Every week at Melinda’s Alley in downtown Phoenix, part of my job is helping create an entirely new cocktail menu. That means every R&D shift looks a little different. Sometimes I walk in with an idea, build it, make a couple small adjustments, and it is basically there. Other nights I make something, taste it, realize it is not hitting the way I imagined, and start moving pieces around. Last night was definitely one of those nights. I was responsible for both the gin and teq

San Francisco, Competition Nerves, Unfamiliar Jiggers, an Elevated Daiquiri, and Lessons I Still Carry Behind the Bar Some competitions stick with you because you won. Others stick with you because of everything they taught you while you were trying to. About two years ago, I found out I had been selected as one of three West Coast regional finalists for the Angostura Swizzle Competition. Angostura flew me to San Francisco, put me up at the St. Regis in the heart of the city,

There’s something I’ve learned about cocktail competitions: You can feel completely prepared right up until somebody starts the clock. Leading up to Cocktail Wars, recently hosted at the Renaissance in downtown Phoenix, I actually felt calm. I had practiced. I knew my flavors. I knew my techniques. I’ve competed before. I felt collected and ready to go. Then the competition started. And there it was. That rush of adrenaline. That anxious feeling. Your heart rate jumps. You st