Matt Biancaniello wins LA's Best Bartender award from Table 20

Matt Biancaniello, head bartender at the Library Bar in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, was announced as the winner last night at a party at Elevate Lounge in downtown LA to celebrate the six finalists in Table 20's LA's Best Bartender competition. The other finalists included Joe Brooke from the Edison, Max Diaz of Cole's Red Car Bar, Devon Espinosa of the Tasting Kitchen, Dee Ann Quinones of Susan Feniger's Street, and Alex Straus of the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica. Each of the finalists created a punch using Don Q rum and poured their hot and cold punches to the celebrants to get the attendees in a festive mood.

Michel Dozois's (above) of Neve Ice greeted guests and provided glasses filled with his ice to attendees as they walked in, so they could sample all six punches on offer. The location at Elevate Lounge / Takami, provided amazing views of downtown as it is on the top floor of a high rise building on the corner of Wilshire and Flower in downtown.

Matt Biancaniello (above) served an Indian inspired punch called Queen of the Night, which included star fruit with husk cherries floating in it, for a dramatic visual effect (below). The punch also includes pomegranate juice, roasted cumin seeds, and Don Q rum (of course).

Joe Brooke (below) arrived late as he, Alex and Matt had all just returned from BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource), a week long intensive educational program in New York City. He served a "State Fair Punch" whose preparation required the juicing of untold numbers of limes.

Devon Espinosa of the Tasting Kitchen in Venice (below) took a break from pouring punch to strike a pose.  The event was judged by five bloggers: Caroline of Caroline on Crack, Chris Archibald of Liquor.com, Liz Steinhart of FoodSheThought, Kevin Hsu of kevinEats and Victoria of Vixen's L.A. Happy Hours.  Alas Kevin was unable to attend do to a work committment, but the other judges were there in full force to celebrate the finalists and Matt's victory.

Table 20 founder Trevor Smith hosted the event and announced that the contest will happen again next year and that early in 2011, a "Bartender's Ball" will be held. Stay tuned for updates on that as more information becomes available. Table 20 is a new employment site for restaurants and bars, which recently launched in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Red Hot Rover: Sizzling at the Shangri-La in Santa Monica

Red Hot Rover, the latest edition of Aidan Demarest and Marcos Tello's successful series of guest bartender events, brought four talented female bartenders to the penthouse bar at the Shangri-La last Monday to mix drinks in view of the Santa Monica pier. Guest bartenders were Naomi Schimek of First & Hope in Los Angeles, Christy Pope ex Milk and Honey and currently a partner in the New York based cocktail firm Cuff & Buttons, Jennifer Contraveos of the Crafted Cocktail, a Chicago-based beverage consultancy, and Jessica Tanaka from Rickhouse in San Francisco.


Pope (pictured above) created the Lost Horizon cocktail which was Sassafras infused Bacardi 8 Rum touched with Demarara Syrup topped with fresh nutmeg and orange as well as the Angkor Wat, which had Bacardi Coco, lime, serrano chili and cilantro. I enjoyed the spicy Angkor Wat but found the licorice-like sassafras in the Lost Horizon to be too strong for me.


Pictured above is Naomi Schimek's Gin et Verjus which was Oxley Gin with Persian sour grapes and honey syrup. The garnish of the tiny grapes was a great visual touch.

The bar got crowded with many bartenders in attendance as the Monday night scheduling enabled a lot of industry folks to go on their night off. The event went smoothly with short wait times for drinks and it was timed to take advantage of the views from the penthouse patio and windows over Santa Monica Bay, the pier and the beach, particularly at sunset and then as the twinkling lights of the ferris wheel on the pier came on.



This edition of Red Hot Rover was a collaboration with Demarest and Tello's Liquid Assets and Alex Straus, the Cocktail Director for Suite 700 at the Shangri-La. With the first Red Rover in downtown LA, the next in New York during this Manhattan Cocktail Classic, and this edition in Santa Monica, it is a mystery where the next edition of Red Rover will happen once Demarest and Tello return from Tales of the Cocktail. Perhaps at their new project at the Raymond in Pasadena? Only time will tell.