NOLA Bartenders Compete for Title of "Most Inspired"

It's that time of year again: time to choose New Orleans' representative to GQ's Most Inspired Bartender competition. The local version of the contest is tonight, 7pm, at Eiffel Society on St Charles Avenue. The winner of tonight's competition will head to Las Vegas, September 11-13, to test their great level of inspiration against national competitors.

Jason Lee, from John Besh's Domenica, will try to repeat as New Orleans' "most inspired bartender." The other 9 competitors include Nick Detrich from Cure and Cole Newton, owner of Twelve Mile Limit. Competitors will be judged by brand ambassadors for Bombay Sapphire and Disarrono, as well as by Ann Tuennerman, founder and director of Tales of the Cocktail.

Each bartender tonight will try to prove their inspiration with one original cocktail, which will be judged on the basis of appearance, taste and aroma, and practicality. Because a truly inspired cocktail is not just delicious, but also practical. (It raises the question, though, of what makes a cocktail practical or impractical. And actually, this whole exercise raises the even greater question: What distinguishes a good bartender from an "inspired" one? Neither GQ nor Bombay Sapphire has an answer to that.)

Because Eiffel Society is the closest thing New Orleans has to a real "club," entertainment tonight will be provided by DJ Mike “Lemonhead” Medina, with the Bombay Sapphire girls and something called the Bombay Sapphire World Bizarre. Oh, and by the way: During the competition,drinks are free.

·Most Inspired Bartender Competition at the Eiffel Society [Facebook event page]
·The USBG Most Inspired Bartender Search [Official page]