Hayward's First Bartender Battle At Storybook
East Bay bartenders showed off their custom concoctions for judges and attendees.
On Monday, August 3rd, 11 bartenders from around the East Bay gathered in Downtown Hayward to showcase their original drinks in the inaugural Storybook Cocktail Competition. With competitors from as far away as Oakland and Livermore, attendees were treated to samples of each drink along with a selection of pizzas, salads, and curly fries. With a live DJ and boisterous MC, the event had a party atmosphere that ran well into the night.
The competition was a great display of creativity from local bartenders, despite a few rough edges. Each competitor brought their own flair, flavors, and personality to the table as they mixed drinks for attendees and the panel of judges. And while the event ran until after most of the attendees left, only one bartender was able to walk into the night with the top prize.
A Competition With A Party Atmosphere
The doors to the competition opened at 6pm, while the competition itself didn't begin in earnest until 7pm. During that time, The Juice--the DJ for the event--was keeping things lively for the dozens of people in attendance. The event was sold out, with some hopeful attendees asking to be put on a waitlist in case a spot opened up. Every attendee received a colored wristband--black, blue, pink, or stars--which indicated when they would receive their drink sample.
The event was sponsored by Centenario Tequila and Chinola Fruit Liqueurs, which meant that every drink was required to include Centenario Reposado and Chinola Mango. A panel of judges, chosen by the sponsors, was on hand to evaluate the drinks with a professional eye. But they would be only be responsible for a portion of the vote.
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Every attendee was also given two sheets of paper with the names of the competitors on them. The audience was encouraged to vote for their favorite drinks. The papers had a guide with considerations: Flavor Balance, Creativity, Technique, and Presentation. Each attendee could select two of their favorites to advance to the second round of voting.
Every attendee received a small sample of the drinks in a take-out condiment container--around 2 oz. in size. While the samples were mostly filled with a pre-mixed version of the cocktail--they had to fill almost 100 of them, the bartenders also made one full-sized version of the drink to show off their skills, techniques, and presentation to the fullest.
The Competitors
Competitors (from left to right): Natalie Panaigua, Arthur Valderrama, and Jaime Chavez.
11 bartenders from around the East Bay took part in the competition, with five of them working in Hayward. Each presented their own completely different drink to the judges and crowd:
- Marissa Lema - Storybook Bar and Kitchen, Hayward
- Jacob Canales - The Doolittle, Castro Valley
- Kaylee Gonzalez - The Rockridge Improvement Club (aka The Ric), Oakland
- Sara Costa - Storybook Bar and Kitchen, Hayward
- Jaime Chavez - World Famous Turf Club, Hayward
- Arthur Valderrama - Honeycomb Cocktail Lounge, Livermore
- Eric Hudson - World Famous Turf Club, Hayward
- Chynna Shupp - The Dirty Bird Lounge, Hayward
- Joseph Mcfarland - The Doolittle, Castro Valley
- Natlie Panaigua - Chaplins, Union City
- James Murry - Danny Murry's Irish Pub, San Leandro
Unfortunately, there was no official list of ingredients for the drinks, but I took notes as quickly as I could while they listed them off.
The drinks had a huge variety of flavors, but generally speaking fell into what I would consider two broad groups: fruit-forward and tequila-forward.
The cocktail from Marissa Lema was very fruit-forward with a foam on top and a nice sprig of mint. Sara Costa put forward a cocktail that was inspired by civiche with a shellfish flavor and a spicy oil on top and, while it wasn't fruity, the tequila was a supporting flavor. Jaime Chavez had a fruity cocktail with a split ring of Tajin and black sea salt.
Competitors (from left to right): James Murray, Sara Costa, and Marissa Lema
Many of the others were more tequila-forward, like Arthur Valderrama, whose freshly-shaken samples were more daquiri like with lychee, grapefruit, and Szechuan pepper flavors. Chynna Shupp put forward a surprisingly smoky margherita-type cocktail with yuzu, mezcal, and a pink salt rim.
Many of the drinks incorporated some kind of spice, whether Tajin, chili oil, or some kind of pepper infusion. James Murry made a cocktail with infused peppers and a garnish of Tajin-coated mango. And Kaylee Gonzalez made a drink reminiscent of a Mango Lassi with coconut and a hot honey syrup with a slow burn.
Unfortunate Complication
An unforeseen emergency unfortunately derailed the competition for a while, likely resulting in it running over time. By the time the 8th competitor had stepped forward, the event was halted due to an attendee requiring medical assistance. It is unclear what happened, but they were laying on the floor of the building when paramedics from the nearby Hayward Fire Department entered and administered care.
The person was conscious, at least enough to stand with help and sit on a nearby bench, before being taken from the event on a stretcher. While it was a startling turn for such a festive event, we hope that the attendee was able to recover and is back on their feet.
The Finalists Take The Stage
By the time all 11 competitors had finished their first drinks, it was already almost 10pm when the event was supposed to end. It also appeared that the event pivoted to make up for time and the fact that many attendees decided to leave around 10, despite the event still going on. Myself and a handful of other attendees stuck it out to the end to see who won.
According to a sheet from the MC, Junior from Jr's Liquor Store in Castro Valley, six competitors appeared to make it to the second round. However, only four made a second drink, which was only given to the judges. Marissa Lema made a drink that included lime juice and Ancho chiles. Sara Costa's drink included vanilla and coffee with a mango cream and vanilla syrup. Arthur Valderrama's cocktail included sparkling hard nectar, lemon juice, and black pepper. And finally, Chynna Shupp's drink included ginger, mango, carrot, lemon, and turmeric--a kind of health tonic, as she described it.
Ultimately, only a few competitors could walk away as winners. It's still unclear whether the competition maintained the Crowd Favorite, Judge Favorite, and Best Overall (most votes from both crowd and judges) framework they listed on the papers. At the time, they were listed as Third, Second, and First places, which may map in the same order.
Third (Crowd Favorite): Marissa Lema - Storybook Bar and Kitchen, Hayward
Second (Judge Favorite): Arthur Vladerrama - Honeycomb Cocktail Lounge, Livermore
First (Best Overall): Sara Costa - Storybook Bar and Kitchen, Hayward
JC, General Manager of Storybook Bar and Kitchen, said, "We were so grateful for, and super impressed with the creativity and professionalism demonstrated by all of the competitors. We were so happy to have so many fabulous bartenders from great local spots participate, coming from as far as Oakland and Livermore to compete. Our team had a lot of fun, and we hope the competitors and attendees did too."
JC also said that they hope to host more competitions in the future, with one tentatively scheduled for January. In the meantime Storybook Bar and Kitchen is open Wednesday through Sunday with a packed events schedule with music, dance, and more.
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