NEW YORK—Bartenders, also known as mixologists, from some of New York's top restaurants matched their skills in the finals of the third annual Sidewalk Café Drink Mix-off.
"This is the third annual Mix-off, and it's a great way for us to celebrate New York's fantastic sidewalk cafes," said New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz. "This Mix-off is our way of having these restaurants showcase what they're so good at and why New Yorkers love them."
The event was held on June 25 at the Institute for Culinary Education. Out of the thousand-plus sidewalk cafes throughout New York which were invited to participate in the event, the finals were narrowed down to 9 contestants, 7 in the alcoholic category and 2 in the non-alcoholic category. Each beverage was presented before a panel of judges who sampled each drink before subjecting them to suggestions and comments.
Each contestant prepared a specially mixed original drink. Among the contestants was Evan Darnell from Josie's Restaurant. Darnell said that he had prepared a drink called, My Mom's Favorite Mojito , which he had made for his mom. "I love people that make up good drinks," said Darnell. "It's fun, especially when you work at a restaurant, discovering new things behind the bar is half of the enjoyment."
When all was said and done, the judges made their final decisions. "It was easy," said one of the contests judges, Arthur Schwartz, a restaurant consultant and lecturer. "The real winners were real winners. It was clear to all of us which were the best drinks."
James Scarito, a bartender at the BLT Market in the Ritz Carlton Hotel took home first place with his Wildberry Blossom . "This is a nice summer drink," said Scarito. "I think a lot of people are going to start using it. It has a lot of possibilities. Hopefully it can bring gin up to the forefront, and this way vodka can get a break."
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