Happy Accidents owner takes second in Netflix competition series 'Drink Masters'
Oct. 31—The creations Kate Gerwin makes are conversation starters.
The owner of Happy Accidents in Nob Hill found herself in competition with 11 other mixologists/bartenders in the Netflix series, "Drink Masters."
The series — in its inaugural season — puts 12 world-class mixologists together to showcase their dazzling cocktail-crafting skills as they compete for a $100K prize — and the title of Ultimate Drink Master.
The 10-episode season is currently streaming on Netflix.
"My goal was to make it to the end and I didn't expect to win," Gerwin says of her time on the show.
Mission accomplished.
Gerwin managed to place second in the competition, losing out to Lauren "LP" Paylor.
"I'm so glad that LP won the entire competition," Gerwin says. "All of the contestants developed a great friendship with each other. It was an experience like no other."
Gerwin admits that being part of the series almost didn't happen.
"I wasn't going to do this series after being asked," she says. "The producer for the show was the same producer for 'Bar Rescue' when I did it eight years ago. He reached out to me and I said, 'No.' I told him I'd help him find people. Then the pandemic hit."
Gerwin, like many others, had her mental health decline during the pandemic.
She was left in a weird mental state.
"My friends in this business all decided to pivot and went into real estate," she says. "I don't have a pivot. I was like, 'Man, this is it for me.' When we opened Happy Accidents, we wanted to change the way things function. This would be an awesome avenue to propel the bar to a different level."
Gerwin got her spot on the series. She flew out to Canada on Nov. 4, 2021 and was filming until the end of December.
"The longer you stayed in the competition, the longer I was away from home," she says. "Since it was the first season, there weren't many days that I had to myself. The hours were long filming. Being on set was rigorous and stressful."
Gerwin's purpose for competing on the series is two-fold — she wanted to challenge herself and learn, as well as shine a light on the mixology scene in Albuquerque.
"At Happy Accidents, we take the industry very seriously," she says. "I know that's true of many of the establishments around town."
Gerwin moved to New Mexico in 2005, when she opened Casa Vieja in Corrales.
By 2011, she started consulting and traveling around the country, but kept a home here.
Two months before the pandemic in 2020, she bought a house and unpacked her storage.
In May 2021, she opened Happy Accidents after a two-year journey of searching for the right space.
"I don't think the market was ready for us five or 10 years ago," she says. "Right now there's an amazing vibe happening around town with mixology. These spaces are getting together and being social. We've incorporated a number of nonalcoholic drinks on our menu."
The series debuted on Oct. 28 and rose up the ranks becoming a top 10 hit on Netflix.
Gerwin hopes that the series gets renewed for a second season.
"I hope they would ask me to be a guest judge," she says. "I also am so proud that this show is shining a light on bartending. There's a lot that goes into it and we're always learning new things. I think this show puts us in the same place as chefs."
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