Star Bar Battle of the Nontenders Kicks Off Next Month

Beginning next month, Star Bar is giving novice bartenders a chance to learn new skills and compete in the first-ever Nontender Contender Challenge. Anyone who hasn't worked as a bartender is welcome to join in this bracket-style competition that will take place Thursdays this summer from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m on Star Bar's back patio.

Each Thursday will begin with a Bartending 101 training session taught by Star Bar's veteran bartenders. Nontenders will then engage in a craft cocktail duel scored on various criteria, everything from speed to charm. Nontenders are encouraged to invite their friends and fans to order, drink, vote— and tip. The nontender who wins the challenge will go on to compete in the following week's Thursday evening event.

Tips from the entire Nontender Contender Challenge will be saved and donated to the final winning nontender's charity of choice.

To sign up, fill out this form, and then submit a 15-second Tout video about why you think you'll be the best nontender. Finally email that video to battleofthenontenders@gmail.com, post it on Twitter (you must mention @starbar_denver and use #nontenderbattle), and share your video on Star Bar's Facebook page. Applications are due by July 5.

Alexandra Geppert, the secretary of the Colorado Bartender's Guild and a bartender at Star Bar, is the driving force behind the Nontender Contender Challenge. "I came up with this [idea] when I was chatting some friends who thought it was cool that I was guest bartending at Linger one week," she says. "They wished they could do that. I thought, why not?"

For more information about the competition, visit the Star Bar website. In the meantime, says Geppert, start waxing your mustache.

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