🍸 49 Seconds, Foam Fails & a Win: My Competition Weekend Recap
Two nights. Two competitions. One slippery shaker tin. A foam that refused to cooperate.
And somehow… a trip to the finals!
If you read my last post, you know I signed myself up for back-to-back cocktail competitions:
Daiqs for Racks at Highball on Sunday, October 4, and the Prohibition Creation Dinner at
Citizen Public House on Monday, October 5.
I went into this weekend excited, nervous, and ready to put myself out there. I came out with some lessons, a little reunion with old coworkers, and a win I honestly did not see coming.
Here’s how it actually went down.
🎀 DAIQS, ADRENALINE & GOING FIRST
For my first-ever speed competition, I was up first against Sam. We actually first crossed
paths in the competition world at the Empress competition, which was my first win. So getting matched up again was a pretty cool full-circle moment.
But going first? Nerves. Adrenaline. The whole nine.
I had the counts running through my head: a 16-second rum pour, six seconds each for simple and lime. One hand, two hands, clean pours, correct wash lines. A wash line is where the finished drink sits in the glass, and yes, that matters when somebody is judging every little thing you do.
Then there’s the part where you have to chug the fourth Daiquiri before your time stops.
Casual.
My first round came in at 49 seconds, including drinking that last Daiq. And out of 16 competitors, I was one of two that didn’t get a penalty! Not to mention... I went in the very first round!
Pretty damn stoked on that. For my first speed comp, I’ll absolutely take it.
🧊 WHAT I’D DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME
My biggest takeaway for this particular format? A little ice in the big tin first, build all four
Daiquiris together, give it a good, hard, quick shake, then fill the four glasses to their wash lines and finish the last one.
That’s the approach I’d practice for another speed comp. Every extra movement costs you time, and watching other bartenders work was a lesson all by itself.
There was also an allowed option to pour the ingredients straight into the coupes and chug water. Fair game under the rules, but personally, I wanted to shake the drinks and finish an actual Daiquiri. That felt like the challenge I signed up for.
Caleb from Highball was pouring two drinks at once through his Hawthorne strainer. I saw that and thought, okay, I’m trying that in round two.
😅 ROUND TWO: THE TIN HAD OTHER PLANS
Everything was going smoothly until I went to put my big tin on after adding the ice. It was super wet, slipped right out of my hands, and suddenly my nice little routine turned into a scramble.
In the commotion, I spilled some of the other drink, had to add more rum, lime, and simple to make up for it, then awkwardly double-shake and strain while trying to keep a grip on these wet tins.
Exactly what you want happening while the clock is running, right?
I kept going and still felt good about competing, but I didn’t secure the win. Jen ended up winning the whole thing! The final came down to the wire, with a broken glass leading to a disqualification. A bittersweet ending to a really fun night.
At the end of the day, we were there to have fun, support a good cause, and bring the bartending community together. Congratulations, Jen!
🖤 MY PEOPLE SHOWED UP
One of my favorite parts of the night was looking out and seeing people who came to support me.
Shout-out to my mom, Aunt Stacia, Uncle Rich, Darian, and Rashon! Even Kim from the front desk at the Renaissance came with her partner. Old coworkers, friends, family… I loved having you all there.
You can practice all you want, but having your people in the room when your nerves are going crazy means a lot. Thank you for showing up for me.
And the little reunion afterward with Rashon and Darian? Easily one of the best parts of the whole night. We hit a dive bar, then ended up at 5 & Diner, where I ate soooo much delicious fried food. Apparently I had decided Monday Kendall could deal with the consequences. 😂
🥃 MONDAY: THE CREATION DINNER
Monday Kendall was, in fact, pretty hungover.
But I had another competition to get ready for. I made fresh strawberry cordial and rich simple syrup, ironed my clothes, packed up, and drove 51 minutes east to Scottsdale for my second Creation Dinner at Citizen Public House.
This was a completely different kind of pressure: 30 guests who had paid $100 for four special cocktails paired with four chef-driven courses. Four talented bartenders from around the Valley, and the guests would vote for their favorite drink.
🍓 RENAISSANCE: MY NEW YORK SOUR TAKES A TIKI DETOUR
My cocktail was RENAISSANCE, a reimagined, tiki-inspired twist on the New York Sour.
A split base of Bulleit Rye and Zacapa 23, with falernum, rich simple, lemon, lime, saline, and
Angostura bitters. On top: spiced vanilla strawberry Cabernet foam.
The rye brings spice and structure, the rum adds richness, and the falernum pulls the drink toward those tropical flavors I love. Then that strawberry, vanilla, and Cabernet layer is supposed to bring the whole thing together.
Citizen paired it with a fried oyster po’ boy slider on a King’s Hawaiian roll, with Napa cabbage slaw, black garlic vinaigrette, remoulade, and pickled apples. The food was amazing.
🫠 THE FOAM WAS NOT FOAMING
Before the dinner, I’d let a coworker use the rest of my personal foam chargers while we were waiting for the work order to come in. So I ordered replacements. Somewhere in that process, I bought chargers intended for cold brew instead of the ones I needed for my foam.
I didn’t figure that out until afterward.
At the dinner, all I knew was that the brand-new iSi whipper I’d bought for this competition wasn’t giving me the stable foam I needed. Add ice that was melting faster than I wanted, and suddenly I was trying to troubleshoot everything while it was my turn to serve.
Oh, and I also cracked enough eggs to get more than two cups of egg whites. Why didn’t I just buy the carton? Excellent question. Future me has notes.
I felt defeated. I stepped into the closet behind the bar, out of view, and took a few deep breaths. I cared so much about giving these guests the cocktail I’d worked on, and it felt like every little thing was fighting me.
But the guests were there, the drinks still needed to go out, and I had to pull myself together and keep working.
Below is what the finished cocktail SHOULD have looked like with a perfect foam. 💔
🍽️ A QUICK CASHEW DETOUR
There was also a very close call with a cashew ingredient wasn't listed on the menu. I have a serious cashew allergy, and thankfully I heard the chef mention it before I ate anything.
I was immediately like, nahhhh, we need to pause right there.
Once we cleared that up, the team took care of me with a nut-free meal and got my food out first. I really appreciated that. After all the stress behind the bar, I was very ready to eat.
🏆 AND THEN… I WON?!
After everything that had happened during my turn, I was not expecting to hear my name called.
It was neck and neck with Don from The Gladly and his cocktail, Casablanca. His drink was so smooth and absolutely delicious. Huge respect to Don, James from Ponderosa House, and Sean from Pretty Penny. It was awesome getting to share the night with all of you.
Then the votes came in… and RENAISSANCE won!
I was shocked. Actually blown away. I’d spent part of the evening taking deep breaths in a closet, convinced my turn had fallen apart, and now I was heading to the finals.
Thank you to everyone who voted for my cocktail, the Citizen Public House team, and everyone who helped make the night happen. That win meant a lot.
🔥 NEXT STOP: THE FINALS
Now I get to face off with more incredibly talented bartenders from around the Valley, and I cannot wait to be part of it.
I’ll share the details once I have them, because I would love to have more of you in the audience. Come support your boy!
This weekend gave me plenty to work on: dry tins, smarter prep, checking my equipment and charger order, and maybe making better decisions about how late I stay out before a competition. But it also gave me a night with my people and a chance to keep doing something I love.
You know I’m signing up again.
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