Cocktail Wars IV Week 2 Recap

The second week of Cocktail Wars Newport features a whole lot of women and a few veterans making a second attempt.

The second preliminary round of the fourth season of Newport’s Cocktail Wars provided attendees with a pretty good show and a damn tasty time. The crowd at the Gas Lamp Grille was a bit larger than the first week, which is always a good sign.

The Contestants

Cindy Erwin – Forty 1 North

Cindy Erwin made her second appearance in Cocktail Wars. She’s best described as 100 lbs of biker chick mixologist.

Halie Sabatasso – Vanderbilt Grace

Halie, currently at the Vanderbilt Grace, is no stranger to either fine dining or bartending, having worked at several of Newport’s higher-end establishments.

Joe Watt

Joe is quite a cocktail competition veteran this time around. Last year he won the Tropical Drink competition held at the Gas Lamp Grille and he was a finalist in last season’s Cocktail Wars.

Christina Mercado – Vanderbilt Grace

Christina is a bit of a dark horse. We know her restaurant experience includes some time in the kitchen, which at Cocktail Wars, has actually proven to be a bit of an advantage in previous seasons.

The Mystery Liquor

Three Olives Espresso Vodka

Flavored vodkas, especially ESPRESSO flavored vodkas, can be a bit of a challenge, because they put the competition in a bit of a tight corner, creativity-wise. If you think about it, compared to other cocktails, the espresso martini is not a drink where one sees a massive variety. Typically, if there are options, it’s typically “With Baileys or dark?”.

Of course, Newport’s Cocktail Wars contestants have never been folks who follow convention. They just follow the path laid by their taste buds.

The Judges

The Judges this week are no strangers to the cocktail. From Left to Right…

Jose Amid (who just skipped town to move to NYC)

Corey Hayes (who we learned is NOT skipping town to move to Florida)

Jonathan Edgell (of the White Horse Tavern)

AND THE WINNER IS…

…revealed at the end of the video. (Just fast-forward if you want to miss all the action)

See you next Sunday for the next round, where four more bartenders will duke it out to see who’s going to the semi-finals. Action starts at the Gas Lamp Grille at 10pm.

-Tristan Pinnock, Blast Cocktail Correspondent