May 19, 2014 saw the final rounds of the Iron ‘Tender Bar Wars Challenge yield a winner after five weeks of preliminary rounds. More than 90 bartenders in 22 teams representing 44 establishments from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Boston, Mass. concocted close to 200 cocktail recipes during the course of the competition. The event was sponsored by Bacardi USA, Lucas Bols, Campari USA, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Heineken USA and Deep Eddy Spirits. Frank Martucci, Twin River Beverage General Manager and National Vice President of the United States Bartenders Guild, is featured on the right in all of the pictures with each of the winning teams.
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- Third Place/$500 prize was awarded to The Dorrance: Steven Pothier, Tyler Ayres Schweppe, Vito Lantz, and Jonathon Szpilla.
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- First Place/$3,000 went to The Boston Banditos: Ran Duan, The Baldwin in Boston; Troy Clarke, Boston USBG President; Sam Treadway, Backbar Boston; and Joseph Cammarata, Backbar Boston.
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- The ingredients table.
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- Crowd Favorite/$500 prize was awarded to Johnson & Wales Beverage team, the “J-Woo Crew:” Irving Rios, Taylor Levesque, Marcedes Corby, Adrian Alvarez, Anthony Sammartano and Tommy Seto.
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- Judges for the finals included Juan Coronado, National Beverage Director for José Andrés’. Think Food Group; David Cid, Master of Rums, Bacardi USA; Brendan Kirby, co-host of “The Rhode Show;” Gail Ciampa, Food Editor, The Providence Journal; Steve Schneider, star of the documentary movie “Hey Bartender” and Principle Bartender of Employees Only, New York City.
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- Second Place/$1,000 prize was awarded to The Children of the World; Willa Van Nostrand, Little Bitte Artisanal Cocktails/E & O Tap; Diego Luis Perez, Flan Y Ajo; and Jesse Hedberg, Justine’s/Fluke Bar Kitchen.
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- All the night’s finalists on stage.
