Arturo A. Vera-Felicie was named top bartender at the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition Sunday at the Uptown Theater. His winning drink -- the West Bottoms Social Club -- is a modern twist on the Clover Club, substituting pickled fig syrup for raspberry syrup. We caught up with Arturo between shifts at 1924 Main to ask about the excitement of the past week and how he managed to take home the title.
How do you go about developing new cocktails, whether it's for the competition or behind the bar?
It's rare for anyone to come up with a drink and have it come out right the first time. It usually takes a few weeks to a month to tweak things, like the type of spirit or bitters. It's like a writer writing a novel. Sometimes you get stuck somewhere and you just need to think about something else. But then an idea can pop in your head randomly or you taste something that inspires you.
It's also great to have another bartender sit at your bar and just pick their brains. It helps when you have a concept but you don't know how to execute it. We all help each other out.
What did you think of competing on the stage of the Uptown Theater and mixing drinks for a live audience?
This is my second year, so I was well-prepared. I had an idea of what
the judges were expecting. I made a giant list of drinks and kept
skimming it based on what I knew and what I though the judges
might ask.
In some respects it was the same as when a guest comes in. You have to
look competent behind the bar. I made my drink, was asked to make a
Negroni, and got a question about how long Rye whiskey is aged. Everything
just flew by.
Any big plans, now that you've won the competition and walked away with the $1,000 grand prize?
Title-wise, I don't believe that I'm the best bartender in the city.
Instead, I look at it as I'm the first among my peers until next year's
championship. As for the prize money, I'm going to invest it in my career
as a bartender with wines and spirits. I've got a degree in booze and
that requires a lot of field research. Ultimately, bartenders are like
missionaries: We go where we are needed.
If you want to see Arturo in action, he works the dinner shift from
Monday to Wednesday and the lunch shift from Tuesday to Thursday at
1924 Main. You can also find him mixing drinks at the R Bar every
Friday and Saturday night.
The ingredients and mixing instructions for Arturo's first-place cocktail are below:
The West Bottoms Social Club
1 ½ oz Hendrick's Gin
¾ oz pickled fig syrup
½ oz gum syrup
¾ oz fresh lime juice
Egg white
5 dashes Angostura Bitters
Combine all ingredients except bitters in a mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass or coupe. Garnish with 5 drops of Angostura bitters.
[Image courtesy of Brandon Cummins]
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