Three talented mainland mixologists arrived in Waikiki last weekend for the 2007 Travel + Leisure Beverage Arts Challenge at the Halekulani.

Patricia Richards, Sierra Lesjack and Matt Martinez (pictured above with Halekulani staff) represent the best and the brightest in the bartending world.

All three work in hotels: Richards at the Wynn Las Vegas, Lesjack at the Four Seasons San Francisco and Martinez at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows.

Tasked with developing an original cocktail that utilizes Grand Marnier in its recipe, the trio each came up with a different take on what type of flavors compliment the liqueur best.

Their recipes were selected as the best out of 250 submitted for consideration.

Friday’s reception at the Halekulani’s Hau Terrace featured an introduction by master mixologist Dale DeGroff and the announcement of the winning cocktail.

Martinez, who has served as head bartender at the Beverly Hills Hotel for the last year and a half, took top honors after impressing the judges with his Sunset Sour.

“It’s just a classic,” he said of the drink, which features Aperol (a “cousin to Campari“) and fresh lemon juice in addition to Grand Marnier, simple syrup and an egg white. “I knew I had to come up with something that was well-rounded.”

That’s John Heckathorn with Martinez in front of the magazine cover. He raved about the bitter orange taste of the Aperol and how it complimented the other ingredients.

Here are the three finalist’s recipes, starting with Martinez’s winning entry:

Sunset Sour by Matt Martinez
1 1/4 oz. Grand Marnier
1 1/4 oz. Aperol
1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
1/4 oz. egg white
Garnish with long orange twist

My Passion by Patricia Richards
1 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
2 oz. ginger beer
1/4 oz. passion fruit coulis
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1 1/2 oz. fresh sweet and sour
Garnish with fresh passion fruit

But wait, there’s more…

After Waikiki, I made my way downtown to watch the end of the UH football game. Murphy’s Bar and Grill celebrated their 20th anniversary with a barbeque and block party along Merchant Street.

That’s Don Murphy himself, on the left:

Once the game was pau, Murphy took to the streets with a flag to celebrate the Warriors’ victory:

Up next was Jasmine Trias’ 21st birthday party at Pearl Ultra Lounge. I had interviewed her the week before, so I was looking forward to seeing what she and manager Lincoln Jacobe had in store.

I’d heard about “blinged-out” decorations and party favors that Trias had chosen herself, but I didn’t see much out of the ordinary as I made my way through the club.

Maybe all the goodies were behind the velvet rope in VIP, where Trias was lounging with friends.

Also in VIP: “The Bachelor” Andy Baldwin and 80’s pop queen Debbie (now Deborah) Gibson.

I was a little surprised to see a few familiar faces in the room.

Shawn “DJ Euphorik” Hiyane, right, spotted me first. Then I noticed our mutual friend, Claudia Vasquez, and former DisGuyz members Jason Lent and Junior Mika.

It was truly a MySpace Moment:

Forte was also in the building, as Marlene Baldueza got on stage at one point with the Mike Times Experience:

And I got to say hello to RAZE’s Vince Krause and his lovely girlfriend, Sarah:

This entry was posted on Monday, November 19th, 2007 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Nightlife, Clubs/Bars, Picture Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.