The bartenders set up to start the show, positioning their 2 allowed pre-prepped ingredients and 1 garnish, hoping their choices would pair well with the secret ingredient, once revealed.

While dozens of fans filled the seats, representing the finest of Albuquerque’s culinary & craft cocktail scene, along with numerous civilians and local business leaders.

Anderson Family Chiropractic took the front row table, almost in the cocktail splash zone—the Gold Sponsor of a night that ultimately raised $4,180 for The Clubs Foundation charity.

The Cocktails

Cocktail #1 – Secret Ingredients

Secret liquor: Irish Whiskey

Secret ingredient: Whole ginger

The bartenders took their raw ginger roots and got to work, each in their own way…deciding how to incorporate the fresh ginger with the 2 ingredients they’d brought.

Pro tip: For peeling ginger root, the best tool is a small spoon!

After the bartenders finished creating, the judges took their allotments…and the first flights went out to the audience for scoring. Then MC Mike White spun the wheel to reveal the next challenge.

Cocktail #2 – Challenge Wheel

Challenge: Use smoke.

With smoking-guns and multiple varieties of woodchips to play with, the bartenders set about filling the venue with barbecue fragrance…even as the chefs plated their first dishes in the kitchen.

One bartender even brought out a Lewis Bag from his toolkit, to crush ice for a smoky and refreshing raspberry chiller.

Winner By Unanimous Decision!

All six cocktails were exciting and creative, showcasing the talent of ABQ mixologists working creatively on the fly…

But one clear standout drink clinched the victory for the evening’s unanimous bartending winner—whose first cocktail was perfectly balanced and flavorful, featuring both the irish whiskey and the ginger; softened, melded, and brightened by the fresh green notes of snap pea & yuzo syrup. Garnished with a bit of extra “flare” (see video below).

Congratulations to Ian Bahe of Gather!—who will go on to the Quarterfinals, to face off with other next-level Albuquerque cocktail bartenders.

Don’t be surprised if you see Oh Snap! on Ian’s menu next year for St. Patrick’s Day!

Cocktail Recipe – Oh Snap!

• Muddled ginger

• 1 eggwhite

• 1.5 oz Irish whiskey

• .75 oz Snap pea syrup

• .75 oz Yuzu lemon juice

• .25 oz lime juice

Garnish: fresh snap pea (optional flourish: wrap it in Flash Paper, see below…)

For the syrup:

• 3:2 Simple Syrup

• 250 g snap peas

• In a food processor or blender, blend on high for 30-45 seconds.

• Strain through cheese cloth.

• Bottle and refrigerate for up to a two weeks.

The Kitchen

Secret ingredients: Whole chicken, stilton blue cheese, and cookie dough ice cream.

Stay tuned for more details…

Location: Sobremesa Restaurant & Brewery – doors at 6pm

$𝟐𝟎 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 (𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲) 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 🔥

👉 Non-Profit of the evening: The Clubs Foundation
🥇 Gold Sponsor: Anderson Family Chiropractic
🚚 Food Truck: J Cubed

🏆 50/50 Raffle: BIG PRIZE POOL – split between the raffle winner and the night’s charity. 🎟 = $20; 🎟🎟🎟 = $40

Non-Profit: The Clubs Foundation

The Clubs Foundation is a New Mexico based organization dedicated to empowering youth through competitive play and holistic development in baseball and softball. They believe the lessons learned on the diamond go beyond the game — they're shaping futures, building character, and creating opportunities. 💪✨

CHEFS

👨‍🍳 Alan Jordan - Good Dawg Catering
👨‍🍳 Chastity Charlie - Tanoan Country Club
👨‍🍳 Alfredo Trujillo - Mula’s -& Debajo

BARTENDERS

🤵🏻 Ian Bahe - Gather
🤵🏻 Red Marquez - Isotopes Ballpark
🤵🏻 Emily Dixon - Sobremesa

Judges

• Chef Sean Sinclair

• Chef Steve Riley

• Chef Loren Nickel Jones

• Bar: Paul Blumer

• Bar: Chef

👉 Non-Profit of the evening: 505 Food and Bar Fights
🥉 Bronze Sponsor: Desert Sky Cafe & Desert Sky on the Fly Food Truck
🚚 Food Truck: Mighty Mike's Meats

🏆 Raffle: 50/50 Raffle Draw — We invite you to buy raffle tickets and contribute to a BIG PRIZE POOL. The proceeds from the raffle ticket will be split between the raffle winner and the night’s charity.

Chefs

• Rafa Ruiz - Executive Chef @ Sobremesa

• Gabriel Perez - chef @ Artichoke Cafe

• Richard Powdrell - Private Cook

Bartenders

• Rev Zirwas, @Bastard.Pastor – formerly Hollow Spirits, currently Freelance

• Joseph Cutchall, @burque_bartending – Left Turn Distilling & Campo

• Alex Baca, @alexbacaa – Dirty Bourbon & Vintage 423

Judges

• Chef Sean Sinclair

• Chef Steve Riley

• Chef Loren Nickel Jones

• Bar: Paul Blumer

• Bar: Joe Seibert