THE 2019 BAR BRAWLS: INTERVIEW WITH HOST AND CREATOR BOB HIGGINBOTHAM

From June 12 to August 28, twenty-four cocktail professionals from Miami to Stuart are competing for the coveted title of Champion of the Bar Brawls 2019. The award winning bar, Death or Glory, in Delray Beach, Florida plays host to this highly rated bartender battle, with an all-star lineup, that will lasts for a total of 12 weeks.

 

 

 

 

I had the pleasure of judging this past week’s bartender showcase where 3 top bartenders competed in several elimination rounds. I also caught up with Bob Higginbotham, the Brawls organizer and emcee.

 

 

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE BIZ?

I got my start scrubbing pots and pans at a deli outside of Providence when I was 14.  It wasn’t a profitable venture as most of my paycheck went to my employee food & drink tab…yeah I overindulged even as a kid.  But my professional career began at a popular Brown University haunt, Cafe Paragon.  I became a manager at the age of 20 and never looked back.  I learned valuable lessons there which I still carry with me today.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT GO-TO DRINK ORDER?

 

Club soda…I can’t afford another 96 days in Arizona.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DRINK EXPERIENCE?

 

Lol…Not only did I start working at the ripe old age of 14 but that is also when my drinking career began as well.  It was in Ireland on a school band trip, we were in Dublin and our group had a few hours to explore before we had to check-in.  As you may or may not know, the food in Ireland is fucking dreadful and we were all dying for something ‘American’.  We happened to stumble (not literally) across a place in Temple Bar called Bad Ass Cafe (it is still there, thanks Google) that featured burgers, pizzas and plenty of Guinness.  Consuming a couple of pints were the least of our worries, as the next day we were told all about Mad Cow Disease and how it was at its peak in the UK during this time.  Moral of the story; leave the burger – drink the Guinness. 

IF YOU COULD HAVE DRINKS WITH ANYONE DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHAT WOULD YOU BOTH BE DRINKING?

 

This would really be something because we would both have to turn back the clock a bit…he’s dead and I don’t drink anymore.  But it would probably be my friend Fenton.  I think about him frequently, as I never got to say goodbye to him and didn’t treat him as well as I should have.  But he was old, wise, quirky, kind and set in his ways.  I’m not going to lie, he drove me fucking crazy but I’ve seen a lot of people pass over the years and for some reason I miss him most.

Like I said, he was quirky and he only flew American Airlines, and on flights that stopped in Charlotte because he loved sitting in the rocking chairs that overlooked the runway.  Upon arrival in Charlotte, he would grab himself a Gin & Tonic (whatever was cheapest, he was like that and it goes way beyond this) and go find himself a chair.  Besides sitting on the ‘Main Green’ at Brown University, this is where he was happiest.  So in a very roundabout answer; a Gin and Tonic with Fenton at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

TELL US ABOUT THE BAR BRAWLS I & II (HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?):

 

They are not similar at all.  All the obvious things are the same; the name, the format, some of the contestants.  But that is where the similarities end.  Bar Brawls II is the more sophisticated & older cousin of the first edition.  

Back in 2015, you couldn’t even find fresh juice behind the bar in most joints in Palm Beach County.  Sweetwater had paved the way and not many followed initially.  I was really worried that we couldn’t fill out the bracket with qualified people.  We eventually filled the bracket and let’s just say it was interesting.  Sure, we had a whole lot of fun and there we some shining moments sprinkled throughout but what it really did was push the needle and create the demand for better cocktails.

This time around the cocktails are significantly better and they all know their classics but in this year’s event, we put hospitality at the forefront.  It has evolved from a cocktail competition to a bartender competition where hospitality reigns supreme.  For a long time, the demand was always to make better cocktails, and they are, but making drinks is only about 10% of what a bartender does throughout his/her shift.  So we really wanted to emphasize some other aspects of what goes into becoming a great bartender.

BEST MEMORY SO FAR FROM THE BRAWLS II?

Shit…the best moment?  We are not even halfway through it yet but we have had several.  Fitzy seems to steal the show every time but the best moment this time around had to come in Week 2.  In the final round, we had Nick Nistico going up against Mike Heeney from Sweetwater  As you may or may not know, Nick has won practically every competition that he has entered, whether it be on a regional, national or global level.  Heeney has been slinging drinks for just under two years and no one in their right mind gave him a shot, but Heeney showed up to play.  I’m not going to bore you with the details, but Heeney lost by four points out of a grand total of 1,800.  

WHAT’S NEXT?

 

A lot, actually, but I will only tell you the newsworthy stuff.  I’m doing some work on the new Food Hall, Delray Beach Market which will be the largest in the state of Florida.  Working on both sides of it, assisting with finding the right vendors, then working with the vendors directly to cultivate their concepts.  I’m also working on a book, don’t worry, it has nothing to do with fruits, vegetables or vegan cheese.  More on the book another time.

Most importantly, I am getting ready to launch my non-profit organization by the end of the year.  My issues are well documented and known to the vast majority of people in the restaurant community and I’m hoping that my journey can inspire others who are struggling to come forward.  When you take people from different backgrounds and put them in a workplace filled with alcohol and other things, shit is going to happen.  Helping others who are struggling is part of my recovery process and what I truly believe is my calling.  I have a platform that a lot of others don’t, there are a lot of problems in this industry in terms of mental health, and there’s no harm in talking about it, no stigma. But talking about the issues can only get you to a certain point, you need action.  The idea is to provide financial assistance for those in the restaurant community seeking treatment for drugs & alcohol, create support groups for those wishing to continue working in the industry while maintaining their recovery, and to support their family & loved ones.

Thank you, Bob!

 

The winning bartender will receive a cash prize of $750 and the title of “Bar Brawls Champion.

The competitors are:

Jessica Bell, El Camino – Delray Beach
Robert Bell, El Camino – Delray Beach
Jeffrey Creegan, El Camino – Delray Beach
Robert Dolder, Banyan – Delray Beach
Dustin Ezell, Rebel House–Boca Raton
John Fitzpatrick, The Wine Room – Delray Beach
Olivia Graham, Driftwood – Boynton Beach
Tiffini Grant, Cafe Martier at Post Office Arcade – Stuart

Jessi Harris, Voltaire – West Palm Beach

Michael Heeney, Sweetwater – Boynton Beach
Justin Himmelbaum, Mucho Gusto – Delray Beach
Kira Helman, The Wilder – Fort Lauderdale
Joshua Leith, Eau Palm Beach – Palm Beach
Dave Lovett, 1000 North – Jupiter
Ervin Machado, Big Time Restaurant Group – West Palm Beach/Fort Lauderdale
Joe Messina – Port St. Lucie
Huy Nguyen, Driftwood – Boynton Beach
Nick Nistico, Esotico – Miami
Anthony Rettino, Jaguar Sun – Miami
Amanda Rosetti, Voltaire – West Palm Beach
Matthew Swig, Sundy House – Delray Beach
Dakota Thompson, Tiki-Ono – Lake Worth
Eric Vincent, Apothecary 330 – Fort Lauderdale
Elizabeth Williams, The Regional – West Palm Beach“

 

Death or Glory is located at 116 NE 6th Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483 and is open 4 p.m. -2 a.m. daily. Food is served until 2 a.m. For additional info, call 561.808.8814. Facebook @dealthorglorybar; Instagram @deathorglorybar_delray

photos by Emiliano Brooks