Lights For The Cure

Carole Cirucci tells us that Wednesday's gala "Lights for the Cure" event at Loews Philadelphia Hotel was wonderful with the weather clearing just in time for participants to view the city's skyline lit in pink for breast cancer awareness month.

Lights for the Cure is the local campaign begun in 2002 by CBS 3 (KYW-TV) and the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise awareness about breast cancer. It reaches a milestone this month as more than 100 buildings and landmarks in three states participate in the campaign. Businesses and landmarks in the Philadelphia area, New Jersey and Delaware are turning the skyline pink for the seventh year in a row in an effort to encourage women to schedule a mammogram.

“CBS 3 made a commitment to Susan G. Komen for the Cure 18 years ago that we would be in this fight with them to the end,” says President and General Manager Michael Colleran, “and while we’ve seen a huge amount of progress since then, our work is not done yet.”
“While there has been much good news in the fight against breast cancer in the last two decades, the fact remains that more than 2,000 women in Pennsylvania will die of this disease this year alone,” says Elaine I. Grobman, executive director of the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “Lights for the Cure” is a billboard reminder that is literally as big as the sky to get your mammograms.”
CBS 3, led by its breast cancer team, “The Women of Eyewitness News,” will be on-air and in the community with the message to stay vigilant in the fight against breast cancer throughout the month as part of the station’s ongoing breast cancer awareness campaign.

Our congratulations to the indefatigable Joanne Calabria of CBS3 who spearheaded this campaign and continues to be a driving force in the fight against breast cancer and so many other community outreach programs. Joanne is a Philadelphia native and a member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame. Her energy, talent and friendship are nothing less than inspiring.

CBS 3 and Susan G. Komen for the Cure acknowledge the support of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and philly.com, their media partners. Lights for the Cure is proudly sponsored by Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Burlington Coat Factory. The Loews Philadelphia Hotel and Fairmount Park have also provided support for this campaign.

Blucoat Bartender Battle

We attended the Bluecoat Bartender Battle last night in the dreamy Millennium Ballroom at Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

It was a great evening with a young crowd cheering on their favorite bartenders from throughout the area, gathered to mix drinks with Bluecoat American Dry Gin. While there we chatted with Andrew Auwerda, the President of Philadelphia Distilling, the makers of Bluecoat.

Bluecoat is distilled in Philadelphia in a custom-built, hand-hammered copper pot still. A true batch distillation, the process calls for extremely slow heating of the pot, which allows for maximum separation of alcohols. Impurities are discarded, leaving what Bluecoat calls "the purest, most flavorful alcohols producing a spirit that is intensely smooth and invigorating."

When the Philadelphia Inquirer's Craig LeBan assembled a group of discriminating imbibers to judge the aroma, smoothness and flavor of gin brands he discovered that Bluecoat came away with the top honors. "This locally-made spirit was the big winner with a softness and pronounced botanical, citrus aromas that appeal to less hardcore gin drinkers," LeBan said. "It was the group's decisive favorite for gin and tonics and also the all-purpose favorite."

With its distinctive blue bottle Auwerda says Bluecoat takes its name from the American bluecoats who won the revolutionary war. "Why should we drink British gin?" Auwerda argues. "Didn't we win the war?"