The votes are in: The winner of RedEye’s Best Bartender 2015 title is Dan Rook of South Water Kitchen! Congratulations to this year’s Top 4 finalists and Top 8 contenders and thanks to everyone who took the time to cast their vote!
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Are you ready to get shaking? After weeks of competition, the final stage of Best Bartender 2015 is finally here. We’re putting our four finalists—Tommy Lansaw from Wood, Dan Rook from South Water Kitchen, Dianna Sanders from The Promontory and Manny Sofios from RPM Steak and Slippery Slope—behind the bar Tuesday night to see who earns the title of RedEye’s Best Bartender 2015.
Doors open at 6 p.m. at Untitled (111 W. Kinzie St.) and the four finalists will start serving samples of their signature cocktails at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are completely sold out, but you can still cast your last vote online here.
In honor of the big bash, we checked in with some of our past Best Bartender participants from the last eleven contests. Some are still bartending, some have moved around in the industry, some are parents and one is the reigning World’s Best Bartender. Here are a few of their status updates.
Charles Joly
2004 contender
Signature cocktail: An Effen vodka martini
Then: Bartender at the now-shuttered Cans in Bucktown
Now: Charles Joly doesn’t need much of a reintroduction since he participated in the first Best Bartender project in 2004 (when it was headed up by our friends at Metromix). “There wasn’t much happening in the cocktail space in 2004. I think at that time I was pulling a mix of shifts bartending while acting as operations director for Three Headed Productions,” he said. This is the group he went on to launch The Drawing Room with. “That venue allowed me to really dive fully into the world of cocktails.”
In July 2012, Joly left The Drawing Room for The Aviary. He’s won plenty of mixology awards since, including the Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year last year, and appeared on Crain’s 2014 40 Under 40 list. He left The Aviary last October and has been working on several projects and tending bars all over the world, from the Grammys to the Cayman Cookout in the Cayman Islands. He also created and served cocktails for Formula One driver Jenson Button’s wedding. He recently was announced as a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef awards, which will be held in Chicago at the Lyric Opera in May, for Crafthouse Cocktails, his retail brand that he’s working on expanding throughout the country (look for it at Whole Foods, Binny’s and Mariano’s, along with several stadiums, including the Amway Center in Orlando, The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan and Denver’s Pepsi Center). “I’m not slowing down by any means and am working hard to keep the ball rolling!” he said.
Stephanie Rabiola
2005 winner
Signature cocktail: Grape Long Island, made with grape pucker, Chambord, vodka and rum
Then: Bartender at the Excalibur
Now: She was a Columbia College film student by day and bartender by night in 2005, and Stephanie has gone on to pursue that film school dream, producing indie films, television shows, documentaries and commercials, she said. To name a few, she was production manager for the romantic comedy “One Small Hitch,” which was filmed here in Chicago and just got a theatrical release; she worked on PBS’ “Pedal America” about recreational cycling in North America. She’s currently producing and directing her own documentary, “One Day Two Legends,” about The Beatles and Elvis. Scheduled for release this summer, the film features Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and Aerosmith, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees and Elvis’ friend and road manager Joe Esposito. “I do not have time to bartend so much anymore but really miss it. I am finishing up writing a [Elvis- and Beatles-themed] cocktail book to accompany the film.”
John Kinder
2005 finalist
Signature cocktail: Pear-adise with fresh bartlett pear juice, Grand Marnier, fresh lemon juice and a simple syrup infused with dried orange peel and cloves, topped with fresh nutmeg or cinnamon.
Then: Bartender at Moxie
Now: After four years of jumping around from Moxie to Pump Room and a few other bars that have since closed, John “successfully transitioned from one side of the bar to the other” when in 2009 he joined Death’s Door Spirits, where he’s the national brand manager, “which means I look at a lot of spreadsheets now,” he said in an email. “The only people I’m making cocktails for now [are] A) my wife (still my biggest critic and fan!) and B) our family and friends that come over for dinner or parties in my home in Madison, Wis. It’s all rather charming.” Regarding his decision to get out of bartending, “I use the movie metaphor of Forrest Gump after he’s run across the country multiple times and declares, ‘I’m pretty tired. Think I’ll go home now.'”
Johnny “Cocktail” Vithoulkas
2006 winner
Signature cocktail: Cappuccino shot, a recipe that’s “so secret he won’t even tell us off the record”
Then: Bartender at Spybar in River North
Now: It’s been nine years since Johnny “Cocktail” took the title for Best Bartender for his cappuccino shot, and he’s still right where we left him at Spybar. He’s been there for nearly 13 years, and his famous shot hasn’t retired yet either. “They still love the cappuccino shot,” Johnny said. “The recipe hasn’t changed. I always have my customers in there ordering them by the dozen.” He hopes to open up his own bar, Johnny Cocktails, sooner than later. “I love what I do and hopefully this will lead into me opening up Johnny Cocktails one day. That’s my dream.” Try the winning shot yourself at Spybar (646 N. Franklin St.) for $9.
Kaari Westgaard
2006 finalist
Signature cocktail: Key Lime Martini
Then: Bartender at Minibar
Now: At the time, she was the only female bartender at the Boystown bar, and she arrived at the final bash in a stretch Ford Excursion packed with an entourage of her dude coworkers who painted the letters of her name on their bare chests. No longer bartending, she’s living with her husband and toddler in Colorado, where she’s teaching at The University of Colorado. “We are all loving the outdoor lifestyle (biking, hiking, skiing) and mild, sunny winters (it was in the 70s last week),” she said in an email. She hopes we’re all staying warm in Chicago.
Frog Greishaw
2006 contender
Signature cocktail: Sugar daddy, a Skyy-vodka based cocktail with peach nectar, raspberry puree, champagne and limoncello
Then: Bartender at the former Elm Street Liquors
Now: After hopping around to bars like The Violet Hour and Big Star for nearly 18 years, Frog hung up her bottle-opener belt buckle last September to focus on her small businesses, clothing label and boutique House of Frog (2745 S. Princeton Ave.) and homemade kombucha line Frog Juice. “I’m solely running both of my businesses and the kombucha one in particular just took up more time than bartending would allow,” she said in an email. “I am still working closely within the industry as both a supplier and collaborator on cocktail pairings with my kombucha.” When she’s not designing for her regular clientele, Frog also provides gear for servers and bartenders. She’s still riding her 1998 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic.
Ann Regan
2007 winner
Signature cocktail: Sex on the Pool Table shot, a concoction of Stoli vodka, blue curacao, pineapple juice and orange juice.
Then: Bartender a Blarney Stone
Now: Previously, she was a real estate lawyer by day, bartender by night. Now she’s a full-director of leasing and operations for a real estate firm and a full-time mom of a 6-year-old daughter. But she hasn’t abandoned her bartending passion entirely: “The Blarney Stone … is one of the rare family-owned bars in Wrigleyville, and the owners have become a part of my family,” Ann said in an email. “So as you do with any family, you pitch in, thus you can still find me on occasions behind the bar filling in whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day or a Saturday night. … And to me [bartending] was always about your personality behind bar and not so much the drinks your were pouring (though that helped).”
Jennifer Contraveos
2007 finalist
Signature cocktail: Cane Juice, pear brandy, 10 Cane Rum, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and homemade ginger syrup with a cinnamon-sugar rim
Then: Bartender at Bon V
Now: Jennifer works as a training manager at Bacardi USA and also continues to run her own beverage consulting company, The Crafted Cocktail, which she founded seven years ago. We’re also pleased to welcome her back into the Best Bartender fold as a guest judge for this year’s event.
Vanessa Garippo
2007 finalist
Signature cocktail: The Pimms Deluxe made of Pimms No. 6 or No. 1, vodka, ginger ale and apple juice
Then: Bartender at Local Option
Now: For four years after the contest, Vanessa continued to flip bottles, which she left her day job at an ad agency to do full-time. She’s since moved back into the “semi-corporate” marketing world, but said she missing bartending: “It was work, but it was fun. Plus, who doesn’t like the cash!?”
Joe Kot
2007 finalist
Signature cocktail: Blue Bayou, Malibu rum-based with Tropical Blue Island Pucker, pineapple juice, sour mix and 7-Up
Then: Bartender at Roscoe’s
Now: Joe’s wild days of bartending in Boystown ended in 2010 when he moved to Portland where he’s dabbling in property management. He said he doesn’t miss the weather, “but I sure do miss that great skyline and people of Chicago.” He also married his sweetheart last summer along the Columbia River Gorge (he’s Joe Riley now). “It was like a fairytale (no pun intended).” A self-professed computer geek in 2007, Joe is also finishing up his computer science degree and hopes to pursue a career in web and software development. He’s enjoying the food and cocktail scene in Portland, “although I sometimes get the hankering to get behind a bar again. It’s was such a fun job, and I met so many interesting people throughout the years.”
Rashed Islam
2007 contender
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Signature Cocktail: Passion Fruit Martini
Then: Bartender at the former Viet Bistro
Now: Rashed has carved a path in the beverage industry, focusing on mixology and wine. He left Viet Bistro in 2010 and helped launch the short-lived mixology and spirits program at Ole Hardwood Gastro-Smokehouse that burned down three months after opening.”My martinis did get mentioned on all the reviews during its short life span.” Later that year, he joined Saigon Sisters, doubling as beverage director of the wine program and resident mixologist. From there, he went on to focus on his food dining concept, Acid Sugar Salt Umami, pairing food and beverages for groups and private clients. In 2013, he moved to Rockford to run the wine program for Royal Liquors. Now, he’s working with Chef Bijender Bisht of India House Restaurant to highlight Mughlai cuisine with mixology and oenology.
Dani Hoyler
2008 winner
Signature cocktail: Dani’s Lemonade, raspberry rum-spiked lemonade with a splash of soda
Then: Bartender at Sheffield’s
Now: Always more of a beer girl, Dani left Sheffield’s in 2009 for Local Option “to round out my beer knowledge and general bad-assery,” she said. She’s been in the beer game ever since, moving to Great Lakes Brewing Company in 2010 and later to Three Floyds Brewing Company where she is currently the director of sales, which she said “is a pretty [bleeping] metal job.” She oversees events, sales and marketing, currently ramping up for the Dark Lord Day beer festival at Three Floyds in April. “So, I’ve been having a pretty good time since I won.”
Gregory Williams
2009 winner
Signature cocktail: The Give Inn, made with Irish whiskey, butterscotch schnapps, brown sugar, strawberries and ginger ale
Then: Bartender at Simone’s Bar
Now: Gregory has since retired from bartending and has entered the fashion industry with his own clothing store, Iridium, in the Loop (108 N. State St.).
Tony Potempa
2009 finalist
Signature cocktail: The Havana Blueberry Mojito made with rum, mint, blueberries and ginger syrup
Then: Bartender at Roof
Now: Tony is head bartender for Miss Ricky’s, a soon-to-open diner in the Loop’s new Virgin Hotel. After leaving Roof, he went on to juggle bartending and beverage directing gigs at a number bars, including Downtown, Meat and American Junkie, just to name a few. He’s also serving as a guest judge at this year’s event.
Sarah Busen
2009 finalist
Signature cocktail: The Hammock, a vodka-based drink with lemon cucumber and simple syrup
Then: Bartender at The Tiny Lounge
Now: In her days at Tiny Lounge, her specialty was the hottest cocktail in the bar, but Sarah has since gone on to manage the Arizona market for Goose Island Beer Company, which she’s worked for since February 2013. She “retired” from the bartending game in early 2013, and it’s been full-time beer sales ever since, but her team turns to her for cocktail knowledge from time to time. “…No more bartending for me,” Sarah said in an email. “But I was tasked with creating beer cocktail recipes for our sales team and was able to do a small beer cocktail class with them when we were all together back in Chicago in January. So I still like to bust out my shaker whenever I get the chance!”
Paul McGee
2009 contender
Signature cocktail: Royal County Down, made with Irish whiskey, ginger liqueur, lemon juice, egg white and Angostura bitters
Then: Bartender at The Whistler
Now: Last year, Paul became beverage director of bar and restaurant group Land and Sea Dept. His first venture with the group was opening Logan Square tiki bar Lost Lake and adjacent Chinese takeout restaurant Thank You earlier this year. The next project on the horizon is a bar, restaurant and game room in the forthcoming hotel in the former Chicago Athletic Association building on Michigan Avenue. Prior to that, he worked with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises to open massive River North tiki bar Three Dots and a Dash and also created or retooled the cocktail menus at other Lettuce locations, including Paris Club, RPM Italian and RPM Steak.
Sarah Crossley
2009 contender
Signature cocktail: Bombay Gin-ger, made with the namesake gin, ginger liqueur and simple syrup muddled with cucumber and ginger
Then: Bartender at Japonais and Mac’s
Now: Sarah is still busy in the bar industry as the assistant general manager at The Owl. She’s also cicerone certified.
Anne Carlson
2009 contender
Signature cocktail: Italian in Andersonville made with Koval spelt grain spirit, vermouth, house-made orange bitters and orange zest
Then: Bartender at In Fine Spirits
Now: Anne has taken her bartending experience to the next level and is now the co-owner of Ward Eight cocktail lounge in Evanston, which she opened with her partner Cody Modeer more than two years ago. Conveniently, they live above the place with their three-year-old daughter, and she still tends to the bar once a week. Anne said she owes a lot of her knowledge and experience to her time at In Fine Spirits, which she said helped carve a path to opening Ward Eight. “We are constantly working on ideas for future projects, and I am grateful to have found this path that allows me to always be learning and working towards any crazy idea that I can dream up.”
Lonika Misra
2009 contender
Signature cocktail: Wrigley Martini, a mix of peach vodka, raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice garnished with lime
Then: Bartender at the 44th Ward Dinner Party
Now: After bartending at Angels & Kings in the Hard Rock Hotel for several years, Lonika skipped Chicago for a much warmer life in San Diego. “Don’t get me wrong, there are days I long to freeze my tooshie off with you brave people, but I’ll just live through my Facebook posts of the -28 temps. San Diego, not so bad this time of year,” she said. While she enjoyed her time on Chicago’s bar scene, her other passion for acupuncture led her to California. She said she is enjoying “poking people (for healing purposes, of course) every day.”
Megan Qualley
2010 winner
Signature cocktail: Megan’s Red Rocket made with ginger-infused vodka, raspberry liqueur, pineapple and cranberry juices with club soda on the rocks.
Then: Bartender at Sully’s House
Now: Megan is still going strong as a bartender four nights a week (look for her at O’Neil’s on Wells and Finley Dunne’s Tavern), but it’s not her full-time gig. She helps run a natural supplemental online company called Natural Pharm Source. She’s still close with 2010 finalist Brynn Selser, a friendship that Megan said is “one of the best things that came out of the contest. … I would have never met her had it not been for the competition.”
Brynn Selser
2010 finalist
Signature shot: Electric Sex made with citrus rum, melon and apple liqueurs, lemon-lime soda, pineapple juice and blue curacao.
Then: Bartender at Rebel and O’Malley’s West
Now: Brynn spent some time working in sales for a local startup but recently left to get back into the service industry. “I’ve missed it and know it’s where I belong, at least part of the time.” Look for her at Theory and Citizen Bar soon.
Vince Bucaro
2010 finalist
Signature cocktail: The Sicilian Three-way made with Southern Comfort, amaretto, peach schnapps and pineapple, cranberry and orange juices, served on the rocks.
Then: Bartender at Crescendo (and many, many more)
Now: Never one to stay behind one bar, Vince is currently bartending at Dolphin and Room 22. “Since the contest I have worked at many other parties and also recently got engaged last April,” he said. Congrats, Vince.
Lindsey Schendel
2010 finalist
Signature cocktail: The Rocktail made with pear vodka, lychee juice and muddled cucumbers and lemons on the rocks.
Then: Bartender at Bull & Bear
Now: While earning her real estate license in 2012, Lindsey modeled for Maxim magazine for a few years. She now sells houses and condos all over the city and suburbs. She said she is “truly blessed to have found a passion for real estate.”
Dominique Leguizamon
2010 contender
Signature cocktail: Ghetto Sangria, made with rum, pomegranate and orange liqueurs, grenadine, orange and pineapple juices and merlot.
Then: Bartender at The Shrine
Now: Going on six years at The Shrine, Dominique is still bartending at the “greatest Hip Hop and reggae venue in Chicago,” she said. She also works at Subterranean and Sat Nam yoga studio, she said. This summer, she’s heading back to school to study hotel management.
Abby Titcomb
2010 contender
Signature cocktail: Rye Manhattan made with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters and a brandy-soaked cherry garnish.
Then: Bartender at Five Star Bar and The Continental
Now: A year after she participated in Best Bartender, Abby quit bartending and went into brewing full-time with Three Floyds, where she’s still working today.
Laura Mitchell
2010 contender
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Signature cocktail: Operation Honey Red, made with cherry- and honey-flavored whiskeys, passion fruit puree, orange bitters, muddled oranges and soda on ice.
Then: Bartender at The Underground
Now: Laura is a sales director for Caremerge, a startup medical technology company. “I feel like sales is a natural career path for a bartender, simply because we can talk to literally everyone,” she said. Though she hasn’t been behind the bar in a few years, she’s still got a passion for great cocktails. “Back in 2010, I was still represented by a few modeling agencies. Now, I’m working on combining my on-camera and bar talents by creating a show soon that features the art of mixology.”
Meg Silvas
2013 winner
Signature cocktail: The Gem, a mix of gin, lemon and lime juice, sour mix, soda and cucumber.
Then: The Orbit Room and Kuma’s Corner
Now: Shortly after claiming the Best Bartender 2013 crown, Meg started managing and bartending at Kuma’s Too, where she created their metal-inspired cocktail list. From there, she went on to open Thalia Hall in Pilsen, bartending at Punch House and Dusek’s, where she soon became bar manager, beer-buyer and cocktail-contributor (“Get the All in One,” she said. “It’s delicious!”). Now she’s general manager at Slippery Slope. “You can still catch me behind the bar there on Tuesday.” She was also a featured mixologist at The Grand Chef’s Gala in January.
Briar Brackney
2013 finalist
Signature cocktail: La Dolce Vita made with gin, a tangerine sweet and sour syrup, Campari and bitters.
Then: Bartender at Vincent
Now: Not long after placing in the finals for Best Bartender, Briar was on the opening bartending staff for West Loop restaurant Oon. She now works at The Bristol in Bucktown and also hosts her own one-off cocktail classes and events. She’s also serving as a guest judge at this year’s event.
Sarah VonderHaar
2013 finalist
Signature cocktail: The Ginger Blonde, made with rye whiskey, honey liqueur, lemon juice, ginger beer, orange bitters and a lemon twist
Then: Bartender at Old Town Social & Prost
Now: Between running the cocktail program at Old Town Social, consulting with brands such as Casa Noble tequila and making Thrillist Chicago’s list of top female bartenders, Sarah has been keeping busy in the industry. “The RedEye Best Bartender Competition opened a lot of doors for me in the industry, and I feel exceptionally grateful to have had the opportunity to participate,” she said. She’s had a cocktail featured in a book by Modelo and a few of her creations will be featured in a Bacardi Limon ad campaign this summer. Sarah is also studying graphic design at Columbia College.
Carlos Matias III
2014 winner
Signature cocktail: Prima’s Signorina, a carbonated punch with Cajun-spiced rum, Ramazzotti amaro, elderflower liqueur, lime juice and Peychaud’s bitters, garnished with a lime wheel
Then: Dusek’s/Punch House
Now: Our champion last year hasn’t gone far. You can find Carlos at The Promontory.
Brian Sturgulewski
2014 finalist
Signature cocktail: The Juvenile Delinquent, a vodka-based creation with green chartreuse, spiced pear liqueur, lime juice, rosemary and Creole bitters.
Then: Bartender at Drumbar
Now: Still going strong in the beverage industry, Brian left Drumbar last April to run the bar programs for Fulton Market Kitchen, Bordel and Black Bull. He also started a beverage and hospitality consulting company, The Dogma Group, with Alex Renshaw, also formerly of Drumbar, and Clint Rogers of The Dawson. Currently, he’s gearing up to open craft cocktail lounge Presidio in Bucktown next month.
Heather Zerr
2014 finalist
Signature cocktail: 86 & Sunny with 12-year aged rum, pineapple simple syrup, coconut simple syrup, lime juice and a Falernum-mint whip topper.
Then: Bartender at Meat
Now: Though she’s no longer behind the bar, Heather said she still hangs around Boystown and is collaborating with some beverages folks around town. She worked with Goose Island’s Mike Siegel on the 2014 Proprietor’s Bourbon County stout, has done some consulting on a cognac advertising campaign and said she’s in the process of perfecting a series of alcoholic sorbets to pair with Piper-Heidsieck champagne.
Amy Probasco
2014 contender
Signature cocktail: The Taglioni with light rum, amaro, Aperol, almond syrup and lemon and lime juices.
Then: Girl & the Goat
Now: Amy is now the assistant bar manager with Soho House Chicago. She works mostly behind the scenes, keeping the six bars organized and the staff trained. But she hasn’t abandoned mixology all together—she also works on cocktail development for each menu and for events.
Laura Sandborn
2014 contender
Signature cocktail: Umami Punch, a blend of plum wine topped with honey-cardamom foam, almond cookie crumble and a hibiscus syrup drizzle.
Then: Bartender at Jellyfish
Now: Laura moved to Las Vegas, where she’s working with Caesars Entertainment properties as a pool manager for Planet Hollywood, Paris and Bally’s. She’s also in charge of their bar and cocktail programs. “I still bartend for special events around the U.S. and have been working on a recipe book and creative cocktail garnishes.”