Californians Cheer On Home Grown Favorite In Pursuit Of Golden State's First Triple Crown Win

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 5, 2014  /PRNewswire/ -- California is the land of big dreams and for one local horse and the race team behind him, the ultimate dream of winning the Triple Crown is on the line at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 7. In honor of this dreamer's historic run, and a potential first for a Californian-bred horse, Visit California asked residents in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to give tips to jockey Victor Espinoza for race day.

"Tips for Victor" is available to view on YouTube and on dream365.visitcalifornia.com now. Californians and "Chromie" fans worldwide are encouraged to share advice and well-wishes to Espinoza and California Chrome on social media using the hash tag #Dreambig and #CaliforniaChrome, before and during the race. For fans in the Golden State, a listing of locations to live watch the potential Triple Crown victory is available here.

"Living in California means breaking new ground, thinking big and making the unachievable a reality," said Caroline Beteta, president & CEO of Visit California.  "Seeing a local horse on an unprecedented journey to the Triple Crown has been truly inspiring, so we wanted to send our support in a very big way through both social media and the development of a new California-themed signature cocktail to toast this landmark achievement in horse racing."

The Kentucky Derby owns the 'Mint Julep,' and now California pays tribute to its horse racing history, for celebratory gatherings in California and around the country for years to come.  Using a curated cocktail with distinctly-Californian ingredients, mixologist Eric Tocosky developed a signature inspired cocktail, called the "Golden Gait" ideal for enjoying on race day or at potential Triple Crown celebrations worldwide. Balanced with California Grown lime juice and a bit of sugar, as well as fresh California strawberries and garnished with a slice of orange, the "Golden Gait" owes its signature kick to a serrano pepper/basil tincture and of course, a must have Golden State ingredient – tequila.

Recipe for "Golden Gait" cocktail:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz El Jimador Blanco Tequila (or any 100% pure agave tequila)
1/2 oz Tuaca
1 oz fresh juice from California Grown limes
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 medium California Grown strawberry
3 drops Serrano/basil tincture*

Instructions:
Muddle strawberry in mixing tin. Add all the other ingredients. Add ice. Shake well. Strain or fine strain into a chilled, salt rinsed** coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a grilled orange wheel***.  *Serrano Chile/Basil Tincture - slice (1/2 inch slices) two California Grown Serrano chiles. Put them in a small mason jar. Add 8 basil leaves. Cover the pepper and basil with vodka (preferably 100 proof) Close lid and let sit for 3 hours. Strain out pepper and basil.  **Salt Rinsed - after glass is chilled, pour a small amount of Dirty Sue olive juice into glass. Swirl around and toss excess. ***Grilled orange wheel - slice a thin orange wheel. Drizzle a little tequila on wheel. Grill on both sides until marks are noticeable.

Images and a digital recipe card are also available, as are interview opportunities and headshot/bio for the cocktail's creator, Eric Tecosky.

Visit California (formerly known as the California Travel & Tourism Commission) is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs - in partnership with the state's travel industry - that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to Visit California, travel and tourism expenditures totaled $109.6 billion in 2013 in California, supporting jobs for 965,800 Californians and generating $7.1 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about Visit California and for a free California Official State Visitor's Guide, go to www.VisitCalifornia.com/CVG. 

Video - http://youtu.be/wewf7g4PIRc
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140605/95085

SOURCE Visit California