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Tickets on sale now for Martini Madness

  Sonoma’s best bartenders will go mad for martinis on Friday, Jan. 13. The popular Season of the Olive event Martini Madness returns to Saddles Restaurant at MacArthur Place, challenging bartenders to create a signature cocktail that features an olive.

  Sponsored by Skyy Vodka, attendees can see master martini makers in action, sample their creations and vote for the best mixed martini. Bartenders from Sonoma Valley’s top restaurants and bars will present their best martini blends at this olive-themed affair that also includes live music and appetizers.  Participating restaurants and bars include Saddles Steakhouse, the Girl and the Fig, El Dorado Kitchen, Maya Restaurant, Estate, Sonoma Meritâge Martini Oyster Bar and Grill, Santé Restaurant at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Mary’s Pizza Shack and Murphy’s Irish Pub.

  The event, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m., always inspires lots of creativity. In past years, mixologists have soaked olives in cherry juice, stuffed them with blue cheese, dipped them into chocolate and even made an olive and bacon brittle garnish. Guests are invited to try small samples of each drink, and then vote for which is the best martini, best use of an olive and most creative concoction.

  Tickets to martini Madness are $40 in advance, $45 at the door, if still available. Saddles is offering a package that includes a ticket to Martini Madness followed by a three-course dinner for $85. Rooms at MacArthur Place for the evening are discounted to $199 for a guestroom or $299 for a suite (room tax and Martini Madness tickets not included).

  Saddles Steakhouse is located at 29 E. MacArthur St.

To purchase tickets in advance, or see the many other events featured during the three-month Season of the Olive, visit www.olivefestival.com.