Third biannual cocktail contest showcases local bartenders

CORVALLIS - Six local bartenders put their creativity and skill to the test Sunday evening in the Mid-Valley Bartenders Association's 3rd Bi-annual Cocktail Contest at Aqua Seafood Restaurant& Bar in the Water Street Market, 151 N.W. Monroe Ave.

The competitors and their respective home establishments were Andy Brenneman (Terzo), Chris Churilla (Cloud 9, Downward Dog), Kinn Edwards (Aqua), Katy January (Aqua, Terzo), Shaun Jolley (Big River) and Griffin Jones (Big River). Money raised at the event went to the Children's Farm Home.

The competition consisted of four rounds, each utilizing a different Latin American liquor: rhum (French spelling), tequila, cachça and pisco.

The competitors each were assigned to two of the rounds and tasked with creating original drinks using the prescribed liquors.

The 12 newly invented cocktails were judged by a panel of judges as well as the audience.

The judges were Marcus Looze (vice president of Avalon Wine), Dai Crisp (of Lumos), Peter Betjemann (an assistant professor of English at Oregon State University) and Ian Hutchings (the former executive chef at Strega).

The bartender that created each new cocktail recipe was not revealed until after the score cards were collected at the end of the night.

"We want the drinks to compete against each other and not the bartender," said Brenneman.

Many members of the audience took their scoring very seriously, sketching out the pros and cons of each drink before scoring them from 1 to 5.

OSU student Layne Miller and recent graduate Spencer Adkins came to the event expecting a typical Las Vegas-style bartending competition, where competitors show off tricks and compete in events such as speed pouring shots. They were pleasantly surprised by the event's focus on creativity, presentation and taste.

Spencer saw it as a sign of Corvallis' riverfront revival. "These bars are not just your average run down places," he said.

The night had its share of good-natured ribbing between the competing bartenders, but behind the scenes competitors helped pour and hustle trays of each other's drinks out of the kitchen.

"Honestly, I don't think you get any better cocktails in Portland," Edwards said.

The competitors are at the core of the Mid-Valley Bartenders and hope more friendly competitions such as this one will help bring more awareness to the scene in Corvallis.

"Portland sure as heck isn't doing this. Eugene isn't doing it. Just Corvallis," Churilla said.

January ended up winning top honors for the night in both the judges' and peoples' choice category with a rhum-based drink she called "Coconut Bazooka."

The judges praised the winning drink for its presentation and also as a "democratic drink" that could appeal across a wide range of demographics.

"You put the lime in the coconut and you win the contest," laughed January.

Title: Mid-Valley Bartenders 3rd Biannual Cocktail Contest Date: May. 7th, 2009 Andy Cripe share some images from the Mid-Valley Bartenders 3rd Biannual Cocktail Contest, held at Aqua on Sunday, May 3. PLAY »

COMPETITORS

• Andy Brenneman (Terzo)

• Chris Churilla (Cloud 9, Downward Dog)

• Kinn Edwards (Aqua)

• Katy January (Aqua, Terzo)

• Shaun Jolley (Big River)

• Griffin Jones (Big River)

JUDGES

• Peter Betjemann (enthusiast)

• Dai Crisp (Lumos)

• Ian Hutchings (Strega)

• Marcus Looze (Avalon Wine)

First place: "Coconut Bazooka" by Katy January (rhum round).

Second place: "Lucha Libre" by Chris Churilla (tequila round).

Third place: "Mexico City" by Kinn Edwards (tequila round).

PEOPLES' CHOICE

First place: "Coconut Bazooka" by Katy January (rhum round).

Second place: "Lucha Libre" by Chris Churilla (tequila round).

Third place: "Southeast American" by Griffin Jones (Cachça round).