Rehoboth bartenders win in East Coast competition
A Rehoboth Beach bartending team recently placed at Applebee's annual Rose Group Bar Games competition, a bartending contest that spanned across four states.
The contestants from 52 Applebee’s locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware had full access to the company's wine, beer, spirits and mixer inventory to create their concoctions. The teams were judged on the speed, accuracy and creativity of their drinks.
Rachel Summers and Danica Drake, from Rehoboth Beach, competed with an original cocktail made of coconut tequila, blue curacao, germain elderflower, sour mix, lime juice and simple syrup and candy eyeball garnish. Their drink, named Resurrection-Rita, placed third overall.
"It was a lot of fun," said Rachel Summers. "We love when the company lets us get creative and show off a little."
The winning team from the Westminster, Maryland Applebee’s location, took home the Bar Games winnings with their Strawberry Sunset cocktail.
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"Our bartenders are some of the best in the business. Their skills and creativity make this competition a hard one to judge," said Jeff Warden, President and CEO of The Rose Group. "The thought and passion our associates put into every cocktail is especially apparent when they have the opportunity to let their creativity flow."
The Bar Games competition began with store finals, followed by district semi-finals, district championships and the championship. Each round featured a head-to-head competition in which bartending teams completed their drinks within a predetermined amount of time.
Each finalist took away an engraved plaque with his or her picture on it to be displayed in their store. The winning team, Lee Bautista and Vicki Sanders from the Westminster, Maryland, Applebee’s location, will have their cocktail featured on the drink menu. Additionally, the Resurrection-Rita will be available in Rehoboth Beach.
For more information, contact Steve McGlynn at 48-34-3600 ext. 222.
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