Meet the Wilmington women vying to be named the nation’s top bartender
Another national competition is underway and this one features bartenders – including a handful from the Wilmington area. The Bar Boss contest is looking for the mixologist with the biggest personality, best drinks and most loyal fanbase.
One winner gets $10,000 and a cover feature in Bartender Magazine as the 2023 Bar Boss. Like the recent Favorite Chef competition, with celebrity judge chef Carla Hall, its run by Colossal (which also offers the America’s Favorite Pet and Tony Hawk’s Skatepark Hero contests) and DTCare. While some votes are free, fans can also purchase votes for their favorite. Bar Boss is raising money for the anti-bullying Kind Campaign.
The contest features weekly rounds of voting, and with each one the competition gets tougher. There will be a People's Choice winner, as well as a Master Mixologist selected by the magazine. The contest is also sponsored by Dos Hombres, a mezcal brand started by actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad.”
Here’s a look at the local bartenders in the competition.
Sierra Browder
Christyne Nagaishi, owner of Tavern 14 on Market Street, calls bartender Sierra Browder a ray of sunshine. “She brings light and joy to all of us at Tavern 14, as a co-worker and to all of our customers,” she said. “The world would be a lot more fun and much kinder if we all were more like Sierra.” In fact, Browder said bartending is about connections as much as cocktails. And she added that if she won, she’ll share the prize with her fellow bartenders, as well as use some to pay off her student loans.
Ashley Craddock
As a bartender for Pour House in downtown Wilmington, Ashley Craddock says she likes getting to know the people who come to the bar, hearing about their frustrations and their fun. "Ultimately, it's being the listening ear they may not have," she said. Plus, she said her sociable personality is well-suited to the profession. It's one of the reasons her boss entered her in the competition. If she won the prize, she said she'd travel. New Zealand is at the top of her wish list right now.
Penka Heusinkveld
At The Blind Elephant in downtown Wilmington, bartenders create their own signature seasonal cocktails. One of Penka Heusinkveld's favorites is the Tokyo Drift, made with wasabi and lemongrass flavors. She's been a bartender for five years and describes the profession as "chefs of the bar." If she won, she'd start a mobile bar business and travel the country bartending.
Natalie Singletary
Natalie Singletary is the owner of Wine Knot Sky Bar & Lounge, which recently added full cocktail service on the ninth floor of the Murchison Building in downtown Wilmington. She said it was about providing a more complete experience for her members in the renovated office space that has lots of seating areas and views of the Cape Fear River. If she wins, she said she’d invest the money back into the bar to improve the flow and storage, as well as treating her teammates.
Mimi Windham
She may have a day job at Live Oak Bank, but Mimi Windham has also been bartending for more than 20 years and calls it a hobby that turned into a passion and then a craft. She worked at Wilmington Sportsman Club on Castle Street for 13 years and still makes drinks for her friends’ events. She also teaches others the necessary skills through her Yellow Diamond Bartending School. If she won the prize, she said she’d invest the money into that business.
STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest food news by signing up for the Port City Foodies newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her ataballard@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington bartenders vie to be named 2023 Bar Boss
