Would you try a rye whiskey cocktail infused with Apple Jacks cereal? What about a matcha-centered Japanese gin and tonic with whipped honey cold foam? Or a Blackberry Bramble served with a grilled lemon and roasted rosemary?
These pairings – along with 10 other unique cocktails – took the spotlight on Friday night as local restaurants and bars competed for the notoriety of winning Starkville’s first ever Battle of the Bartenders.
Starkville has long been known for its great restaurants and college bar scene, but when it comes to specialty craft cocktails, Paige Watson, director of Starkville Main Street Association, was ready for the city to get its accolades.
“Our creative geniuses came out tonight,” Watson said. “We really do have the best bartenders, and so this was just a perfect event to showcase that.”
Watson said they invited Starkville Chamber of Commerce members to participate and 13 local businesses and restaurants opted in. To keep things fair, the bartenders didn’t get to choose their spirit. They were assigned one randomly from the selection donated by the sponsors.
“On St. Patrick’s Day, we had a meeting with all the bartenders involved,” she said. “They drew out of a hat what spirit they would get – the only rule was that they made that spirit the main ingredient. It was very suspenseful.”
Donated bottles of rum, whiskey, gin, tequila and vodka were given to competitors after they drew their spirit, and from there Watson said they had 10 days to figure out their cocktail and submit it to the chamber.
Some, like Arepas Coffee & Bar, were thrilled with their pull.
“We grabbed tequila,” said Stacy Hernandez, bartender for Arepas. “Which is perfect for us. We know that when people see tequila, they expect a Margarita, they expect something spicy. But we were like, cut all that. We (made a drink) called ‘Angel Water’ – it’s only a little bit of spice and everything nice, even the angels can drink it.”
Others, like Restaurant Tyler, knew they had received a trickier spirit and got extra creative.
“Rye whiskey isn’t everyone’s favorite,” said Mikey Gunther, bartender for Restaurant Tyler’s booth. “We infused (Knot’s Rye Whiskey) with Apple Jacks (cereal), added apple brandy, lemon juice, apple cider, and a brown sugar cinnamon syrup. We were happy when the weather turned chillier because we have more fall flavors.”
Judges were pleasantly surprised by all of the unusual combinations and Judge Devonte Thomas said those extra creative ingredients really set the competition apart.
“This drink has got a grilled lemon and rosemary,” he said, in reference to a Blackberry Bramble created by bartender Allie Vance with Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. “So when you hold it up to your nose, it smells like an outside grill. When you taste it, it’s something different. So I think the garnishments are really setting everybody else apart.”
For the bartenders, the night was like any other in their line of work – busy. Cocktail shakers were a blur in their hands, fancy garnishes were restocked multiple times, and they chatted endlessly with guests about what they were mixing up.
For organizers, the busyness of the night was a sign of success. Watson said the event sold around 225 of the 250 tickets available, and organizers were excited that there was such a good turnout for the first year. The funds raised will go towards small business grants and beautification projects downtown.
“We do so many special projects downtown to make it better for everyone, and not just the business owners,” Watson said. “An event like this, the funds that it raises for us, just can do so many things. Like it goes so much further than just the two hours.”
In the end, it was Arepa’s who won the People’s Choice award with their “Angel Water,” made with Hornitos Platas’ white tequila.
Though, rum seemed to be the overall star spirit since The Older Brother won the Judge’s Choice with their “Laymen’s Daiquiri,” built from Planteray’s 3-Star Rum, and The Guest Room claimed Bartender’s Choice using Planteray’s Dark Rum to create their “Mirage,” a mango-forward cocktail.
After the competition was over, the bartenders celebrated in their own way – a Friday night out, unheard of in their industry.
“It’s been great to get to see people that you don’t need to see every day,” said Sadie Studdard, bartender with the Starkville Country Club. “Friday night isn’t our typical night off, so we’re glad to all be out. That’s what we keep saying, ‘They let us all out on Friday night! Let’s go get our own drinks!’”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
