And the Winner is..........

Alright all you Iron Bartender maniacs grab your favorite beverage, snuggle up real close to the computer monitor and indulge yourself in this episode of this little thing we call Iron Bartender of Minneapolis.  In this episode we crown the first ever Iron Bartender of Minneapolis Champion and I'm hear to fill you in on all the twists and turns the evening had in store for our two talented bartending duo's.

Let me set the stage first of all, Nick Kosevich and Patrick Denny from Town Talk Diner were up against Richie Rivera and Jeff Weber from Eli's Bar and Grill.  Three secret ingredients, three rounds would determine Minneapolis' first ever Iron Bartender!  This wouldn't be, however, the normal format....no sir, we had some twists and turns in store for these two talented mixologist's.

If you haven't been to an event of Iron Bartender yet let me tell you a side story about this competition.  Each of the 26 teams would bring with them coolers full of different puree's, simple syrups, bitters and any other homemade concoctions that do not include alcohol.  They would also bring any exotic fruits and vegetables, meats, flowers...anything they could get their hands on, special glassware, garnishments, gas burners..basically whatever fit in their car they were bringing....with the exception of booze.

With that in mind, I had a little something in store for them.  The first rounds twist would be each team could select only 5 items they brought with them to mix a cocktail, martini and a shot.  The 5 items could be a home brew syrup, a special tool, a special garnish, certain glassware - you get the picture, no more than 5 items however.  The 5 items Nick and Patrick from Town Talk Diner was grapefruit-lime sour, basil oil, demerara sugar, sweet poached cherries, and blood orange/cherry sour.  Richie and Jeff from Eli's Bar and Grill chose black chai, lemon ginger tea, 5 spice syrup, vanilla syrup and kumquats.  

So with the 5 ingredient selected from each team we're set to unveil the first secret ingredient of the evening.  First ingredient was.....Sapote.  Sapote is native to Central America and Mexico.  It comes from very tall and mature ornamental evergreen tree that reaches 60-140 feet tall.  They can be eaten raw out of a hand, but are very common in shakes and smoothies.  The taste of the fruit is supposed to be that of a cross between a sweet potato and maraschino cherry with a avocado texture.  The reason I say "supposed to" was because, contrary to what the clerk at the local produce store told us, these sapote's were NOT at all ripe, they were dry and extremely bitter.  With the unveiling already done and the surprise element already compromised we had no choice but to continue with the challenge..each team would not have an advantage over the other working with the same unripe fruits.  Sorry fellas, I guess in the future I will eat one before I buy them!  Each team in the end used the sapote as a puree or a muddle to try and equalize the bitterness and tartness the fruit had to it.  Each succeeded quite well given the circumstances of the unripe fruit.

The second round of action was my favorite of the three.  We decided to break up the teams with another twist.  Nick and Richie had to do away with their "sous tender" they've been working with for the past 7 weeks and pick someone from our raucous crowd.  Who would they pick?  The answer from Nick was a quick and easy selection.  Nick chose Tommy Bagnot, a chef at Town Talk Diner.  Richie's selection was also a quick one, Richie chose Wayno, a bartender from Santorini.  Wanyno had been bounced from competition a week prior by Richie and was in the crowd as a spectator.  With the "new" teams set, it was time for another secret ingredient.  Timer set to 15 minutes..secret ingredient is....... Tamarind!  It is fruit from a tropical tree native to Africa.  The fruit if you've never seen it, is brownish and long, slender shells (I'm not going to lie, they look like a big turd if you didn't look closely).  They are sweet and are used to make jams in most cases, but can be eaten raw as a snack as well.  They also go great as a topping on your favorite ice cream sundae.

The two teams worked extremely well together.  Each staying ahead of each other doing their specific tasks.  Nick was the cocktail maker, and Tommy was definitely the chef making a bean soup to combine with one of Nick's concoctions.  Nick and Tommy broke out the liquid nitrogen and made a ice cream or sorbet of sorts with it, quite cool watching the steam from the nitrogen pour all over the bowl and floor!  Richie and Wayno on the other hand  were more like 2 bartenders working together would be.  Each making cocktails and measuring ingredients and tasting, trying different things, each garnishing cocktails with special sliced fruits and vegetables.  As a fellow bartender it was a fun round to watch to see how both teams would adapt to this little wrinkle.

The third and final round of competition would be the toughest test yet.  Paired back with their original sous tenders, Nick and Richie were set to do battle one last time to see who would wear the title of Iron Bartender of Minneapolis and also be going to Las Vegas in style!  In this battle the timer would be set to 20 minutes.  Why 20 minutes?  Was the ingredient that tough that the competitors needed some extra time to think this one out?  Timer set, secret ingredient is.....tomatillo!  Tomatillo's are little green tomato's basically.  They are a staple in Mexican cuisine.  They have a husk surrounding them and should be peeled in order to use the vegetable properly.  They are commonly used in green sauces in Mexican cuisine and are very tasty when roasted and turned charred.

Each team went at this ingredient differently.  Richie and Jeff immediately put about 5 tomatillo's on an open flame and began roasting them.  Nick and Patrick began peeling and cutting them to maybe use as a puree or sauce.  With 5 minutes elapsed in the third and final round came the wrinkle.....remember we added 5 extra minutes to the original 15 minutes.  Here is why, with 5 minutes gone, Richard (the MC), yells "BARTENDERS, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"  Then Kari (the other mastermind behind this competition) dramatically comes through the kitchen doors with yet another covered platter.  We added a secret ingredient to the mix that must be incorporated into each drink.  The ingredient.....wasabi!  Now the bartenders had 15 minutes to incorporate wasabi into the concoctions they had already started.  Either adjusting levels of ingredients or start all over from the beginning.  Being a mustard root, wasabi and tomatillo's should work well together and drink specs shouldn't have to be altered too much to incorporate the wasabi into them.  If I could transmit smell through this blog I would.  The smell of roasted tomatillo's and fresh wasabi being used was amazing, I couldn't wait to taste the end result.

The cocktails that came out of this round were unfathomable!  Deconstructed Bloody Mary's with mussels, Filet Mignon and roasted corn salsa were used as garnishes for god sakes!  Both these team brought it and brought it hard for this final battle!  I must say that this final battle saw the most ingenuity, unique and delicious libations yet!  These guys I would put up against any one in the country and feel very confident their cocktails could hold their own all alone!

With all the scores tallied from all three rounds we had a winner(s).  With only 7 points separating the two teams.....Nick Kosevich and Patrick Denny from Town Talk Diner are Minneapolis' first ever Iron Bartender and are going to Vegas baby!  Richie and Jeff although did not win, showed they do have what it takes to go the distance and understand what it means to be mixologists.  Eli's and our community should be honored they work and serve us here in our great city!

Congratulations to Nick and Patrick for outlasting all competitors put in front of them, and congratulations to ALL competitors, volunteers, spectators and everyone involved with this great event showcasing our industry and that we may be bartenders but we take pride in what we do and we are not liquor dispensers, we are craftsman (and women) as well.

CHEERS to all who attended these events over the past 7 weeks!  Without you all this wouldn't have happened and been as successful as it was for the first time!  Yes, I will do this again, and YES it will be bigger and better than the previous competition!  I'll keep you informed of coming details and would love your feedback if you attended to what you liked or didn't like about this competition.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!

City Pages has written a short and sweet article about our cute little competition....thank you Jessica for your help in letting everyone know about this great competition.

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Apology Needed!

I need to offer up a HUGE apology to a prior blog entry I posted a week or so back. Regarding the judging and how disappointed I was in it. Let me say, and this is no excuse for what I wrote, I was a little peeved of some of the things I was over hearing from the judges when talking to some of competitors. This whole competition I wanted to have integrity and legitimacy and I felt at the time that had been breached and it rubbed me the wrong way. Also, let me say, I appreciate all the judges that participated in the Iron Bartender competition. So if any of the judges have read the prior post I hope you can accept my apology and continue to support our effort and community offering up your free time and time away from your families to engage with all of us...especially us bartenders!!!!

My second HUGE apology goes out to Wayno and all the Santorini supporters! Honestly without the Santorini crowd I don't know where this competition would've gone. You all really brought the energy and is exactly what I was hoping for every week we competed, so if I offended any of the Santorinian's I hope you can accept my apology. Wayno, you know I love you and respect what you do, I was really more worried about the integrity of the competition than any one particular feelings and didn't want to diminish your victory(s).

So there, I feel bad that I offended people with a past posting and I didn't mean it to be an attack on any one particular group. I'll take this as a lesson learned and will be careful what I write from now on. I have a lot to say and some of it is not thought out all the way through. I appreciate EVERYONE that has participated, rooted, witnessed, volunteered, and judged or had anything to do with this competition and hope you all continue to support us all! This competition is not about me...it's all about you, our industry and our community.....so CHEERS to all of you (This is me giving you a big group hug).

Peace and Cheers,
Jesse Held.

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Publications Following Iron Bartender..

Some local publications have caught on to the Iron Bartender competition and if you want to check them out here is some of the links:

Minneapolis Star and Tribune

Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine

vita.mn

Metro Magazine

Peace y'all!

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Bartending Brethren

Following what I think was a screaming success, feeling the need to explain to the masses what it is about being a bartender.  So what is it anyways?  All guys want to do it, and all the chicks want to be with one.  First let's cover the later of that statement first.  Why do you women want to be with one in the first place?  We're egotistical, self-centered, selfish, non-committal, creatures of habit, drunks (in most cases), with a drug habit (again, in most cases).  YES! Sounds like a person I want to be with for sure!

For the guys who all want to be one....see that previous statement and that's probably why we all start out being a bartender.  Then you actually become one and here is what you signed up for; dealing with obnoxious drunkards (other than yourself), entertaining crazy asses (when I mean crazy, I mean they need medical attention) trying to keep them away from your "normal" guests, real late nights, cleaning a old disgusting bar, putting up with servers who don't know what a captain coke even is, an unquenchable thirst for debauchery of every kind (I have a wife and kids now, so I'll keep it somewhat censored), throwing out "that guy" for puking all over your bar and someone else's shoes, listening to some lame ass excuse why they forgot or don't have their ID, put up with douche bags looking for a free drink....all the time, people whistling or throwing something or tapping their glass on the bar top at you because their thirsty when your 5 deep at the bar and can't understand why you aren't serving him/her.....etc. etc. You get my drift.

But dealing with all this shit makes you realize something, maybe not until much later in your career behind the bar, all of us behind the bar no matter where you are, are one big family.  You gain a respect and appreciation for everyone that does what you do.  It's a brethren of sorts, almost cult-like.  We put up with shit that no one ever would at their jobs.  We do make piles of money, but all of us question ourselves with this question: "Is this really worth it?" and yet you keep coming back for more.

I've realized over my 17 years behind a bar/in the restaurant biz some of my best friends, closest relationships and is where I met my wife, have all happened because of this industry.  We establish relationships that are unbreakable and it's all because of the business we're in and we're all in it together.  I love what I do, I have a passion for making the perfect cocktail, but that is second nature to what I'm in this business for and that is for relationships.  Be it professional, personal or otherwise.  I love meeting people and listening to their stories and experiencing "life" to it's fullest with people I've been in the trenches with.  It's an unhealthy relationship I have with bartending, but one relationship that I would never part with because of the people I've met and got to know over the years and it has rewarded me both professionally and most importantly personally with a beautiful loving wife and two amazing daughters.

Only a very small percentage of us can be bartenders.  Everyone wants to be us, but not everyone can be successful at it or have the make-up to be like us.  We're not liquor dispensers (although it seems like it at times), we are bartenders.  Where do people go to forget about their problems?....the bartender.  Where do people go when they want to have a great time?......the bartender.  Where do people go for free psychiatric help?...the bartender.  You see we do more than make drinks.  That part of our job is actually less important than others in our profession.  We bear a much heavier burden; we’re a chemist, host/hostess, entertainer, psychiatrist, enforcer, surrogate kin, social enabler, and keeper of the hearth.  To a guest, we are no less than the gatekeeper of paradise.

Let's break down the true definition of bartender.  Bar is short for barricade; a place where one goes to disassociate themselves with the outside world, and escape from everyday problems.  Tender literally means kindness.  So it is our duty to ensure our patrons needs, wishes and problems are attended to with a gentle sincerity and kindness.  One could say, that without the bartender there is no tenderness or kindness at the bar.  A friend of mine were sitting around (a bottle of Grand Marnier probably) solving the worlds problems one evening and he said something that I will never forget, and it was this "bartending is ALL about making great cocktails, telling great stories and meeting great lifelong friends."  Cheers, brother, cheers!

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Iron Bartender Championship!

The finale, championship is set and here is all the info you need to attend and see the crowning of the first ever Iron Bartender of Minneapolis.

WHEN: Sunday, April 26th (2009) @ 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Bellanotte (600 Hennepin Ave. South) across the street from Target Center on the corner of 6th St. and 1st. Avenue.

ENTRY FEE: NONE!

WHO: Nick Kosevich and Patrick Denny from Town Talk Diner vs. Richie Rivera and Jeff Weber from Eli's Bar and Grill.

AT STAKE: V.I.P trip for 2 to Las Vegas and the title of Iron Bartender of Minneapolis.

Bellanotte is hosting the Iron Bartender of Minneapolis Championship and has special drink and appetizer specials all night long.  Small plates available to munch on for nothing over $5 and special cocktails and martini's for under $5.  Also, special guest DJ Strangelove will be spinning tunes all night long during and after the crowning of the Iron Bartender Champion.  Weather permitting the championship will be hosted outside on the spacious patio, if cooler weather prevails, the championship will be held in the main dining room for all to partake in.

5% of all proceeds generated from food and drink sales will be contributed to the Bolder Options Charity Group.  Bolder Options is a charity group that specializes in youth one-on-one mentoring program.  They use running, biking, academic goal planning and volunteerism to build self-esteem and encourage healthy habits for 10-14 year old kids.

See you there!

To See Photos of Iron Bartender click here to view and then scroll down to the bottom of the page to the "photo" section.

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And then there were 2!

After 6 weeks of competition and we are down to the final 2 teams of bartenders and will compete one more time for the coveted title of Iron Bartender of Minneapolis.  How did it shake down?  Read on my friends.................

In the first heat on Sunday night (April 19) put all the teams from the loser's bracket against each other.  Richie from Eli's was up against Robbie (a late fill in for Jake) from Seven Sushi; and Wayno from Santorini was against Dan Nelson from Maverick's Wood Grill.  The timer was set for 15 minutes and the secret ingredient was ready to be unveiled in the first heat of the semi-finals of the loser's bracket.  And the ingredient is...........Fennel.  Fennel is a bulb-like stemmed herb that is considered a vegetable.  It's highly aromatic and flavorful, and is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe.  If you've never had absinthe, it's an anise flavor (black licorice).  All 4 bartenders if not having worked with fennel knew what and how to use fennel with to make cocktails taste delicious.  At the end of the 15 minute showdown to see who stays and who goes home Eli's and Santorini stood victorious, defeating Seven Sushi and Maverick's Wood Grill respectfully.  This put Eli's and Santorini head-to-head to see who would take on the loser of Town Talk Diner and Hell's Kitchen from the winners bracket.

So with 5 minutes to get ready to go at it again, Eli's and Santorini's was eagerly anticipating the next secret ingredient.  I had something in store for the remaining ingredients that night, I chose ingredients that I knew no one had worked with before, or at least I thought no one had worked with behind a bar that is.  So for the second secret ingredient I unveiled Mangosteen.  A mangosteen is the fruit from an Indonesian tropical evergreen tree.  The fruit is a brownish color, and larger than a golf ball but smaller than a baseball and has a hard outer shell and a soft white, sweet fruity inside.  To get this open to work with the fruit, one must bash open the hard shell with a mallet.  Once broken open the white insides are supple and very sweet -- an extremely tasty fruit.  Both Eli's and Santorini's cocktails were very tasty and very well done, in the end however...Eli's prevailed over Santorini and would be taking on the loser between Town Talk and Hell's Kitchen.

At this time I need to thank Santorini and ALL their supporters!  You guys really brought the energy this competition is all about from a fans perspective.  All the competitors and staff owe you a big THANK YOU for supporting Wayno and being a good sport to all other competitors during the competition.

So half the stage was set, Eli's awaited to see who they would take on to try to advance to the Championship next week.  This next battle was the most interesting and anticipated of the night.  Both these teams, as well as Eli's, have really stood out the whole competition and were labeled as the teams to beat and we were going to lose one of these talented teams by nights end.  Alright, the talented duo from Town Talk Diner, Nick Kosevich and Patrick Denny were squared off against Chris Greenfield and Dave Collins from Hell's Kitchen.  This competition was about to get real interesting in the span of 15 minutes.  Timer set, ingredient is........Chirimoya!  "A what?"  If you've never seen one of these you must check it out.  When I first saw it I called it the "alligator fruit".  It looks like alligator skin wrapped around a softball.  Chirimoya is an Ecuadorian tropical fruit from a tropical evergreen tree.  The texture is smooth and the taste is deliciously sweet (like a cross between a banana and an apple flavor).  During the 15 minutes I asked each team if they've ever worked with or seen this fruit and each team said "are you kidding me? I've never even heard of this fruit."  So each team was on level playing ground.  After the exciting 15 minutes one team would move on to next weeks championship and one team would have to gear up again and take on Eli's.  Hell's Kitchen put up a valiant effort, but in the end the talented duo from Town Talk Diner took the victory moving on the next week's championship.

One half of the puzzle was set, Town Talk Diner now awaited who they would take on; would it be a rematch from the semi finals in Hell's Kitchen, or would it be a second round rematch against Eli's?  Another 15 minutes would decide it.  Hell's Kitchen vs. Eli's, loser goes home, winner moves one step closer to becoming Minneapolis' first ever Iron Bartender and winning a V.I.P trip to Vegas!  In the words of Marvin Gaye and boxing referee Mills Lane..."Let's get it on!"

Hell's Kitchen vs. Eli's another 15 minute timer was set and another secret ingredient was ready for unveiling.  What could it be now?  Teams were wondering; the secret ingredient is........Kiwano!  Native to Africa, this horned melon, or jelly fruit, is a relative of the cucumber and is orange and has several spikes extruding from the outside.  The inside?....is gross.  It's green pockets of gelatinous goo with hundreds of seeds.  Obviously a strainer is in order for this battle.  As part of the "clean up" crew, picking this fruit was a mistake!  WOW what a disaster this fruit created for me and the rest of the crew at the end of the night.  In this final battle of the evening one team's quest to become Iron Bartender of Minneapolis would end, the others would continue for yet another week with only Town Talk Diner standing in the way.

And the winner is.....................Eli's!!  Hell's Kitchen was out done by the slimmest of margins and their quest to become Iron Bartender was over.  Eli's quest still alive and now must battle Town Talk Diner in next Sunday's (April 26th) Iron Bartender of Minneapolis Championship!!  Congrats go out to all teams who competed and Town Talk Diner and Eli's for outlasting their competition!  We'll see you all next week for the grand conclusion and triumphant celebration in the crowning of Minneapolis' first Iron Bartender.

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Elite 8 to the Sexy 6

Iron Bartender of Minneapolis went from a "cute" little competition to a knock down, drag out affair last week.  In this round 2 teams were going home and 6 were moving on (due to the Loser's Bracket comeback around).

In heat one of round 4, found Richie from Eli's vs. Jake Schulte from Seven Sushi; and Chris Greenfield vs. one of the cinderella stories Tim Schaff and Chad Landry from Fogo de Choa. The 2 winners would face off against each other, as well as the 2 losers immediately following this heat.  The first secret ingredient on this heat was Passion Fruit.  I don't know if any of you have ever seen the inside of a passion fruit, it looks like mushed up monkey brains (sorry if I offended any animal rights activists out there) but it's true.  The passion fruit is a fruit that you don't just peel and eat.  It has a zillion seeds and the fruit is a ball of mush.  So to use it you almost have to try to infuse it into the drink, it was really interesting to see these guys work with this versatile yet challenging fruit.  After the 15 minutes had expired Jake Schulte from Seven Sushi pulled off the upset after Eli's had such a strong showing in the previous weeks.  Also, Chris Greenfield from Hell's Kitchen continued their amazing run in the tournament with a victory over Fogo de Choa.

With no rest between heats it was time to get it on, again.  This time it was Jake from Seven Sushi vs. Chris from Hell's Kitchen on the winners bracket side to see who would make it to the semi-finals next week, the loser still alive just having to go the long way around.  On the loser's bracket side it was cinderella Fogo de Chao vs. Eli's, the loser going home and the winner still alive.  The secret ingredient unveiled was Tea (all sorts of tea, if I remember there were about 6 different flavors of tea).  Tea and spirits work real good together, best when you infuse them into the spirit, but with only 15 minutes infusing would be out of the question.   At the final bell Chris from Hell's Kitchen moved on to the semi-finals the following week -- congrats Chris and to all of Hell's Kitchen supporters!  Jake from Seven Sushi slid down to the loser's bracket having to come back the hard way if he wants to have the title Iron Bartender of Minneapolis.  In the loser's bracket we had to say good by the the Sofa Kings (a.k.a. Fogo de Choa) after being defeated by Richie from Eli's.  Eli's stays alive and moves on, while Tim and Chad from Fogo are going home.  Thank you so much Fogo to all of you whom supported your team, you guys really brought it and I appreciate your ingenuity and creativeness.....and many costumes, that was awesome!

The third heat of round 4 found to be the most competitive and most interesting of the evening.  Teams competing in this round were Dan Nelson from Maverick's Wood Grill vs. our other cinderella story John Dyste and Emma Held from Redstone American Grill.  This round also found Wayno from Santorini up against the favorites coming into the competition, Nick Koserich from Town Talk Diner.

Secret ingredient for this highly contested match ups was Rosemary!  I got to tell you, as a bartender myself, rosemary is one of my favorite herbs to work with so I was really excited to see what these talented mixologist could come up with.  Rosemary is so good with any citrus, and as you all know who drink, citrus works well with most spirits, so this could get real interesting....and it did!  Nick from Town Talk introduced to us a "rosemary" bong!  Yes, you heard (read) it correctly...a freakin' BONG!!  He crafted his cocktails and placed a napkin over them then presented them to the judges like this.  He than lit the bong that had rosemary in it creating an aromatic of rosemary into each cocktail underneath the napkin.  Then he instructed the judges to each lift the napkin and take a drink.  FREAKIN' AMAZING, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Well done Nick, well done.  Needless to say, Nick and Town Talk Diner was moving on scoring a victory over Wayno and Santorini.  Wayno was still alive however, moving down to the loser's bracket to take on the loser of the Redstone/Maverick's match.  In that match, Dan from Maverick's out lasted the duo from Redstone and our true cinderella story.  John and Emma were still alive having to have a rematch from a previous round against Wayno and Santorini -- the battle of Eden Prairie restaurants part deux!

In the final heat of the night, put Town Talk Diner against Maverick's Wood Grill on the winners bracket, and Redstone vs. Santorini in the loser's bracket...loser going home.  In this round Maple Syrup was introduced as the secret ingredient.  In this round John and Emma from Redstone produced a breakfast style, fully equipped, martini with a slice of bacon!  As well as the "bacon" slice martini, they also produced this shot that I got to taste that was absolutely amazing with a maple syrup foam! WOW!  In the end, Town Talk Diner scored the victory over Maverick's, knocking Maverick's to the loser's bracket and advancing Town Talk Diner to the semi-finals.  And in a "loser go home" match between Redstone and Santorini, we had another freakin' tie.  Apparently the judges didn't want to see anyone go home -- so we needed to have yet another "sudden death" playoff.

** Side note, since this is my blog, I can say just about anything...right?  So, having tasted both Redstone and Santorini's drinks, J0hn and Emma won this match and it wasn't even close!  They absolutely killed it on the martini and the shot and the cocktail was as outstanding as the rest.  Santorini's drinks were significantly less tasty and their one cocktail, served in coconut shells (wow, real invented Wayno, you can do better than that!) that had dry ice in it turned to mush, basically making it a maple syrup slushy.  This is one of the things that I AM CHANGING the next time we do this competition...the judging.  Having "celebrity" judges is cool and all but what do they really know about a good cocktail?  If I am going to have a legitimate competition, which I believe this is, I need legitimate judges.  It's not a freakin' popularity contest, it's a competition about the cocktails...not who's bringing belly dancers to the event the next week!  With that said, Redstone definetly won this match up hands down in my opinion having no need to have a sudden death playoff.  A judge, who will remain annomynous, actually said to me "we want Redstone and Santorini to tie" before we even tallied the totals.  He changed his score 3 times to ensure this.  It was bullshit from there on and my competition became a freakin mockery from there on! 

With all that said, we're off to the sudden death playoff between Redstone and Santorini.  The secret ingredient I came up with was...Sage.  5 minutes, one martini style drink, loser goes home.  At the end of the 5 minute time frame, Santorini came out victorious and Redstone ended up going home, much to my shagrin.

So the "Sexy 6" is set for April 19th; Town Talk Diner vs. Hell's Kitchen in the winners bracket - which should be an amazing battle of libations.  And we have Santorini vs. Eli's; as well as Maverick's vs. Seven Sushi in the loser's bracket.  At the end of the evening we'll have our 2 teams for the following weeks Championship and crowning of Iron Bartender of Minneapolis!  Can't wait!

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Sweet Sixteen Results

With 16 teams remaining from the original 24, it got down to some pretty intense cocktail inventing......and it became serious!  After the first couple weeks and everyone now has at competed once, teams knew what to expect from the competition and from their competitors they were facing.  Everyone knew teams were bringing it and bringing it hard!

In the first heat of round 3 it found Richie from Eli's going up against David Kelley from Ike's.  Also, Jake Schulte from Seven Sushi up against Chad Marcus and Lucas Murphy from Drink.  With the secret ingredient unveiled as Tomatoes the bartenders had 15 minutes to come up with a shot, a cocktail and a martini made out of tomatoes.  At the end of 15 minutes Richie from Eli's and Jake Schulte from Seven Sushi came out the victors.

In the second heat of round 3 found Scott Butters from Independent up against Tim Schaff and Chad Landry from Fogo de Choa, and Chris Greenfield from Hell's Kitchen up against Ben Hansen from O'Donovan's Irish Pub....and a first in Iron Bartender of Minneapolis' short history.  As Balsamic Vinegar was unveiled as the secret ingredient, I was very interested how it would turn out.  You can do a lot with balsamic vinegar behind the bar, but you need the proper amount because too much would kill any drink and make it taste like sweaty socks, and not enough would leave your cocktail flavorless or taste like straight booze.  In the end we had one team move on and another team having to rethink yet another drink.....because of a tie!  Chris Greenfield of Hell's Kitchen advanced beating Ben Hansen, sending Hell's Kitchen to the Elite 8.  Fogo de Choa and Independent tied thus sending them both to another round to decide who moves forward to join Hell's Kitchen in the Elite 8.  

The third heat of round 3 matched up Jeff Rodgers from Bar 508 against Wayno from Santorini; and James Kuettner from Musashi matched against the much hyped Nick Koserich from Town Talk Diner.  As Basil the secret ingredient the four representatives went to work.  Furious action, and a very raucous crowd saw this battle of invention come down to the wire. We had yet another tie between Jeff Rodgers from 508 and Wayno from Santorini.  In the other match, Nick from Town Talk Diner prevailed against James Kuettner from Musashi.  So with a tie between Santorini and Bar 508, they both headed to a "sudden death" playoff to see who would move forward to the next round and who would be going home.

The fourth and final heat of round 3 saw Dan Nelson from Maverick's Wood Grill match up against Birk Gruden and Jourdan Gomez from Bradstreet Crafthouse; and Erik Grivalsky from La Belle Vie versus John Dyste and Emma Held from Redstone American Grill (Eden Prairie).  What secret ingredient would be next?.....Peppers -- all kinds of peppers.  Green, red, jalapeno, habanero, bell, pepperoncini you get the idea.  This round of competition provided some truly amazing libations including a chocolate mole and pepper shot with and edible chocolate shot glass....and it was very tasty!  At the conclusion of the heat Dan Nelson from Maverick's and John Dyste and Emma Held were left standing and advancing onto the next round.

Ok, the "sudden death" playoff matched up Fogo de Choa vs. Independent, and Santorini vs. Bar 508.  I had to come up with an ingredient that would be fair but still very difficult since the level these four bartenders were showing was amazing!  The "sudden death" playoff rules were simple, one drink (for each judge) using the secret ingredient in a 5 minute time frame!  With the rules in place the secret ingredient unveiled was..........Roasted Garlic!  At the end of 5 minutes two teams came out on top, Santorini beat Bar 508; and Fogo de Choa continued their amazing run in the tournament with a victory over Independent!

At the end of the night 8 teams stood tall...Eli's, Town Talk Diner, Maverick's Wood Grill, Redstone American Grill, Santorini, Fogo de Choa, Hell's Kitchen and Seven Sushi.  What an amazing night, it was as raucous as I've seen with about 350 spectators cheers and jeering on their teams, and some amazing libations created by some truly talented mixologists the Twin Cities could offer up.  I can't wait to see how this ends up!

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Iron Bartender Results

First let's recognize the competitors and what bar/restaurant they are representing out there....they're the real peeps making this a success!  Also, if you're looking for a place to go out and have a dinner or a cocktail, look up one of these talented bartenders and belly up to their bar and have a bite and a drink.

*This was the first half of the first round bracket results*

Jourdan Gomez and Birk Gruden represents Bradstreet Crafthouse (located in Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis).  They took on David Kelley (a.k.a. DK) from Ike's (located on 7th st. in Minneapolis).  With the secret ingredient being Papaya, Bradstreet came out the victors in  this duel with a score of 94 - 88.  Bradstreet scored 24/30 in the presentation, 44/60 for taste, and 26/30 for originality.  Ike's scored a 24/30 as well for presentation, 42/60 for taste, and 22/30 for originality.

Tim Schaff and Chad Landry from Fogo de Choa (located on the corner of Hennepin and 7th St. in Minneapolis) took on Tom Deprekel and Tim Elliot from Al Vento (located on 34th St. in South Minneapolis).  Secret ingredient was Papaya, Fogo de Choa squeaked out the victory with a 78 - 76 score.  Fogo de Choa scored 24/30 for presentation, 31/60 for taste, and 23/30 for originality.  Al Vento scored 26/30 for presentation, 27/60 for taste, and 24/30 for originality.

Erik Grivalsky from La Belle Vie (located on Groveland Ave. in Minneapolis) was matched up against Chris Raph and Josh Moore from The Shout House (located in Block E, Minneapolis).  With the secret ingredient being Ginger, Erik from La Belle Vie scored the victory with a 105 - 88.  Erik scored the highest score from week 1 with the 105 points!  Erik's scores were 29/30 for presentation, 46/60 for taste, and a perfect score of 30/30 for originality!  Chris and Josh's scored were 24/30 for presentation, 37/60 for taste, and 27/30 for originality.

Judd Sampson and Jessica Besel (pronounced Basil -- as I was told) represented Bootleggers (located on 3rd St. and 1st Ave., in Minneapolis) were up against Jeff Rodgers from Bar 508 (located on 5th St. and 1st. Ave., in Minneapolis).  As Ginger as the secret ingredient, Jeff from Bar 508 came out on top in this match with a 67 - 58 victory.  Jeff's scores broke down like this 26/30 for presentation, 22/60 for taste, and 19/30 for originality.  Judd and Jessica's scores were 24/30 for presentation, 18/60 for taste, and 27/30 for originality.

Tim Eagle and Andrew Vobroucek from Kozy's (located on 70th St. in the Galleria in Edina) went up against Nick Koserich from Town Talk Diner (located on 27th and Lake Street in Uptown).  With Guava as the secret ingredient in this matchup, the much hyped duo from Town Talk Diner prevailed with a sound drubbing of Kozy's 102 - 51.  Nick's scored broke down like this, 30/30 for presentation, 42/60 for taste, and 30/30 for originality.  Tim and Andrew's scores were 11/30 for presentation, 27/60 for taste, and 13/30 for originality.  Town Talk Diner also won the mustache award....don't know if that's one I would want to win.

Ben Hansen from O'Donovan's Irish Pub (located on the corner of 7th St. and 1st Ave., in Minneapolis) were up against Lare Campbell from Roat Osha (located 26th and Hennepin in Uptown/Minneapolis).  WIth Guava as their secret ingredient, Ben from O'Donovan's scored the upset thus far in the tournament with a 76 - 72 victory.  Who says the Irish can't make a cocktail?  Ben's scores broke down this way; 20/30 for presentation, 36/60 for taste, and 20/30 for originality.  Lare's scores were 22/30 for presentation, 28/60 for taste, and 22/30 for originality.

Jake Shulte from Seven Sushi (located on the corner of 7th and Hennepin, in Minneapolis) took on Quinn McNamara from The Local Irish Pub (located on 9th St. and Nicollet Mall, in Minneapolis).  I guess in this bout sushi reigns supreme over cornbeef!  With Cinnamon as the secret ingredient Jake's pulled out the victory 95 - 75.  Jake's scores broke out this way; 28/30 for presentation, 41/60 for taste, and 25/30 for originality.  Quinn's scores were 18/30 for presentation, 36/60 for taste, and 22/30 for originality.

After the first week of competition had concluded, Bradstreet, Fogo de Choa, La Belle Vie, Bar 508, Town Talk Diner, O'Donovan's and Seven Sushi each moved one step closer to being the first Iron Bartender of Minneapolis and winning the grand prize....a V.I.P trip for two to Las Vegas!

The second week of competition added more faces representing more restaurants from around the Twin Cities!

* second half of the first round*

James Kuettner from Musashi (located on 5th St. and Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis) took on Jason Massey from Massey's Catering.  With the secret ingredient being Cantaloupe James, from Musashi, won a close battle with a 94 - 79 victory.  James' score broke down like this, 25/30 for presentation, 40/60 for taste, and 29/30 for originality.  Massey's score broke down 23/30 for presentation, 31/60 for taste, and 25/30 for originality.

John Dyste and the beautiful Emma Held representing Redstone American Grill (located on Eden Road in Eden Prairie) battled their Eden Prairie foe Wayno from Santorini's (located on Technology Drive in Eden Prairie).  This battle involved Cantaloupe as well and both did not disappoint.  In the end however, Wayno from Santorini's prevailed with a 111 - 97 victory.  Wayno's score broke out like this, 30/30 for presentation, 52/60 taste, 29/30 for originality.  John and Emma's scores were 27/30 for presentation, 45/60 for taste, and 25/30 for originality.

Blake Ogram from Crave (located on 70th St. in the Galleria in Edina) took on Chad Larson and Lucas Murphy from Drink (located on 5th St. N and 1st. Ave. in Minneapolis).  With Lemongrass as the secret ingredient Chad and Lucas from Drink pulled out the victory with a 96 - 88 advantage.  Chad and Lucas' scores were 24/30 for presentation, 50/60 for taste, 22/30 for originality.  Blake's scores were 24/30 for presentation, 41/60 for taste, and 23/30 for originality.

Chris Greenfield from Hell's Kitchen (located in the Metro Building on 9th St. and Marquette Ave.) took on  Richie from Eli's (located between 12th and 13th St. on Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis).  This showdown featured Lemongrass and was a battle to the end.  In the end however Richie from Eli's prevail in a closely contested match winning by a perfect score of 120 - 110.  Richie's scores were 30, 60, 30 in each category and Chris' scores were nearly matched coming up 10 points short in the taste category scoring 50/60!

Scott Butters from Independent (located in Calhoun Square on Lake St. and Hennepin in Uptown) took on Adam from Town Talk Diner.  With the secret ingredient as Kiwi, Scott from Independent beat Town Talk Diner's team #2 110 - 80.  Scott's scores were 29/30 for presentation, 53/60 for taste, and 28/30 for originality.  Adam's scores were 22/30 for presentation, 38/60 for taste, and 20/30 for originality.

Paul Ballestros representing Bella (located in Clubwest Parkway in Blaine) battled Dan Nelson from Maverick's Wood Grill (located on West River Road in Champlin).  With Blood Orange as the secret ingredient, the battle of the northern suburban bars was decided by a convincing 102 - 61 victory by Dan from Maverick's Wood Grill.  Dan's scores were 27/30 for presentation, 49/60 for taste, and 26/30 for originality.  Paul's scores were 19/30 for presentation, 27/60 for taste,  and 15/30 for originality.

Moving on to the next round and one step closer to becoming Minneapolis' first Iron Bartender were Musashi, Santorini, Drink, Eli's, Independent, Maverick's Wood Grill!  Having to fill out the remainder of the winners bracket of the Sweet Sixteen we took the highest losing score from week 1 (David Kelley, Ike's), and the 2 highest losing scores from week 2 (Chris Greenfield, Hell's Kitchen) and (John Dyste and Emma Held, Redstone American Grill) and moved them through to the second round!

So the Sweet Sixteen is set:

Eli's vs. Ike's

Seven Sushi vs. Drink

Independent vs. Fogo de Choa

Hell's Kitchen vs. O'Donovan's Irish Pub

508 Bar vs. Santorini

Musashi vs. Town Talk Diner

Maverick's vs. Bradstreet Crafthouse

La Belle Vie vs. Redstone American Grill

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Iron Bartender of Minneapolis

I think we've created a monster!! About 6 weeks ago, the barstaff and management were brainstorming (I know, an oxy moron) about how to generate some more and additional business.  I put together a pretty detailed list of ideas and submitted it to the management staff.  I had suggested we do a Hospitality Night and gave a list of specials I believed would be matched by no one.  The management staff came back to me with a bunch of promotional ideas for our Hospitality Night and I immediately took the Iron Bartender idea and ran with it...fast!  Basically I took some of the concept from the TV show on The Food Network and added some fun twists and turns and replaced kitchen chef's with bar chef's.  Rules are simple, after I unveil the secret ingredient bartenders have 15 minutes to plan, execute and present a shot, a cocktail and a martini to each judge on the judging panel.  Judges then judge based on three categories presentation, taste and originality.  Bartenders are matched up in a bracket style format and go mano e mano, with the winner moving on the next round and the loser dropping down into the losers bracket, my version of March Madness.

After about 10 days of planning, we managed to attract 24 teams from all different restaurants from around the Twin Cities and get the word out via word of mouth using no marketing dollars!  Little did I know we would attract 150 patron the first week through our doors, 200 patrons on the second week and over 300 on our third week and it set the town a buzz about our "cute" little competition.  We have a local celebrity judging panel that changes weekly, and judges are calling us to be on the panel versus us finding people to fill up the panel.  

This all culminates into the finale/championships on April 26th.  Going into this competition I knew there are some talented freakin' bartenders in this city, but what surprises me is the level of imagination and ingenuity going into these cocktails!  Last week we had a rosemary bong make an appearance....a freakin' bong!  On lookers and competitors alike I believe are trying to out do the next guy and everyone is bringing it.  Every week is bigger, better and louder then the previous.  I can't wait to see where this goes and more importantly what it becomes in the future, you can bet your ass I'm doing this again!

This is from Week 2 of the competition.  More to follow for sure, stay tuned!

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