OUR LAGUNA: Bartenders shake it up at Mozambique

Cheers!

When you hear that in a busy bar, it usually means the home team has scored. Monday night at Mozambique Steakhouse, it meant competing bartenders had made points.

The first of three preliminary “Shake, Rattle and Pour” contests to determine Orange County’s best bartender was a resounding success, if the huzzahs were any criteria. Winners of the prelims will compete in the final round, set for Sept. 8.

“It’s all about finding the bartender who can do the coolest tricks, and has the smoothest moves — the best bartender in Orange County,” Master of Ceremonies Adrian Castanon said.

Aaron Mock, a bartender at Rockin’ Taco in Fullerton, was the winner of the first round, beating out William Fraker from Bottles & Tins, a Laguna Niguel caterer; Mark Stanton, who flew in from TGI Friday’s in New York; and Curtis Harrier from Riptide in Mission Viejo.

The competition included four categories: speed, flavored martini, shot challenge and flair.

Drinks in each category were tasted by judges Karyn Philippsen, president of the Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau; Kyle Castanon, distiller and president of competition sponsor XZO Vodka; and Chris Holzhauer of Young’s Market, which is affiliated with Bacardi/Bacardi Flavors, also a sponsor, along with Bombay Sapphire gin and Corzo Tequila.

Leftovers, in shot glasses, were passed among the crowd. Castanon reminded the drinkers that if they had no designated driver, Mozambique provides a shuttle bus for any location within 10 miles of the restaurant. (City shuttles also were still operating when the competition ended about 9:30 p.m.)

In the first category, bartenders were required to make a Long Island Iced Tea, a Tom Collins, a margarita and a mojito as fast as possible, with Spill Judge Ashley Mayer watching for drips and timing.

Harrier took the honors, finishing the four drinks in two minutes and one second.

Overall winner Mock came in second at two minutes, six seconds.

The second category challenged the belief of purists that a martini is made of gin and vermouth, albeit highly debated ratios of the two spirits. Martinis flavored with chocolate or lemon are a fairly recent innovation — even a vodka martini wasn’t mentioned in the United States until 1951, according to Wikipedia.

Mock flavored his martini with strawberries, XZO vodka and lemonade, which he called Summer Breeze — well named, said Laguna Beach residents Laila Scharf and Janett Kozak, taking a night off their jobs at Hennessey’s.

“It definitely tasted like a summer breeze,” Scharf said.

Kozak called the drink “refreshing and not too sweet.”

Stanton created his martini from vodka, an Italian lemon-flavored liquor and a dash of vanilla, topped with whipped cream and lemon zest. He called it a Lemoncello.

“The best thing about bartending is making drinks that people like,” Stanton said.

Curtis combined fresh orange juice and gin for his Sunburst Martini. Orange juice combined with any spirit in a tall glass is called a Screwdriver.

Fraker concocted his “Purple Morning” from vodka, blueberry juice and fresh lemon, with a float on the bottom of Chambord, a French black raspberry liquor, served in a sugar-rimmed classic martini glass.

Fawn Memories owner George Nelson said the drinks might taste good, but they weren’t martinis in his opinion. Nelson is among the former regulars at Cedar Creek displaced when the popular downtown restaurant closed.

“It is our new hangout,” Nelson said.

Mock really shone in the Shot Challenge, racking up points with the audience and the judges when he stacked four cocktail mixers and poured the contents into four separate glasses without spilling a drop.

He called it a Red Gummi Bear — “a drink girls would like.” Philippsen gave it a big thumbs up.

But Mock, whose wife, Abby, was at Mozambique rooting for him, doesn’t think he will be the overall winner.

“There’s the guy who is going to win it all,” Mock said, pointing to fellow Rockin’ Taco bartender, Rodridgo Blascovich.

“I’ve done about 100 competitions,” Blascovich said. “It’s my career.

“A good bartender entertains people and tries to make drinks as fast as possible. Customers want more than a drink. The talkers come early, the customers looking for fun come later.”

“If there is no one ordering, I might show off a little.”

And that’s called flair. Bartenders with flair may entertain their customers by flinging bottles of liquor in the air and around their bodies, or as Fraker did, by pouring a stream of liquid from a bottle about four feet above the glass. No sloshing is allowed.

Style was a factor in the judging, which was based on a scale 1-10 for personality, ability/flair ability and presentation exhibited throughout the 2 1/2 -hour competition.

Criteria by which the judges made their decisions:

PERSONALITY

 Friendly/outgoing

 Is the contestant pleasant and easy to talk to?

 Entertaining/humorous

 Is the bartender funny or interesting?

 Showmanship/presence

 Do they take pride in their appearance and overall show?

 Positive attitude

 Are they a good sport?

ABILITY/FLAIR ABILITY

 Smoothness/control

 Does the bartender have control over their moves?

 Style, grace, fluidity

 Do they have a good style and form?

 Time efficient

 Are they quick when needed and pause for effect?

PRESENTATION

 Creativity

 Is their bartending unique?

 Overall presentation

 Does everything look good?

 How does it taste?

The same criteria will be used to judge the next two elimination rounds Monday and Sept. 1, and the final Sept. 8. The winner will take home a check for $500 and a $200 gift certificate from Mozambique, $50 in sponsor products, a two-night stay at the Hilton Waterfront hotel in Huntington Beach and assorted other prizes.

Competitions are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but few seats were available in the Mozambique bar when the competition began Monday. However, closed circuit television was provided.

For more information, call (714) 754-7477.

SISTERS

Philippsen did double duty Monday. The Sister City Committee met at Mozambique before the Shake, Rattle and Pour competition.

She reported that the 501 (c) 3 tax status is in the works.

“Everything is moving along beautifully,” Philippsen said.

At the meeting: Councilwoman Toni Iseman, Planning Commission Chair Pat Kollenda, Arts Commission Chairwoman Nancy Beverage, Laguna College of Art & Design and Laguna Art Museum board member Richard Schwartzstein and college faculty member Heléne Garrison.

OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature of the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot. Contributions are welcomed. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, 92652; hand-deliver to Suite 22 in the Lumberyard, 384 Forest Ave.; call (949) 494-4321 or fax (949) 494-8979 or by e-mail to coastlinepilot@latimes.com