Philbrook MIX 2018

This year’s bartender portraits

A drink is a piece of performance art. It’s not in the bartender’s flourish with a shaker or the delicate touch of her pour—at least, not entirely. From the seated side of a bar, the physical act of making a drink is simply an overture. Curtains rise with a first waft of intoxicating aroma. The show begins in earnest as the concoction makes its way past its audience’s lips and into the spotlight. The true performance takes place between first sip and last, in minute variations in detail: temperature, dilution, inebriation.

At Philbrook MIX, 16 bartenders will take center stage in a cocktail competition on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Cain’s Ballroom. Winners will be named in two categories. James Beard Award-winning author David Wondrich will lead a panel of judges who will choose a Critic’s Choice winner, and attendees will cast votes for People’s Choice. Click here to read an interview with Wondrich. Since its inception in 2012, MIX has raised more than $550,000 for Philbrook Museum of Art’s educational programs.

As is tradition, bartender’s competing in MIX have brought the spirit of their cocktails to vivid life in portraits by Jeremy Charles and Melissa Lukenbaugh. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit mix.philbrook.org.