Vibe Check: Bartenders' Brawl
Tuesday's inaugural event pitted nine local mixologists against one another in a friendly battle for the title of best cocktail. PLUS: breaking bread, an upcoming Carnival and Stewart's merch madness.
As is the case with most first-time events in Saratoga, the talk of the town leading up to the inaugural Bartenders’ Brawl was dress code.
“I don’t know what to wear,” I texted the Saratoga Automobile Museum’s Zach Skowronek, who was going to the party to take some photos for this very story. “Yeah,” he replied. “Is it supposed to be a cocktail party? Or am I watching bartenders beat the crap out of each other? Very different outfits.”
To make matters worse, the dress code on the invite was “Roaring Twenties Optional.” So…What? A flapper dress or a T-shirt? Turns out, the answer was yes. I wore a floor-length gown with pearls, Zach wore a tux jacket over a regular shirt, and event co-organizer Adam Feldman, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties, the evening’s beneficiary, wore jeans and a sweatshirt. But upon arriving, yes, fashionably late, to a packed house, I quickly realized the evening wasn’t about fashion at all.
“Carrie came to me about three months ago and said I’d like to bring back the Bartenders’ Ball, which was a pre-Covid event,” Adam said about his fellow event committee member Carrie Kaufman. “I said, ‘No, no, let’s do an event for the bartenders—for the community.’ That’s who [Habitat for Humanity] builds for. We build for the workforce, so we wanted to put on an event to showcase their great skills.”
And showcase them they did. Nine local bartenders brought their mixology A-games to Putnam Place on Tuesday (a day chosen because many bartenders have it off), serving up four-ounce pours of inventive cocktails such as Hattie’s Restaurant’s Lavender French 75, a nod to the prohibition era that utilized Empress 1908 Gin; and 30 Lake’s Invitation to Escape, a coconut rum cocktail with Yuzu lemon juice, saffron compressed watermelon, Prosecco and mint, topped with an umbrella.
“I must say,” a woman named Vicky told me while sipping on a Blueberry Basil Fizz from Max London’s, “with the basil, at first I was like, ‘this tastes like spaghetti.’ But it grew on me. I would have this on a boat.”
“This one gets my vote for strongest drink,” my friend Matt said after his first sip of Putnam Place’s Pink Lady Margarita made with One With Life tequila. “I don’t know if that’s a category.”
It wasn’t; the only category was best cocktail, which guests voted on by putting one half of their drink ticket stubs into mason jars labeled with each bar’s name. In the end, Solevo’s frozen piña colada/Italian digestif came out on top, followed by Henry Street Taproom’s impressive strawberry daiquiri topped with vanilla-laced bubbles in second, and a celery and cardamom concoction from Seneca in third. Solevo went home with the inaugural Bartenders’ Brawl WWE-style belt, but in my opinion, Henry Street Taproom bartenders Luke and Jess took the cake.
“It’s science,” Luke said about the contraption that was aerating his drink’s vanilla topping at the Henry Street station. “I failed science class. I don’t want to dissect something. I want to drink something.” Well, Luke, you’re in the right place.
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“I’ve never had a bad tattoo. Except the one I gave myself.”
—Overheard at Tap & Barrel after the Bartenders’ Brawl
Empire Building
As of this week, Controversial NFL free agent Antonio Brown now has stake in the Capital City. Brown and his father, Eddie, who played football for the Albany Firebirds in the 1990s, purchased ownership stake in the Albany Empire, the city’s professional arena football team. “I grew up here watching my dad be successful and watching this building erupt,” Brown said in a press conference on Thursday. “I’m just excited to be here and excited to bring Albany Empire a ‘three-peat’ and see the community and these players live out their dreams.” What wasn’t mentioned in the press conference, the Times Union pointed out, was Brown’s controversial history including allegations of sexual assault, suspensions from the NFL, misogynist behavior and an explicit photo Brown posted to Snapchat earlier this year.
Save the Date
This April 1, AIM Services’ Carnival, a fundraising event launched last year, will return to Vapor for an evening of live music, Latin dancing, performances, Brazilian-inspired cuisine and more. Proceeds from the event will help AIM provide life-enriching arts experiences for people with developmental and intellectual challenges. Get your tickets here.
Merch Madness
After launching its first round of merchandise in time for the 2022 holiday season, Stewart’s Shops recently dropped more must-have pieces that any true Upstate New Yorker will vie for. Shop sweatshirts, ice cream pint sleeves, pop-up phone grips, pint glasses and more online.
Dawn of the Bread
Your favorite farmers’ market bread company now has a brick and mortar location just south of Saratoga in downtown Ballston Spa. NightWork Bread opened at 3 Science Street last month with a small menu of bagels, specialty toasts and sweets, plus the loaves Saratoga County has come to love. Pick up a copy of Saratoga Living’s spring issue, available later this month, to read all about the new venture by Californians Leigh Rathner and Cindy Rosenberg.
This Week in Saratoga Living After Hours
On Monday, we gave readers a doozy of a mini crossword puzzle. (HINT: one of the answers has to do with the subject of today’s SLAH post.)
And on Tuesday, we recapped last weekend’s Beer Summit at the Saratoga City Center. Upgrade your subscription to see our photos from the IPA-soaked afternoon.