Cocktail Competition Rules
Welcome to the 2025 season of 505 Food Fights! Thank you for being part of New Mexico’s biggest cocktail competition—all for charity! Along with philanthropy, this event is all about showcasing local mixology talent—and spotlighting craft, creativity, and adaptability.
In the leadup to your competition, we highly encourage you to engage with our audience @505foodfights and show off your skills behind the bar. And please share our website with your own audience, bar guests, and friends.
With that, here’s what you need to know…
Contestants will:
Create 2 unique cocktails, for 2 rounds of service.
Execute 2 judge drinks + 20 audience flights, for each cocktail.
Feature the night’s liquor, in both drinks.
Bring no more than 2 prepped ingredients (no alcohol) + 1 garnish (you may also bring special ice).
Share any commercial bitters brought, on the common table.
Scoring
2 (or 3) experienced judges will evaluate each drink, using our 4-part scorecard.
Audience members who purchase sample flights will get the same scorecard.
Each drink is scored out of 20 points based on:
Visual & garnish
Flavor & balance
Use & execution of challenge
Would you order it?
Winner is decided by the tallied total for both drinks.
People’s Choice score breaks a tie.
Competition Process
Bartender intros (approx 6:30pm)
First cocktail – Secret Ingredient
Secret liquor revealed & tasted.
Secret ingredient revealed.
15 minutes to plan & plate for judges.
Explain your cocktail to audience.
Make 20 taster versions for audience flights (be prepared to make up to 30).
Second cocktail – Wheel of Challenges
Spin the wheel.
15 minutes to plan & plate for judges.
Explain your cocktail to audience.
Make 20 taster versions for audience flights (be prepared to make up to 30).
Scoring & winner announcements
Ingredients & Tools
We provide:
Lemon juice (fresh)
Lime juice (fresh)
Simple syrup (1:1)
Turbinado (1:1)
Honey syrup (3:2)
Club soda
Pineapple juice
Coconut milk
Eggs
Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
Angostura & Orange bitters
Olives & Cherries
Fresh herbs
Assorted berries
Vermouths
You bring:
Up to 2 prepped ingredients + 1 garnish
Any commercial bitters (must share)
Tools encouraged:
2+ shakers
Mixing glass
Strainer & fine strainer
Jigger / measuring cup
Barspoon
Muddler
Knife, cuttingboard, peeler
Tools suggested:
Special glassware
Garnish picks
Brulee torch
Citrus squeezer
Ice scoop
Microplane
Rapid infuser