Behind the Bar

Drink Mixers from Sambar, Barrio, Vito’s, Sun Liquor, and Serafina Compete in Iron Bartender

Sign up to judge drinks from very good tenders. Then go early so you can hear Shelby Earl.

May 4, 2011

Don’t be frightened by this image—I’m confident nobody will ask you to drink Malibu rum at the Iron Bartender comp. I just thought it was a funny.

Courtesy: nightlifedenver.com

On May 29, Serafina in Eastlake is hosting a cocktail competition called Iron Bartender and instead of inviting a panel of judges, the restaurant is putting the decision in the hands of guests.

You pay $75, you watch as five tenders create cocktails to pair with five dishes, you drink the drinks and eat the food. Then you decide who wins. The “iron” part refers to the fact that bartenders must include a secret ingredient in the cocktail, just like the chefs do on Iron Chef.

Here’s who is competing: Chelsea Anderson from Sun Liquor, MacGregor Boswell from Serafina, Jay Kuehner from Sambar, Jared Scarr of Cicchetti and Vito’s, and Casey Robinson, who runs the bar show at Barrio. Serafina bar manager Chris Bollenbacher will be the emcee.

The competition begins at 4pm on the 29th, but it’s just one piece of an all-day party celebrating the restaurant’s 20th anniversary.

Last night, I popped by Serafina for a press event aimed at drumming up buzz for all this. Here’s what I learned: you should definitely show up at 2pm to see a performance by Shelby Earl, a singer/songwriter who is also a server at the restaurant. Her voice is quite beautiful. You needn’t take my word for that, however, I’ve included a video below in which she sings one of the world’s great songs.

For more details on the Sera party, head here.

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