Brian Scanlon will be hosting Bring It!, an Iron Chef-like challenge for local bartenders. Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
He’s mustachioed, bespectacled, literary-minded and makes a mean martini. What more could one want from your local bartender? Sonoma’s First Annual Battle of the Bartenders, a competition organized by Steiner’s Tavern alumnus Brian Scanlan, that’s what.
“Anything that pushes us together and pats on the back is good for us,” Scanlan said of Sonoma’s bartending community, a group of professionals who respect each other’s work enough to try to best it in a public forum. “We hatched this plan in the middle of the night – ‘Why not have our own competition?’” The bartenders unanimously elected Scanlan to put it together. The gauntlet gets thrown next Friday, Sept. 21 at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall.
Scanlan went to work on the event in February and soon earmarked the scholarship fund of the Native Sons of the Golden West and the cemetery fund of The American Legion #489 to receive the proceeds of the competition, which is styled after the Food Network’s “Iron Chef” competitive cooking show. In the popular program, mystery ingredients are presented to chefs who are tasked with making an inventive and palatable meal in a limited amount of time.
“I’m throwing some pretty wacky ingredients to bartenders who are pretty wacky on the outside anyway and giving them ridiculous prizes – like tiaras,” said Scanlan. “Kaffir lime is too much on the easy side and yuzu juice is too difficult,” he suggested, before pondering the relative merits of basil as a drink ingredient. “I don’t even know what I would do with basil.”
Each bartender will start the competition with a full bar stocked with the usual juices, fruits and mixers typical of the trade. They will also have a full back stock of booze including flavored vodkas and gins, among other selections that have all been donated.
Among the prospective competitors are Sonoma Valley Sun “Best Bartender in Sonoma” title holder Mark O’Donnell of the girl and the fig and Martini Madness winner Hunt Bailie of Murphy’s Irish Pub. Other challengers include Saddles’ Gerard Stephens, Brian Gililand of Maya Restaurant and Mike Briones of the Swiss Hotel. They’ll have 10 minutes to create three cocktails using a secret ingredient that will be revealed moments before the contest begins.
“Since there are so many bartenders, I have to run it four at a time with the winner of each heat going on to the final heat. That winner gets the big trophy, which is a cheerleading trophy,” laughed Scanlan, who added that he also has a discarded skeet-shooting trophy, which he has modified to read “Best Shooter.”
“I have a bunch of random trophies that I’ve found in garage sales,” laughed Scanlan, who reminded The Sun that the real winners of the competition are the charities.
“Someone is going to prevail as the winner. But we have prizes for everyone. I have medals and I found a little tiny trophy that’s about two inches square with a little cup, which will go to each heat winner,” said Scanlan, who noted that bartending is an art. “There is an art form to it. If you consider cooking an art, there is no difference.”
This year’s judges will include expert former bartenders, media types (food and wine editor Kathleen Hill will join me as a judge) and VIP ticket holders selected at random.
As the event’s organizer, Scanlan had to abstain from the competition. To wit, if the battle returns next year, he hopes to have help running it so that he may compete.
“I’m not in the competition, which bums me out like you wouldn’t believe. Deep in my heart of hearts I’m a gamer. I want to make this as irreverent and silly as possible but at the same time make sure that everyone gets all the recognition they deserve,” said Scanlan. “I just want to show that all the bartenders in town are good – there’s a good lot of them.”
The First Annual Battle of The Bartenders takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall, 126 First Street West in Sonoma. Signature drinks and appetizers from Steiner’s Tavern, Maya Restaurant, Saddles, The Plaza Bistro, The El Dorado Kitchen, Mary’s Pizza Shack, Murphy’s Irish Pub, Meritage, Carneros Restaurant, The Swiss Hotel, Shiso, The Blue Moon Saloon, The Town Square, the girl and the fig and Iron Springs Brewery will be served throughout the competition.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, and will include front-row seats for the contest, musical entertainment, five free-drink coupons and a silent auction. VIP tickets are $50 and include unlimited drinks and the possibility of becoming an onstage judge.
Tickets are available at Steiner’s Tavern. More information visit www.sonomabartenderbattle.com. To volunteer or to sponsor the event, contact Scanlan at 707.292.7274 or at Steiner’s, 465 First St. West.