GLI’s 2023 Bartender Battle is being sponsored by Ten Cent Menu Club, Menus on a Dime.
Final result:
Dan Bartley, Long Island’s Clown Prince of slinging drinks, is now Long Island’s Best Bartender!
Dan, from Mary Carroll’s in Babylon, narrowly defeated Dan Leopold from Sandbar in a cocktail contest before three judges that came down to the very last drink.
Update:
A sunny Sunday in March proved strong for the Irish.
Dan from Mary Carroll’s in Babylon surged for a come-from-behind victory over Davide from Molto Vino, also in Babylon. Dan got help from CJ Ramone — one of the four surviving members of the famed punk rock band the Ramones — who made a push for Dan at his “favorite watering hole” over social media around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Dan won by 257 votes, 13,304 to 13,037.
But the late-week margins proved insurmountable for a Kyle Sunday surge from Buckley’s Irish Pub in Center Moriches, who was bested by Dan Leopold from Sandbar in Cold Spring Harbor.
Dan won by 1,164 votes, 7,258 to 6,094.
That means a wild three weeks of online voting in Greater Long Island’s first-ever Bartender Battle has come to a close. (It was a grind for everyone involved.)
The finalists will now square off in mid-March cocktail-off before three judges at a neutral location. The date still has to be worked out.
Each will be challenged to serve these three cocktails to each of the three judges:
- Sidecar (brandy, lemon juice, and orange liqueur)
- Any take on an Old Fashioned
- Any type of Margarita
Final results below. (Add each of the two polls in each matchup.)
Dan Bartley vs Davide Pontarin
This is a Babylon Village civil war. There are just 10 storefronts separating Dan at Mary Carroll’s from Davide of Molto Vino. And both contestants received several dozen nominations in January. You could also look at this as a blue-collar spot versus an elevated wine bar. Or, just Irish versus Italian.
Dan Leopold vs. Kyle Watson
It’s a true David and Goliath scenario. But in this case, it’s Kyle and Dan. Dan’s home base, Sandbar in Cold Spring Harbor, has the backing of a Long Island behemoth, Lessing’s Hospitality Group. Buckley’s Irish Pub in Center Moriches has, well, Buckley’s Irish Pub in Center Moriches; but the place is steeped in history. And Kyle, too, has a loyal and passionate fanbase.
THE FULL BRACKET
