Bartender of the Year competition Aug. 23 at LuLu’s

Bartender of the Year competition Aug. 23 at LuLu’s
The Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance (ARHA) is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Bartender of the Year Competition, open to mixologists from Mobile and Baldwin Counties.
The competition will be held at LuLu’s in Gulf Shores on Tuesday, Aug. 23. ARHA will accept 10 of the nominated bartenders. Regional winners will advance to the state competition in Montgomery on Sept. 26. Regional winners will receive $200, and first, second and third places will receive plaques.
The first place winner at the state level will take home $1,500, with second place receiving $500 and third place receiving $200.
Nominations must be completed online at arhaonline.com. Call 334-244-1320 for more info.
Chosen nominees will receive a list of 10 cocktails to memorize prior to the event highlighting the liquor sponsor, Old Forester, and will be given 15 minutes to complete a multiple choice recipe test.
Contestants will prepare two randomly selected recipes, a Manhattan with a personal twist and a specialty concoction of choice – all using Old Forester bourbon whiskey – during their 10-minute timeslot. Additionally, competitors are required to announce the name and amount of each ingredient to determine accuracy.
Judges will score the participants on accuracy, crowd interaction, speed, written test score and quality of the specialty drink.
Local radio personality Bill Black with 95KSJ will serve as emcee, and the judging panel features David Holloway, food writer for AL.com and the Mobile Press-Register; Hal Scheurich, Baldwin County reporter for WALA-TV; and Greg Freeman representing Old Forester.
Trea Melville (pictured), who was representing LuLu’s at the time, claimed the regional title in 2015. In addition to his swift skills and accuracy, Melville impressed the judges with his exquisite signature cocktail, which entailed a cored Granny Smith apple with homemade caramel sauce.
Joshua Lynn of The Hangout in Gulf Shores and Steven Varnes of NoJa in Mobile rounded out 2015’s top three.