June 16, 2006 – The St. Croix Animal Welfare Center and SunCelebrations present the Third Annual Bartending Olympics to be held from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Sunday, June 25, at Elizabeth's at the Palms, at Pelican Cove. The event highlights the hardworking service staff on the island and proceeds will benefit the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center.
Bartenders and servers from St. Croix's local bars and restaurants will compete for the title of Top Dog. Last year's event netted over $8,000 for the shelter. The Fort Christian Brew Pub cleaned up winning the Best Bartender Overall, Best Server Overall, Crowd Favorite Bartender, and Crowd Favorite Best Bar. Other winning establishments included Bongos, which collected the most donations. Each bar that enters the competition is tasked with getting "votes" towards the Best Bar Pal award. Votes are $1 each. The Galleon Restaurant's, Dawn Austin, won in the Cruzan Concoction category when her Cruzan Rum Chocolate Martini was auctioned off to the crowd for over $300.
This year's event will feature the Master of Mixology contest in which bartenders are tested not only on their knowledge of recipes but also on their personality and finesse. Servers will compete in the President's Fitness Challenge as they maneuver through an obstacle course carrying trays of bottled beer. A big crowd pleaser is always the Miller Speed Challenge in which bartenders open 12 bottles in the fastest and most creative way. Local musician Kurt Schindler will be on hand to entertain the crowd.
For more information, contact Cindy Clearwater at 277-5123 or e-mail her at cindy@suncelebrations.com
