CHICAGO– The National Restaurant Association® announced Wednesday the next finalist in the annual Star of the Bar mixology competition. Following a live cocktail competition held at Craftsman in Austin, TX; Nathan Reffell of Marriott Marquis Houston’s The High Dive was crowned the winner of the Austin regional semi-finals. His winning cocktail – The Garden Party – was judged by Mary Stanley, owner of Turtle Restaurant in Brownwood, TX; Dante McGrapth, Executive Bar Manager at the W Austin Hotel; and writer Anastacia Uriegas.
Presented by the National Restaurant Association and United States Bartenders’ Guild, Star of the Bar tasks competitors in five culinary cities—Boston, Chicago, Miami, Austin, and San Francisco—with creating an innovative cocktail for local judges. Finalists from each market are flown to Chicago to face off in a live event on May 21 at BAR 17, the premier beverage-alcohol event, for a chance to win the coveted Star of the Bar title and $5,000 grand prize. Judges for this year’s competition include “World Class Bartender of the Year” Charles Joly and Tony Abou-Ganim, author of the Modern Mixologist.
Reffell bested nine other competitors with his Garden Party recipe, a Hendrick’s gin-based cocktail made with muddled red bell peppers, Aperol, cucumber juice, lemon, and simple syrup, garnished with cracked black pepper and cucumber ribbon. “For the competition, I wanted to make a drink that invokes springtime,” says Reffell. “The Garden Party name is a nod to the vegetables I use in the cocktail. Vegetables are often overlooked as an ingredient; I think the bell peppers add another level of freshness to the drink and really balance out the other flavors.”
Held May 21 and May 22 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, BAR 17 is co-located with NRA Show 17 and offers attendees the opportunity to share ideas through new programming, appearances by industry leaders, and an expanded exhibition floor. For more information on how to attend the final Star of the Bar showdown at NRA Show 2017, please visit the BAR 17 or NRA Show 2017websites.
Congratulations…Now, where’s our drink?!!!
