2011 Appleton Remixology Competition, Tales 2011, 5th Annual GKCBC and More!

Posted on by bcummins

I’m a firm believer in entering into cocktail / bartending competitions.  Not because of competitive spirit, or because of accolades etc…  But more importantly because it focuses your skills and talents as a bartender, and it enables you the opportunity to see the much larger community of quality focused bartenders in the world.  One of the beautiful aspects of this industry, is how united the community is worldwide.  This is showcased at these competitions, and at industry events like the 5th Annual GKCBC, Manhattan Cocktail Classic, Tales of the Cocktail, Portland Cocktail Week, Etc…

Appleton Estate Reserve REMIXOLOGY 2011

Some of the competitions, like the Appleton Remixology competition, also enable you to directly focus on an individual spirit, and how it plays in the drink, the fun twist that they’ve thrown in is the element of music.  I’ve personally been very inspired by music when approaching new cocktail creations.  A song can lend a sense of place, style, flavor, and more to a drink.  Plus it’s a way that you can take your personality (musically) and transmute it into a drink.

Hosted by the fine folks at Appleton Estate Rum (check out this nice Flavor Wheel of their Reserve Rum!), Mr. Willy Shine from Contemporary Cocktails, Inc will be heading up the initial selections of competitors, 5 from each market…and with initial semi-finalist rounds taking place in NYC, SF, Boston & Miami.  This alone would definitely prove to be an amazing experience for any bartender looking to experience the greater community at large.  The final round takes place in NYC…. AND the winner receives an all expense paid trip to… JAMAICA.

This particular competition has an initial submission deadline of July 27th, just a few days after Tales of the Cocktail 2011… and just a couple of days later (7/29/11), submission is due for our OWN KC-based competition, sponsored by William Grant & Sons, the Fifth Annual Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition, of which we are very excited to welcome back “King Cocktail” aka Mr. Dale DeGroff as a guest Judge!  Dale was a judge for the inaugural competition, and we can’t wait to welcome him back to KC this August.

I can’t encourage all of you bartenders out there enough to not only enter these competitions, but try to attend these larger events around the country.  We’re going to be trying to host multiple events leading up to our big night here in KC, and if you’d like to get on board, or get your establishment on board, don’t hesitate to send us an e-mail through the contact form!  For the time being… just keep shaking, tasting, & entertaining!

Stigibeu!
- Brandon

KCBA & Art of the Cocktail, June 24th, 2011

Posted on by ryanmaybee

The Kansas City Bartenders’ Alliance was founded in 2009 by a small, but dedicated group of bartenders that sought to give their community a platform for sharing ideas and promoting their craft.  Since its inception, our group has been influential in bringing in exciting new products to the market, organizing the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition, and providing professional bartending services for a number of local charities and events.  This Friday, June 24th, we are sponsoring the “Art of The Cocktail”, a fundraising event for Turning Point, a local charity dedicated to transforming the mind, body, and spirit of individuals, families, and friends living with serious or chronic physical illness.  The event will take place at Studio Dan Meiners with an expected attendance of more than 400.

Art of the Cocktail Flyer
The event itself will feature 6 local bartenders, all representing the KCBA and their respective restaurants/bars/organizations.  Each bartender will be serving up a different craft cocktail, including classics, original recipes and punch bowls.  The objectives of the KCBA and the talents of the bartending community will be on full display at this event.  There is a lot of effort and skill that must take place behind the scenes to make such an event come off smoothly.  Planning has been ongoing since the beginning of the year, and our group will start bright and early the day of the event squeezing juice, cooking syrups, compounding punches, and stocking 6 bars.  The KCBA takes great pride and care in organizing such an event, and we’re looking forward to showcasing some of KC’s finest bartenders in an event to raise money for a great charity.  We hope to see you there, and look forward to more events in the future!