Battle 2 Results

A clear contender rises from the ranks

Mar 25, 2025

The second battle of this year’s 505 Food Fights opened on a beautiful spring evening at Sobremesa Restaurant & Brewery, with the windows thrown open to the patio to welcome the fresh breeze.

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.