Robert Morris students put on their aprons for the 2nd annual Non Alcoholic Mix Off, to show support for Alcohol Awareness Month. Members of the Residence Hall Association organized this event as a fun and competitive activity to help encourage students to respect safe habits.

The turnout for the event was extremely successful for both participants and eager test-tasters.

When asked if she thought the mix off was a good way to promote Alcohol Awareness, freshman Bridget Bednar said, “I think it’s good way…it’s getting people out in the community and having a fun event.”

With 24 teams total and 4-7 members per team, everyone was encouraged to adapt a special theme for their drink and table, some of which included Spongebob, Harry Potter, and Batman.

The judges for the Mix Off John Michalenko, Victoria Snyder, and Liz Holt not only enjoyed a variety of specialized mixed drinks, but also pleasant atmosphere for a successful event.

“This event is about finding other options or being safe when drinking,” Holt said, “Each of the groups had a fact that they had to present about safe drinking, so hopefully this is an education event for all the students to have.”

There were several prizes including audience favorite, best tasting drink, best theme, and best presentation, along with the overall winner whose team received a small trophy. The prizes were distributed by judge and audience vote after tasting them all.

All of the judges tried each and every team’s drink before they voted for the winners they thought best suited each category. Although not everyone could be chosen as winners, there were plenty of tasty and crafty mixed drinks for others to enjoy.

While the event was fun for all students participating and taste-testing it does bring a considerable amount of awareness to Alcohol Awareness Month.

Event coordinator Vince Passerini said, “The focus is on smart and safe drinking, so the object is to show students that you don’t need alcohol to have a good drink.”