Colorado Cocktail Project: Last call for libations and lectures

The Colorado Cocktail Project, with its mission to create the official Colorado Cocktail, will celebrate this state's most liquid assets at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 1485 Delgany Street, on Sunday and Monday, June 26-27. Dozens of bartenders submitted entries in the Colorado Cocktail Contest; the ten finalists will pour out their hearts -- and their drinks -- in a head-to-head competition on June 27.

But first, Colorado's distillers will be strutting their stuff, pouring samples at the MCA Sunday afternoon while learned lecturers talk about cocktail culture. The MCA is famous for its "Mixed Taste" presentations, and there will be plenty of tasty talk at this rooftop event, which runs from 1 to 6 p.m.

Here's the Sunday lineup:

2-2:15 p.m.: Fermentation, with Andy Causey, Downslope Distilling

2:20-2:35 p.m.: Distillation, with Rob Masters, Boulder Distillery

2:40-2:55 p.m.: Aging, with Jake Norris, Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey

3:00-3:15 p.m.: Filtration and Blending, with Jordan Via, Breckenridge Distillery

3:20-3:35 p.m.: Sales & Marketing, with Moose Koons, Peach Street Distillers, and Matt Lanning, Peak Spirits

3:40-3:55 p.m: Practical Mixology, with Brian Melton of TAG

4:00-4:15 p.m.: Colorado Spirits, with Bryan Dayton, Oak at Fourteenth

4:20 - 4:35 p.m.: Bartending with Gin & Vodka, with Sean Kenyon

4:40 - 4:55 p.m.: The Birth of the Singles Bar, with Nicola Twilley

Twilley's talk alone will be worth the price of admission; the Los Angeles-based writer discusses everything from "The Unsung Heroes of Biscuit Embossing" to "Why Not to Get a Tattoo of Your Local Liquor Store on her blog, edible geography.

But there's an added bonus: A Sunday ticket not only gets you discussion and drinks, but also admission to the museum.

You can buy tickets to the Colorado Cocktail Project, which are $40 per day or $70 for the two-day package, here: Colorado Cocktail Project tickets. (Tickets are also available at select Whole Foods outlets.) The Colorado Cocktail Project is sponsored by the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the Colorado Distillers Guild, the Colorado Bartenders Guild, Whole Foods and Westword.

Find profiles of many of the featured Colorado distillers and bartenders here.