10 cocktails enter, one cocktail wins

Ten local bartenders put their cocktail knowledge and mixology skills to the test this Sunday on-stage at the Uptown Theater during the third annual Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition.

“We’re working really hard to showcase bartending as a serious profession and elevate bartenders in Kansas City to that level,” says Ryan Maybee, the event organizer and partner in Manifesto.

The group of 10 finalists was selected based on an original cocktail, with the ingredients ranging from ginger beer to a ponzu citris marinade. Among the contestants are 2008 GKCBC winner Chris Conaster of Justus Drugstore, Missy Koonce of The Piano Room and Shawn Moriarty of the R Bar & Restaurant.

“There was a lot of culinary influence. A lot more bartenders are taking their cues from chefs in the kitchen, rather than just using spirits and liqueurs,” says Maybee.

The doors open at 6 p.m. and the competition starts half an hour later. First, the judges will be introduced — this year’s panel features spirits writer David Wondrich, author of Imbibe and one of the preeminent cocktail historians in America.