Dressed in black button-up shirts, Ray Guerin of the Tuscan Grill and Sean D'Abbraccio of Solea stand calmly behind the bar at Gordon's Fine Wine and Culinary Center.
D'Abbraccio and Guerin face 22 tasters, seated in three rows of tables facing the bar, who must make the difficult decision of selecting the best cocktails and ultimately the best bartender of the night.
Over the murmur of eager tasters, the rattle of ice and liquid sloshing in a metal shaker signaled the start last night of the cocktail war between the two Moody Street bartenders, called Bar Wars.
Once a month, the store hosts Bar Wars where two bartenders from area restaurants compete head-to-head to make the best cocktail.
Guerin, 27, of Waltham, two-time reigning champion of Bar Wars, carries the added pressure of possibly winning a third time, breaking a Bar Wars record.
Beginning his career about 10 years ago, Guerin's first job was on Moody Street at Robert's Restaurant and Bar.
"There was a whole lot of free time so I just started creating stuff there," he said.
At Tuscan Grill, Guerin mixes signature cocktails such as the Tuscan Lemonade and the Ginger Kiss.
D'Abbraccio, 32, of Lexington, started his career on Moody Street at the Iguana Cantina in 1999, worked at Tapeo on Newbury Street in Boston and returned to Moody Street to bartend at Solea since 2005.
"Our cocktail list has always been innovative. We always try to use ingredients and recipes that you won't find in many places," said D'Abbraccio, who is also a third-grade teacher in Concord.
"I muddle anything," said D'Abbraccio, referring to the practice of mashing ingredients in the bottom of the glass. "I love to use mint in my drinks. I like to be able to look at people and figure out what they want while they are sitting in front of me."
In the first round of the competition, the bartenders each make a signature cocktail of their choosing but must use a featured liquor, in this case Jameson Irish whiskey.
While the bartenders prepare their first cocktail, Jameson Brand representative, Gerry Murray leads the room through a tasting of three Jameson varieties, a whiskey aged 12 years, the Gold Reserve and a whiskey aged 18 years.
"Bar Wars is a good way to feature a liquor," said Lindsay Cohen, marketing and events director at Gordon's.
When the cocktails are served, D'Abbraccio's "looks like Christmas," according to a taster in the front row staring into her tasting glass of muddled mint leaves and pomegranate seeds.
D'Abbraccio's cocktail is a fun twist on a mint julep complete with "flora and fauna," he said.
Guerin's is a play on an Irish coffee with a chocolate straw.
Following the sampling of the signature cocktails, the tasters choose from a list of standard to odd cocktail ingredients such as elderflower liqueur, pickle juice and egg yolk. Out of the ingredients chosen by the tasters, the bartenders must make a cocktail using four of the six of the ingredients chosen.
Guerin must incorporate blackberry, orange bitters, cranberry juice, ginger beer, cream and vanilla extract.
D'Abbraccio must use blackberry, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, sparking wine, cream, and mint.
With 20 minutes to make magic, Guerin and D'Abbraccio set to work crafting cocktails.
Above the bartenders hang two large flat-screen televisions displaying what is going on behind the bar ledge.
D'Abbraccio is mulling fruit and Guerin is shaking and pouring. Each peers deeply into glasses to examine the color and appearance and occasionally sniff and taste the liquid.
The intensity builds as both manage to pour 22 aesthetically pleasing mini-cocktails for the tasters.
Guerin has produced a pink and purple cocktail using Jameson and all his ingredients but the cream and vanilla extract.
D'Abbraccio's Jameson cocktail is also bright pink with muddled maraschino cherries and oranges, a new take on an Old Fashioned, with a prosecco float and grand marnier.
"Both are very different, but fresh," said United Liquors brand development specialist, Chris Rose, the emcee for the night, as he sipped both beverages.
One taster shouts that Guerin's cocktail tastes like a "hot summer's day."
Someone else shouts, "The first one is too spicy."
After a few minutes the votes were tallied and Guerin wins setting a Bar Wars record. He is the first to win three Bar Wars and will have a chance to compete against another bartender next month.
"It is a huge skill to stand behind a bar and put a cocktail in front of somebody and have confidence in it," said Rose. "That is a lost art."
A Bar Wars first-timer, Taiyo Macdonald, of Waltham, said she was surprised by how both bartenders did spins on well-known drinks. She said she normally doesn't gravitate to Jameson but learned to appreciate it a little bit more.
Guerin's wife, Erica, said it's nice to know that you don't have to go all the way to Boston to get a high-end cocktail. She said Guerin has defeated two Boston bartenders in Bar Wars.
"This is what it's all about in the bars. People aren't satisfied anymore with a gin & tonic," said United Liquors Portfolio Director, Kevin McCann. "They want to spend money where they get some kind of experience as opposed to somebody slingin' it across the bar."
Jen Judson can be reached at 781-398-8004 or jjudson@cnc.com.
