The Midwest regionals were hosted this week in Las Vegas for the USBG World Class bartender competition. Michigan had a strong showing by sending not one but two bartenders out of the 12 slots. That there is news alone. Casey Miller, of The Last Word, and Shelby Minnix, of Sugar House Detroit both gave it their all at the event.

In the end, Casey Miller was selected with two others in the regional competition and is heading to finals in Louisville, KY June 4th-6th. He will compete to head to the world competition in Berlin. This is the 4th time in 5 years that The Last Word has been represented in Nationals. That bar certainly has the secret sauce when it comes to training amazing talent.

I spoke to Casey as he was flying home from the competition to get his take on the event. The challenge was grueling consisting of 3 challenges over 6 hours.

For the Speed Round he created The Harajuku consisting of Ciroc French Vanilia Vodka, Black Pepper, Pear Liqueur, Lemon, Honey and Egg White. This was inspired by a recent trip he took to Toyko and he tried a locally made infused aquavit.

For the Culinary Pairing Round he made a drink that paid tribute to one of the judges. The Meltzer’s Skye Seltzer (based on famed bartender & judge Andrew Meltzer) was a play on Andrew’s Scottish heritage and of course the rhyme. It included; Talisker Single Malt Whisky, Poblano pepper, lemon peel, sea salt, basil, brown sugar, honey and seltzer water. “It was clever of him to incorporate those personal details into a unique and flavorful drink.” said Andrew Meltzer when I reached out to him for comment. “My favorite thing about the cocktail was the element of surprise: I’ve never had a Scotch cocktail that was so damn refreshing.”

Finally for the Story Round (this is the big one), Casey made the Positivitea. You can actually go sample it now as they are bottling it at The Last Word to celebrate Casey’s win. The cocktail has the following ingredients; Bulleit Rye Whiskey, Cynar, Cold-Brewed Oolong Tea and Demerara Syrup.

It’s challenging to prepare for these events. “Honestly, since this competition tests all aspects of a well-rounded bartender, preparation started last year.” comments Casey. “I’d attend USBG knowledge and training seminars, browse articles from PUNCH, Liquor.com, and Imbibe, and worked on my application for over a month. Specifically, in the weeks leading up to competition day, I’d test my cocktails with our talented staff and some of our more adventurous patrons, and run through my speed round a couple times a night at the end of the shift or on my days off.” Now he gets to do it all over again for the Nationals. Wish him luck.

This is not the first time he tried to get into this competition and he tried last year. While he didn’t get to go to Nationals initially, he did get asked to compete as an alternate and ended up attending when someone couldn’t make it. “It was my first competition, and I was nervous as hell. Where I once had a stomach, I now had a bag of ill-tempered eels.” he said. Great practice indeed.

I also asked if he got to see Las Vegas at all. Unfortunately not much. However, he did get to go to a well-known West Coast institution for some grub. “Smashing on some In-N-Out animal style fries for the first time in over a decade.” he said is one of the many highlights in the trip.

Please join me in congratulating him and cheering him on for his National trip. You can find him on Facebook @caseymiller, on Instagram @caseyquicksilver and working at The Last Word in Ann Arbor.

Budmo!

The post Michigan to be represented at USBG World Class Nationals Competition appeared first on Nick Drinks.

This Sunday (9/27/15) is the final Bar Fight of the year. There have been 5 previous competitions and the winners of each will assemble to find the ultimate champion.

I participated in Bar Fight 5 in August  and didn’t make it to the second round. That being said, I present my learnings to the world on what to do and want not to do.

Do: Bring everyone you know to so they can vote for your drink.

Do Not: Tell nobody you are going to the event. What happens if a stage light falls on you? Didn’t think of that did you.

Do: Spend your time wisely. 10 minutes goes very fast.

Do Not: Try to impress the judges by pickling a watermelon rind. Seriously, I tried to do this. Why did I do this? What was I thinking? It’s a cocktail competition, not a garnish competition.

Do: Engage the audience when they come walk by your bar. Answer any questions and attempt to win them over to vote for you.

Do Not: Ask them to leave you alone. You are the master of your craft and can’t be bothered. I didn’t do this but I have to imagine it wouldn’t help you win.

Do: Keep your station clean, tools organized and station free of spills. Just like a normal shift.

Do Not: Spill watermelon juice everywhere. It makes things red and sticky.

Do: Wear comfortable clothing. There is limited if any A/C at the Cafe 78 and you will be running around like a mad man/woman.

Do Not: Sweat up a storm and have to constantly wipe off your brow. It makes you look nervous…because you are.

Do: Get your significant other to make you a custom outfit such as apron and tie (THANKS LISH!!!)

Do Not: Get your significant other to make you a custom costume for the event. No one wants to see you in a furry suit.

Do: Have a great time. Detroit has amazing bartenders and the competition will be intense. Enjoy it.

Do Not: Grumble because you didn’t win. It’s an honor to be nominated.

Thanks again to Chris and staff for letting me compete. I’m very much looking to the culmination of the year this weekend. Good luck.

Budmo!

The post How to win Cafe 78’s Bar Fight appeared first on Nick Drinks.

Being part of the US Bartender’s Guild has some great perks (sshhhh, you don’t have to be a bartender.) One of them is invites to special events. Patrón is launch a new line of tequilas called Roca Patrón. It’s smaller batch and more artisan in nature. I haven’t seen the product in stores but it is listed in the liquor book. Keep your eyes out for it. I will too.

While the tasting was a great opportunity (more below), the main event was a competition for local bartenders. 10 local drink slingers took on the challenge with a Patrón tequila based drink.

There were so many mixed drinks to sample at the event. For the “happy hour” portion of the event, there were small nibbles served and two drinks.

One of them was the High Country Mule. One of the many small touches of this event that made it cool, was the passed cocktails all had a recipe card. There were around 10 that were served over the night. I think I tried half. This one was very refreshing and had just a little kick.

After a bit of mingling, we got to enter the main ball room. I’ve been to a handful of cocktail competitions and this one by far was the most produced. There were plenty of screens so no matter what seat you had in the house, you could see the action. The host/MC of the event, Rick Paulger, did a great job of welcoming the crowd and doing his best to keep the event moving. This was difficult for some of the newer competitors and down right hilarious with the experienced ones.

Spaced throughout the event were tastings. Spirits Master, Ismael Solis from Patrón, was a wealth of knowledge and you know he dreams in this stuff. The day after this event, he was presenting at a special training for bartenders in Detroit. I would have loved attended.

Jon Foley, of The Laundry, was the first to attend. This guy is a rock star because he constantly puts out amazing drinks and is a bit in the middle of nowhere (sorry Fenton fans). He is always a pleasure to watch at competitions.

His drink was the La Cuidad which was a riff on a Fancy. He scored 9th out of 10 but put on one of the best performances (in my mind). He also go huge props for going first.

I’m a jerk. I got no picture of Kyle Marks. It was his first competition and I was so excited for him, I forgot about the camera. He made a drink called the Sisyphus which was a play on the margarita. He might have said he looked nervous, but he did a great job. Looking forward to his next performance.

David Martinez of The Last Word was the next participant. He looked extra dapper and put on a great show.

His submission was the Copper Cocktail which is a play on the Old Fashioned. For his troubles, he picked up 3rd place.

Chas Williams, of The Oakland, was still coming down from his high on winning the GQ/Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender Competition for Detroit.

He developed the Late Submission which was a take on a sour. His streak kept on going as he pulled out a 2nd place finish.

Shane “Bang” McGarth is one of the godfathers of the Detroit cocktail scene. He owns the room when he enters and he will make you a killer drink.

He is also from The Oakland and made the Mancala Cocktail based on a traditional Margarita. This put him in the middle as well with a 6th place finish. The judges loved the addition of Strega.

I was not very familiar with Sara Farmer of Coaches Corner. I did her two injustices.  A) I would have never thought Coaches Corner would produce such a great competitor. Expectations blown away. Congrats. B) I took the most horrible pictures of her. This was the best one which is pretty terrible.

She managed a 4th place position with one hand. Not bad. She made a drink called the Patron Hacienda Fancy which is a…wait for it…fancy.

Yani Frye!!! The master of charisma of Sugar House Detroit. The guy can go from serious to silly in no time flat. He put on an amazing show and I loved the pop of color in the tie.

His drink was La Flor Del Verano a spin on a buck or fizz. He got pretty beat up from the judges and landed an 8th place. I’m still a fan.

Kaytee Querro is one of the remaining ladies of The Oakland. She was poised and relaxed on stage putting on a good show.

She made the Sandy Say which was based on an Old Fashioned. However, the judges were not having it and put her at 10th.

Giancarlo Aversa, of the Last Word, was a fury of shakers and ingredients.

He produced an outstanding drink called the El Tri which was a sour. The judges awarded him the first place victory for this. Congrats!!

Kyle Thousand was the final bartender of the night and from The Oakland. He built a drink called the Midnight Solstice which was a variation of a Buck or Fizz.

He was right in the middle of the pack with 5th place.

The competition wrapped up and were told the results would take a few weeks (hence why this post is coming out now). Time for more drinks. Like a proud papa, Robyn Cleveland President of the USBG for Greater Detroit, was slinging a few cocktails.

One of which was the Jalisco Long Drink. It had a pleasant herb flavor and wasn’t too sweet. Good balance.

Patrón XO Cafe is one of those liqueurs that you have to be in the mood for. It has an intense coffee flavor that was interesting in this drink but too much for me. Not saying it wasn’t good.

Small groups were lead into “private” tastings with Ismael. They were under the gun to get everyone in and out. But we kept pushing him for more and more details. I’m going to do a follow-up with him because he had so much good knowledge on tequila and spirits in general.

While my wife is trained reporter, my skills are somewhat lacking. I wanted to get a picture of the judges for the post. Did I ask for a photo, no. I treated them like an exhibit at the zoo and just took one. The result is a bunch of people that feel incredible awkward that this weirdo is taking a picture. Lesson learned. Sorry judges.

The event was so much fun and I am so glad we could attend the event. My wife Lish and friend Ryan attended too and we all had a ball. Thank you very much Patrón. Looking forward to mixing with Roca.

Bonus event. Esquire put on a party down the street, at the same time as this, to congratulate the Bar City of the Year. I missed it but managed to get one quick picture. Thanks for the invite Scott.

Budmo!

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