Submitted by Melissa Howsam — Correspondent
Shaking up SPARKcon with their drink-making skills, a bevy of area bartenders took to the bar to mix it up and trot out their talents at tastySPARK’s sipSPARK shakedown, a three-round elimination best-of bartender competition.
High-energy emcee Billy Warden, of the Communication and Imagination Group, launched the libation challenge by giving context to the craft of cocktailing: "SPARKcon is a celebration of the creative class, which means, the ultimate SPARK has to be about booze."
Organized by Town of Cary transportation and traffic services engineer Todd Delk, the second-annual competition took place in the Marriott City Center Lounge on Fayetteville Street.
The spirited sparring of seven Raleigh bartenders was a lot of fun for hotel onlookers. Boylan Bridge Brewpub's Paul Kellum (in celebration and promotion of the pub's newly acquired liquor license), The Borough's Seth Lester, Jibarra's Kevin Stephens, Isaac Hunter's Oak City Tavern's Melissa Patrick, Busy Bee Cafe's Chris Powers, Zely & Ritz's Jay Earley and Capital City Club's Mac Brown made a variety of drinks. Before the event began, Patrick, the lone female participant, was excited to be a part of the saucy skirmish.
"It's exciting for Isaac Hunter's to be recognized as having some of the best bartenders in Raleigh and for us to have the opportunity to participate in this competition," she said.
Judged by a practiced panel of polished palates, divided across the rounds — tasters Truitt Thompson, Tom Dowd, urban planner Dan Douglas, Triangle ArtWorks executive director Beth Yerxa, pop-cartoonist Paul Friedrich, ideaSPARK organizer Cyn Mallard and last year's champion Jordan Hester (Foundation) — the omnipotent seven sat psyched to sip in the sensational and deem the boozy best.
From the onset, the sipSPARKers stirred up savory swills via three rounds of toothsome tipples. Round one, heat one saw Kellum, Lester and Stephens shake out spirited screwdrivers, culminating in an advance by both Kellum, with his classic spin, and Stephens with his bloody orange twist. Round one, heat two saw the remaining four — Powers, Earley, Patrick and Brown — mix mod into the "Old-Fashioned," with Powers' lemon-zest take and Earley's blueberry-spin advancing. When asked about his unique approach to the old classic, Earley explained that to him, the season is important.
"I wanted to keep it seasonal since I'm so much about being in season," he said. "So, I added some fresh blueberries to it — which North Carolina has wonderful blueberries — and a little bit of cherry-rose bitters that I make at the restaurant, as opposed to the traditional Angostura Bitters that you find behind most bars."
In heat one of the second round, Kellum's Boylan Bash lost to Stephens' Avocado Martini. As she announced the delish avocado victor, judge Mallard deemed Stephens' drink so yummy that you "want to take a bath in it." In heat two, Powers' Cucumber Cocktail lost to Earley's Pear & Basil Freshie, a succulent potable heavyweight soon to be featured in "Plate" magazine.
With the final round set, Jibarra's Stephens and Zely & Ritz's Earley met their "Iron Chef" moment when asked to spontaneously concoct a secret-ingredient-based cocktail. With ginger as their subject — a choice between fresh ginger, ginger snap cookies and crystallized ginger — the crafty cocktailers spun savory sips in a matchup between Stephens' cinnamon-sugar-rimmed Ginger Lime Margarita and Earley's Ginger Snap-rimmed luscious libation. Earley's drink won the competition, using a blend of Appljeack brandy, a splash of sour, a splash of ginger beer and garnished with aflame orange peels.
Dripping in sipster significance and subsequent irony, the victorious Earley was the only contestant who came in character as "Dr. Boozenstein," a mad mixology scientist aptly donned in white lab coat and calculatingly crooked eyeglasses. Evident in his costume, flair and approach, the blue-ribbon bartender came to play and ever-so-skillfully doused the competition. When asked about the method to his madness, Earley laughed, saying the only reason he made it through the first round was because his drink was the strongest.
"Mine was the booziest; so, when in doubt, just pour heavy," he said.
And about his savory success, the champ of getting toasted is happy he can now say he's among the best.
"Feels great, man. Bragging rights are really important to bartenders, and there's some great, great talent in Raleigh; so to be recognized amongst the ones that competed feels really, really good," he said.
Cheers to that. And, of course, to Dr. Boozenstein.
