serrano and Mezcal, pineapple and lime juice, Orgeat, Falernum, Curacao, and black walnut. Tuttle will now travel to Chicago to represent San Diego in the finals, which will be held at the trade show in May. [EaterWire]

GOLDEN HILL— Bartender Ryan Andrews (Coin Op, Craft & Commerce) recently revamped the cocktail program at Heat in Hillcrest and can now be found weekends at Counterpoint, where he just launched a new drink menu comprised of classics and original cocktails made with housemade ingredients and bitters from Andrews' own R&D Bitters company. His Southwestern Sling mixes Old Harbor Distilling Co.'s gin with green chartreuse, lime, agave and cucumber. [EaterWire]

SAN MARCOS— Dos Desperados Brewery is celebrating its first anniversary with multiple sessions of parties on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11. Tickets includes dinner, a pint of beer, a commemorative release 22 oz. bottle conditioned beer and more. Their Trés Amigos Belgian Trippel Bottle Conditioned and Pancho Villa Dos IPA Grande will be among the special beers being poured and they will have live bands, raffle prizes and more. [EaterWire]