Star Of The Bar
New York bartender Kristo Tomingas resident mixologist at Mayahuel Mariposa nabbed the grand prize Star of the Bar Award. Ten bartenders competed at four live, semifinal competitions with one winner from each semifinal advancing to the final at Chicago’s NRA Show this past weekend.
The Finalists
The NRA Show features expert-led sessions in key areas of bar business and professional development, as well as mixology demos presented by top mixologists across all found days of the show. Star of the Bar finalists included Niall McCourt of St. Petersburg, Florida’s Mandarin Hide, Derrick Li of San Francisco’s Vintage Courts, Adam Rains of Las Vegas’ Flock & Fowl, Morgan Zuch of Tampa, Florida’s Datz and Luke Nevin-Gattle of Chicago’s Room 13.
The winning cocktail was “Pine and Passion,” which combines Riazuleño Mezcal Classico with passion liqueur, chickpea water, fresh pineapple and lemon. Riazuleño is the house pour at Mayahuel Mariposa, which is widely considered to be the premier mezcal bar in Manhattan.
The Prize
Tomingas advanced through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, and then beat out nine other finalists, earning bragging rights and the grand prize of $5,000. The competition was open to all bartenders across the United States with the semifinals previously held earlier in the year in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Orlando, and Chicago. Judging criteria was based on appearance of drink, aroma of drink, creativity, taste of drink, and overall impression.
“I am proud to say this is my 65th cocktail competition award — but my biggest win in the United States — and I’m very happy and excited to have achieved that,” said Tomingas.
A family-owned brand that was only recently introduced in the United States, Riazuleño Classico Mezcal is crafted from 100% Espadin agave harvested from the foothills region of Oaxaca. The piñas are cooked for up to three days in conic pits with hot volcanic rocks and covered with a hay like fabric to hold in the smoke. The result is an intensely flavorful spirit, offering notes of ripe tropical fruit, sweet agave and smoke.
