AUSTIN, TX - Austin comes alive at night. Music echoes from nearly 200 venues, the scent of smoky barbecue fills the air, and from April through October, more than a million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge nightly from underneath the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. The city renowned for these diverse attractions has combined two of its most unique – the bats and Austin’s own Tito’s Handmade Vodka (founded, fittingly, by a man named Tito Beveridge) – to inspire local bartenders to create recipes and compete for exclusive rights to serve the “Batini: The Official Drink of Austin.” The “Batini” contest, sponsored by Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, commemorates the bats and captures the flavors of Austin. The winner of this fourth annual contest, Lamberts Downtown Barbecue, combines spicy south-of-the-border flavors with Tito’s Handmade Vodka to create a unique “Batini” recipe. The Batini: 2007 Official Drink of Austin 1.5 oz Tito’s Handmade Vodka 1 Dash Olive Juice 1 Dash Jalapeño Juice 3 Caperberries Juice of 1 Fresh Lime Add ingredients to shaker; shake. Pour over cracked ice. Garnish with pimento-stuffed olives and a pickled jalapeño. Lamberts’ homage to Austin’s nocturnal friends offers a perfect opportunity for visitors to combine the official drink of Austin with the unofficial food of Austin – barbecue. Located in downtown’s 2nd Street District, Lamberts puts a modern spin on barbecue by adding “fancy” flavors – sample dishes include Pesto-rubbed Lamb Chops, Brown Sugar- and Coffee-rubbed Brisket and Beef Porterhouse with Lemon Chimichurri. True to Austin form, the restaurant has also quickly become a favorite live music venue. Austin’s bats make up the largest urban bat colony in North America and are one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. A great spot to view the nightly flight is from the Austin American-Statesman’s observation area at 305 S. Congress Ave., along the southeast corner of the bridge. Educational kiosks, manned by interpreters from Bat Conservation International (BCI), are positioned throughout the viewing area, Thursday through Sunday through the end of bat season. Bat-watching cruises on Town Lake are also available. Capital Cruises and Lone Star Riverboat both depart approximately 30 minutes before sunset from the boat dock located behind the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Other prime vantage points are from the Lady Bird Lake hike-and-bike trail, Shoreline Grill, TGI Fridays at the Radisson Austin Hotel & Suites and the lakeside patio of Four Seasons Hotel. To find out flight times, call the Austin American-Statesman’s Bat Hotline at 512-416-5700, ext. 3636. More information about the Congress Avenue colony is available from BCI at P.O. Box 162603, Austin, TX 78716; toll-free 800-538-BATS; or www.batcon.org. ###