Stiff Competition: Deadline Looms for Mixologist Showdown

Local bartenders have until the end of the week to get in on the chance to craft the "Drink of Wicker Park Bucktown."

The Wicker Park and Bucktown Chamber of Commerce will host its second "Drink of Wicker Park Bucktown Mixologist Mash-Up" this spring at Dolphin, 2200 N. Ashland Ave.

The deadline for applicants who want to participate in the March 28 at competition is Feb. 1. Interested bars or restaurants should download a copy of the entry form and submit it to the chamber by Friday. Participation is restricted to businesses that are chamber members.

Chamber Executive Director Adam Burck said via e-mail that the idea for the Mixologist Mash-Up emerged during a brainstorming session regarding events that could highlight the strengths of the area's businesses.

"One idea we discussed was creating a drink of Wicker Park Bucktown, so I pitched the idea of a mixologist competition," Burck said. "The Marketing Committee loved the idea and we worked together to craft the first year’s event. It was very well received by the attendees and the participating bars, so we knew we had a winner of an idea."

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The whole competition is prompted by a single question— "If Wicker Park Bucktown were a drink, what would it taste like?" Competing bartenders set out to craft unique cocktails to answer that question, and the winner is decided not by a panel of judges, but the votes of the event's attendees.

"The attendees taste all of the cocktails on offer and then vote for the one that they like the best," Burck said. "We serve small tasting portions of the cocktails, in order to allow people to try them all, and we have a catered food provided."

Proceeds from the event will benefit the chamber's promotional and technical assistance efforts for local businesses, according to Burck. The entry fee for businesses is $200, which includes promotional work for the event, the event's featured alcohol and a six-foot-long banquet table, the application says.

Last year's winning cocktail was Club Lucky's "Six Corner Fizz," which remains on the bar's cocktail menu. The Boundary, Pint, Subterranean and Wicker Park Tavern were among the competitors.

Tickets for the 2013 Mixologist Mash-Up were not available for purchase as of Jan. 28. Burck wasn't able to confirm their cost at that time.

For the most up-to-date information, see the event's listing on the chamber website.

If Wicker Park Bucktown were a drink, what would it taste like? Tell us in the comments.