Battle of the Bartenders wrap up

I do not want this article to be a simple what-happened-and-who-won piece about the Battle of the Bartenders a couple of Fridays ago. If you were there, thank you for your generosity. If you missed it, you missed one of the best parties held in Sonoma.
I spent close to six  months working on the four-hour party, and when the day came, I never got a chance to sit and take any of it in. I do have some interesting impressions that I would like to share with you, but I need to get the basics out of the way first.
The final secret ingredient was 100 percent pure, grade B maple syrup. Apparently, it is the hot new sweetener for trendy mixologists along the Eastern seaboard. On the Left Coast, we use agave nectar. The winning team was Enrique Padilla and Brian Gilliland from Maya Restaurant. They created a variation on their house cocktail, the Maya Stinger, using maple syrup, tequila and jalapenos. Go to Maya and ask them to show you the trophy. It has a really cool go-kart on it.
Mary’s Pizza Shack came in second and there was a statistical tie for third between Carneros Restaurant and Bluegrass Bar and Grill.
The event raised more than $15,000 for the Native Sons of the Golden West and local American Legion Post #489. I bought over 650 wristbands for participants and attendees and we ran out around 8 p.m. I conservatively estimate attendance to be more than 700 people, which is a couple hundred more than last year. Amazingly, we did not run out of cups or ice. It turns out that a ton of ice was barely enough and everyone was being green about their cups by re-using them whenever possible. Thanks.
The other secret ingredients were espresso coffee soda, Ty-Ku (a new Asian-themed liqueur), Acai juice and mangosteen juice. Each ingredient posed its own special difficulties and I felt that each team rose to the challenge.
Now that the news has been delivered, I can focus on the human moments that made this year’s event special for me.
Fred Johnson from Team Renegade got the People’s Choice Award for building a jungle-themed booth complete with its own mood lighting, trees and bar. Their booth evoked a cool South American cantina. Simply excellent.
The greatest thrill I got was when I ran into Stephanie Sorsby from Mary’s Pizza Shack’s team at Steiners later that night. She was holding her trophy above her head screaming, “I got second place!” to anyone within earshot. Her smile was bigger than mine, but only by a little.
Jack Montaldo, one of the owners of Basque Boulangerie, paid full VIP admission and brought a couple-hundred rolls and cookies for fun. This is the kind of generosity that was on display all night. This year’s silent auction, run by my co-organizer Kim Bernadini, was a huge success. The auction alone raised over $4,000 from about 50 unique items. I would like to thank both the donators and the people who bought the items. A special thank you goes to David Daniels at Saddles Restaurant for providing all the last-minute things I forgot.
KSVY 91.3, Sonoma’s local radio station, provided live coverage during the event, much to my surprise. Thanks, Ken Brown, that was a special treat I did not know was going to happen. Your participation lent a certain gravitas and legitimacy to a frivolous fundraiser.
This event has grown to such amazing heights that it shocks me sometimes, given its humble beginnings as a small party to honor a few local bartenders. I am in awe as to how it brings a community together for a night of boozing for charity. It just proves how special Sonoma and its residents can be. Both the charities and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.