Cape Coral craft cocktail guru stirs, shakes, mixes way to bartender competition title
On Tuesday, Jan. 9, Brittany Bowman was once again working her magic from behind the luxurious bar at Sage on 47th in Cape Coral.
Two things made the night different than usual for the craft cocktail guru.
Not only did it happen to be her birthday, but Sage was also hosting the Rivi Gin and Redwood Empire Whiskey bartender competition.
“It was good for all the businesses and bartenders that came out,” Bowman said. “Most of the time, competitions draw from the big cocktail bars in Naples which is great. But it was good to have Lee County in it.”
While there were competitors from both coasts, local bartenders included Lindsay Foltz from Gather, Ethan Howe from Chartreuse, Arlene Crouch of Citrola’s, Emilee Werline of 10 Twenty Five, ODA Pizzeria Bistro’s Deegan Baker, Trevor Fletcher of Tito’s Cantina and Evan Hawes.
“I would 100 percent host it again,” Sage owner Ralph Centalonza said. “We learned a lot about putting on an event after going to the first one at The Cave in Naples. I thought ours went well. Everyone had a really good time.”
At the end of the night, it was Bowman who mixed, shook and crafted her way to first place.
“She is one of the most creative minds behind a bar that I’ve ever witnessed,” Centalonza said. “Her ability to see flavors before tasting is genius.”
His praise is well-earned.
Bowman has been part of the local craft cocktail scene for nearly two decades. Over that time, she has earned a legion of fans who’ve followed her from Lush in south Fort Myers to Nevermind, Nice Guys and now to Sage in Cape Coral.
She’s filled journals and notebooks with all of her cocktail creations.
“I have way too many,” Bowman said. “I secured them all before we evacuated for the hurricane. I put them up on the counter and left the house.”
More than half the pages of a pocket-sized, sticker-covered notebook she started when Sage opened in late April are full.
“There’s two to three recipes per page,” Bowman said. “There may be variations of a simple syrup we do. I’ll write all the specs of it. If a customer really likes a drink, I’ll put their name next to it. None of the drinks are named until they go on the menu. I just never know what I may need the drink for.”
And while she may not remember your name, don’t be offended. She remembers everything else.
“I’m the worst with names,” Bowman said. “I’ll remember what food you ate, what drinks you like. I’ll remember it all, except your name. I may not know that for years.”
One drink name to remember is the Sunshine Bird — Rivi gin, acid-adjusted blood orange, black mangrove honey, Yuzu, duck egg foam with lemon, rosemary simple and Rivi grapefruit gin. It was the second of three drinks she entered in the competition and served to the judges in half a flip-flop.
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“I like watching someone drink something I made,” she said. “I watch their face for the initial reaction to the cocktail. If they don’t like it, I see it immediately. I won’t be offended if they don’t. Some drinks aren’t for everyone.”
That apparently wasn’t the case on Tuesday night, making for a very happy birthday indeed.
Visit Bowman at Sage on 47th, 1015 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral; (239) 542-0200; follow on Facebook and Instagram
Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send news to rhgeorge@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sage on 47th's Brittany Bowman wins bartender contest in Cape Coral
