May 25, 2008 – Sunday isn’t a typical bar night—most people are home, catching up with “Desperate Housewives” or “Family Guy,” before the inevitable early beginning-of-the-week bedtime. Not at Hard Times Café in Woodbridge. It’s 9 p.m. on a Sunday night and the place is packed. People are crowding the darkened, smoky bar, playing pool and music is blaring—all in anticipation of the latest round of Northern Virginia’s annual Fastest Bartender Contest.

A string of regional competitions will put winners competing for money in a championship round in June. The events’ charity is a stark contrast to the loud, smoky settings in which they take place. The competition raises money for Tender Hearts Foundation, an organization close to organizer Billy Reilly, which assists families of children with heart problems.

Reilly’s son Collin was born with half a heart.

“They had to rebuild his heart,” Reilly said. At 4, Collin has been through three open-heart surgeries and is doing great. “We’re very lucky.”

Tender Hearts, an offshoot of the American Heart Association, based at Inova Fairfax Hospital, helps families in similar situations to cover cost of travel and lodging. Reilly said the charity raised $25,000 in two years.

The three-round contest measures speed and accuracy. In accordance with ABC laws, colored water is substituted for all alcohol during the mixed drink competition.

The Fastest Bartender Contest, which originated in Georgetown in 1981, is now in nine states, each competition with a regional winner.

Reilly competed from 1987 to 1995. He won in 1995.

He is pretty much an emissary for all things bar culture—part fast-talking showman, part Good Samaritan. He sports a Bartender Hall Of Fame Ring, which at first glance could be a high school ring. (He was 26 when he was inducted, so it’s not that far off). He loves the camaraderie of bars and bartenders, but also understands the importance of giving back to the community.

Reilly said he is in the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! for the longest bar shift.

He made a drink every hour for 10 days straight in 1989, at Champions in Georgetown. He was delusional by the seventh or eighth day—but also raised $18,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation.

* * *

Dave Blick, a 38-year-old bartender at Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries, is nervously waiting by bar with his friend Elijah De Anda. Blick said he’s good with a fast drink, but might have some troubles with the garnishes in the second round.

“He’s more suited to the contemporary American drink,” De Anda says.

Blick entered a similar contest a couple years ago in Fredericksburg, helping to raise more than $2,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation.

“It’s really cool,” Blick says. “It’s a fun thing for the local bartend-ers to raise money for charity.”

The contest is stalled for an hour because an accident on Va. 28 delays host Jimmy Cirrito.

Not that people seem to care. There’s enough going on—loud music, pool and, of course, booze, to keep everyone happy… or not.

“Yo, I had to buy a pool table because I’m so f***ing bored, waiting for your competition,” someone complains.

Fastest Bartender Commissioner Billy Reilly isn’t bothered.

“The only thing I’m worried about is the contestants getting f***ed up now,” Reilly says. “That’s the mitigating factor.”

(Bartenders are not permitted to be intoxicated during the competition, in accordance with ABC alcohol ordinances.)

* * *

Finally, just before 10:15 p.m., the competition starts. There are 11 area bartenders competing for two slots in the next round at Tyson’s Corner June 8. There they’ll compete for $1,000.

In turn, each bartender takes the stage through three rounds. Reilly and Cirrito trade jokes and banter (including an extreme overuse of the word “bro”) keeping things interesting, lighthearted and fun. When one contestant, a small, baby-faced bartender named Mike Tallman takes the stage, Reilly and Cirrito tease him with the Munchkin song from “The Wizard of Oz.” Clearly they’ve done this routine before, but the audience eats it up.

The first event is the five shot pour. Each bartender must pour five shots, as fast as they can, to exactly an ounce and a half. When Blick takes the stage, his hands are visibly shaking as he arranges the glasses to his liking. The drinks are called: Jameson, Tezon, Stoli, Beefeater and Malibu. Go!

Blick fumbles a bit and accidentally pours two shots of Stoli. Reilly eyes every shot to see if Blick was over or under. He calls “over” or “under” (followed by a loud buzzer). But there’s one “good one,” a shot of exactly an ounce and a half. When Reilly announces it, as when he announces all good pours, the opening notes from Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting” plays.

“Everyone’s nervous,” Blick shrugs his showing aside. “You want to go good. It’s a pride thing.”

* * *

For the second round, contestants mix five drinks as fast as they can. The trick is to get all of the garnishes (cherries, oranges) and ice correct. The drinks are announced twice. Friends in the audience can write down the list and hold it up (from behind a foul line, which is indicated with a towel on the floor). Blick assists a bartender named Jamie Bailey from Original Steakhouse in Lake Ridge, who is the first to go. If she forgets what drink to make, she can look up and see the list.

Of course, writing down five specific drinks in a matter of seconds could be as difficult as actually mixing the drinks in a matter of seconds.

A bartender named Chris Edwards, from TGI Fridays in Fredericksburg has a different strategy—he’ll remember the first two announced; his friend is responsible for writing down the other three.

When Blick takes the stage again, his assistant didn’t get the name of the fifth drink. Blick had to wing it. He also missed a cherry on one drink.

“He got almost every drink correct,” Cirrito announces after Blick finishes. “Too bad he can’t yell at the customer to find out what they wanted.”

It seems, however, the bartender to beat is Rachel Allen, who bartends at Hard Times in Springfield. She mixed all five of her drinks perfectly in 35 seconds. (Allen won a fastest female bar-tender competition for the entire Commonwealth last summer). A couple other bartenders were faster, but made mistakes. Most bartenders take between a minute and a minute and a half in this portion of the contest.

* * *

The third and final round is where the money is raised. Each bartender must prepare a martini as fast and accurate as possible, and then swaps it out for a real martini (prepared by Hard Times, again with the alcohol laws), to auction in the crowd.

By now, almost everyone watching seems to be at some degree of intoxication, belting along to whatever song is playing.

Blick spills his cup over while making his drink. He finishes in 14 seconds or so, but it’s not nearly enough. Allen managed a flawless martini at just over eight seconds.

It’s approaching 1 a.m. when the final round concludes and it’s going to be another 20 minutes or so while scores are tallied.

The results were not surprising—Allen took first place.

“It’s really nice to have the crowd be like ‘Great job’,” Allen, 28, of Reston said. “That’s what makes it kind of worth it, getting the crowd pumped up for it.”

(Her secret? “Practice.” Allen’s been a bartender for seven years and competed in similar competitions around the region).

Buddy Bonta from Kilroy’s Restaurant in Woodbridge took second. But that’s almost beside the point for Reilly.

He said including entry fees, about $1,200 was raised for charity.

He’s that much closer to his $20,000 goal.

Sixteen bartenders from different bars around town battled Tuesday night to become the fastest bartender in Hoboken. A crowd of happy beer-lovers cheered on their favorite bartenders, while Miller Lite and Bacardi promotional girls, dressed in all black, handed out free goodies.
Michelle Kestenbaum, who has been working at the Madison for the past four months was very nervous, but happy to be a part of the charity event. (the money goes to the Hoboken YMCA)

The qualifying rounds were so much fun, we just cheered each other on,” she said, with a wide smile.
The sixteen contenders then walked up to the stage where a 28-year-old bar stands with bottles of liquor.

1. The first round: shots.
2. The second round: Mixed drinks.
3. The third, and final, round: Martinis.

Steve Schneider, three time winner of the competition, trained 11 of the 16 finalists and has one tip: “take your time.” This may sound like a weird advice at the fastest bartender competition, but he meant it. Schneider is currently a bartender in the West Village in Manhattan.

Ray “Gizmo” Ward, who is the Guinness Book of Records record holder of most hours behind the bar (he spent 17 days straight behind the bar) also warned the competitors against drinking too much. “Don’t get drunk!” He exclaimed. “Don’t drink and drive!”

Claire Moses/Hoboken NowRay "Gizmo" Ward (left), a long time bartender from Virginia and Steve Schneider, a three time winner of the fastest bartender competition in Washington D.C. pose for a picture in front of the 28-year-old bar on Tuesday night.

The atmosphere on the stage and in the bar was cheerful. The audience drank more and the bartenders kept pouring with drops of liquor flying through the air from the bottles on stage.

The moderator didn’t seem to mind. “I love female bartenders that make me splash!” said the moderator, Jimmy Cirrito who owns Jimmy’s Tavern in Herndon VA.

Although the competition is in its 29th year, Tuesday marked the first time it was held in Hoboken.
The short video clip below is of Chris Villavicencio pouring shots during the competition: (2:13)

Can you drink fast enough to keep up?

On Tuesday October 6th The Shannon will host the first in a series of contests to find the fastest bartender in Hoboken. The Fastest Bartender Contest has been conducting contests throughout the Mid-Atlantic since 1980 and they’ll be conducting contests in Hoboken throughout this month. These exciting contests pit bartender against bartender in front of loud enthusiastic crowds. With fans cheering, music thumping, and beverages flowing faster than seemingly possible, the event is unlike anything you’ve ever seen in a bar.

It’s about more than finding the fastest bartenders in town and having a great time though. The participating bars and great fans who turn out to show their support help the Fastest Bartender Contest raise money for a great cause. These Hoboken Fastest Bartender Contests will be raising money for the Hoboken YMCA. Billy Reilly, the “Commissioner” of Fastest Bartender Contest said, “The Hoboken YMCA has been serving seniors, handicapped, disabled, youth and teens for 80 years. The facility needs work so they can continue doing good and we’re pleased to be supporting their efforts”. The manager of The Shannon says, “Supporting our local community is important to us. I think this is a great way for the bars to come together for a good cause and a great time.”

In all there will be four qualifying rounds leading up to the finals on October 27th back where it gets kicked off, at the The Shannon. Here’s the contest schedule:

• Oct 6th Tue 8 pm The Shannon – Qualifying Round
• Oct 13th Tue 8 pm Willie McBrides – Qualifying Round
• Oct 19th Mon 8 pm Texas Arizona – Qualifying Round
• Oct 20th Tue 8 pm Oddfellows – Qualifying Round
• Oct 27th Tue 8 pm The Shannon – The Finals

Article: Fastest Hoboken Bartender Contest

Published: May 25, 2008

Buddy Bonta speed pours for accuracy in the first round of the night at the Northern Virginia Annual Fastest Bartender Contest held at Hard Times Cafe in Wooodbridge

Sunday isn’t a typical bar night—most people are home, catching up with “Desperate Housewives” or “Family Guy,” before the inevitable early beginning-of-the-week bedtime. Not at Hard Times Café in Woodbridge. It’s 9 p.m. on a Sunday night and the place is packed. People are crowding the darkened, smoky bar, playing pool and music is blaring—all in anticipation of the latest round of Northern Virginia’s annual Fastest Bartender Contest.

A string of regional competitions will put winners competing for money in a championship round in June. The events’ charity is a stark contrast to the loud, smoky settings in which they take place. The competition raises money for Tender Hearts Foundation, an organization close to organizer Billy Reilly, which assists families of children with heart problems.

Reilly’s son Collin was born with half a heart.

“They had to rebuild his heart,” Reilly said. At 4, Collin has been through three open-heart surgeries and is doing great. “We’re very lucky.”

Tender Hearts, an offshoot of the American Heart Association, based at Inova Fairfax Hospital, helps families in similar situations to cover cost of travel and lodging. Reilly said the charity raised $25,000 in two years.

The three-round contest measures speed and accuracy. In accordance with ABC laws, colored water is substituted for all alcohol during the mixed drink competition.

The Fastest Bartender Contest, which originated in Georgetown in 1981, is now in nine states, each competition with a regional winner.

Reilly competed from 1987 to 1995. He won in 1995.

He is pretty much an emissary for all things bar culture—part fast-talking showman, part Good Samaritan. He sports a Bartender Hall Of Fame Ring, which at first glance could be a high school ring. (He was 26 when he was inducted, so it’s not that far off). He loves the camaraderie of bars and bartenders, but also understands the importance of giving back to the community.

Reilly said he is in the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! for the longest bar shift.

He made a drink every hour for 10 days straight in 1989, at Champions in Georgetown. He was delusional by the seventh or eighth day—but also raised $18,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation.

* * *

Dave Blick, a 38-year-old bartender at Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries, is nervously waiting by bar with his friend Elijah De Anda. Blick said he’s good with a fast drink, but might have some troubles with the garnishes in the second round.

“He’s more suited to the contemporary American drink,” De Anda says.

Blick entered a similar contest a couple years ago in Fredericksburg, helping to raise more than $2,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation.

“It’s really cool,” Blick says. “It’s a fun thing for the local bartend-ers to raise money for charity.”

The contest is stalled for an hour because an accident on Va. 28 delays host Jimmy Cirrito.

Not that people seem to care. There’s enough going on—loud music, pool and, of course, booze, to keep everyone happy… or not.

“Yo, I had to buy a pool table because I’m so f***ing bored, waiting for your competition,” someone complains.

Fastest Bartender Commissioner Billy Reilly isn’t bothered.

“The only thing I’m worried about is the contestants getting f***ed up now,” Reilly says. “That’s the mitigating factor.”

(Bartenders are not permitted to be intoxicated during the competition, in accordance with ABC alcohol ordinances.)

* * *

Finally, just before 10:15 p.m., the competition starts. There are 11 area bartenders competing for two slots in the next round at Tyson’s Corner June 8. There they’ll compete for $1,000.

In turn, each bartender takes the stage through three rounds. Reilly and Cirrito trade jokes and banter (including an extreme overuse of the word “bro”) keeping things interesting, lighthearted and fun. When one contestant, a small, baby-faced bartender named Mike Tallman takes the stage, Reilly and Cirrito tease him with the Munchkin song from “The Wizard of Oz.” Clearly they’ve done this routine before, but the audience eats it up.

The first event is the five shot pour. Each bartender must pour five shots, as fast as they can, to exactly an ounce and a half. When Blick takes the stage, his hands are visibly shaking as he arranges the glasses to his liking. The drinks are called: Jameson, Tezon, Stoli, Beefeater and Malibu. Go!

Blick fumbles a bit and accidentally pours two shots of Stoli. Reilly eyes every shot to see if Blick was over or under. He calls “over” or “under” (followed by a loud buzzer). But there’s one “good one,” a shot of exactly an ounce and a half. When Reilly announces it, as when he announces all good pours, the opening notes from Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting” plays.

“Everyone’s nervous,” Blick shrugs his showing aside. “You want to go good. It’s a pride thing.”

* * *

For the second round, contestants mix five drinks as fast as they can. The trick is to get all of the garnishes (cherries, oranges) and ice correct. The drinks are announced twice. Friends in the audience can write down the list and hold it up (from behind a foul line, which is indicated with a towel on the floor). Blick assists a bartender named Jamie Bailey from Original Steakhouse in Lake Ridge, who is the first to go. If she forgets what drink to make, she can look up and see the list.

Of course, writing down five specific drinks in a matter of seconds could be as difficult as actually mixing the drinks in a matter of seconds.

A bartender named Chris Edwards, from TGI Fridays in Fredericksburg has a different strategy—he’ll remember the first two announced; his friend is responsible for writing down the other three.

When Blick takes the stage again, his assistant didn’t get the name of the fifth drink. Blick had to wing it. He also missed a cherry on one drink.

“He got almost every drink correct,” Cirrito announces after Blick finishes. “Too bad he can’t yell at the customer to find out what they wanted.”

It seems, however, the bartender to beat is Rachel Allen, who bartends at Hard Times in Springfield. She mixed all five of her drinks perfectly in 35 seconds. (Allen won a fastest female bar-tender competition for the entire Commonwealth last summer). A couple other bartenders were faster, but made mistakes. Most bartenders take between a minute and a minute and a half in this portion of the contest.

* * *

The third and final round is where the money is raised. Each bartender must prepare a martini as fast and accurate as possible, and then swaps it out for a real martini (prepared by Hard Times, again with the alcohol laws), to auction in the crowd.

By now, almost everyone watching seems to be at some degree of intoxication, belting along to whatever song is playing.

Blick spills his cup over while making his drink. He finishes in 14 seconds or so, but it’s not nearly enough. Allen managed a flawless martini at just over eight seconds.

It’s approaching 1 a.m. when the final round concludes and it’s going to be another 20 minutes or so while scores are tallied.

The results were not surprising—Allen took first place.

“It’s really nice to have the crowd be like ‘Great job’,” Allen, 28, of Reston said. “That’s what makes it kind of worth it, getting the crowd pumped up for it.”

(Her secret? “Practice.” Allen’s been a bartender for seven years and competed in similar competitions around the region).

Buddy Bonta from Kilroy’s Restaurant in Woodbridge took second. But that’s almost beside the point for Reilly.

He said including entry fees, about $1,200 was raised for charity.

He’s that much closer to his $20,000 goal.

Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at 703-878-8072.

Ocean City’s quickest to whip up series of drinks during annual contest

(May 29, 2009) Ocean City bartenders will again have the opportunity to show off their mixing skills, competing for even more money this year during the fourth annual Fastest Bartender contest.
“We’ve revamped the contest this year and we’re really excited about it,” said Contest Commissioner Billy Reilly. “We have some new staff, new sponsors, new graphics, lights and sound and we’ll be in a few more cities — more than 20 in 12 states — this year … It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Ocean City will be the 10th contest location of the 22 scheduled in 2009. Preliminary rounds will take place June 3 and 10, at Macky’s on 54th Street. Bartenders will be judged on speed, accuracy and finesse in three rounds: Five-shot pour, Bacardi mixed drink and mad martini. In the martinis round, drinks made by the mixologists will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. Money raised will go to Tender Hearts, a nonprofit support group for families of children with congenital heart defects.

Each trial will be scored individually then totaled to come up with a contestant’s overall score. Deductions will be made for mistakes, such as pouring the incorrect liquor, over- or under-pouring, spillage and missed or incorrect garnish.

The cost to enter the mix-off, sponsored by Miller Brewing, Bacardi and Red Bull, is $25, a portion of which will also benefit Tender Hearts. Contestants should check in between 8-9 p.m. The contest will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m.

The bartenders with the highest scores in each preliminary round will qualify for the finals, scheduled for Wednesday, June 17.

Last year, the first-place winner walked away with $1,000, a trophy and the title of Fastest Bartender. This year, the champion will be awarded $1,500, a trophy and the title.

The runner-up will earn $500, and the third-place mixologist will get $250. Both will receive trophies as well.

Bartenders must work at an Ocean City bar or restaurant. Contestants can register before or on the night of each trial date at Macky’s. A maximum of 18 bartenders can compete in each preliminary round so those interested should sign up in advance.

Nick Miller, representing the Monkey Barrel in Salisbury, took top honors in the 2008 competition. Macky’s bartender, Matt “Bull” Lasinski, won the 2007 contest and Sean Ward of the Greene Turtle, 116th Street, was the 2006 champion.

Reilly brought the event to Ocean City because he said there wasn’t much in the area to recognize bartenders. Not everyone can do “flair” bartending, he said, but this type of challenge is one anyone can master.

This year’s winner will be invited to the Washington, D.C. contest, where bartenders from all over the country and beyond will converge.

The Fastest Bartender event started in Washington, D.C., in 1981 and has grown to include participants from all over the world. Reilly was the Washing-ton, D.C. winner in 1995. He is also a member of the Bartender’s Hall of Fame and was in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest bar shift at 240 hours.