Wisconsin Bartender Week Is On Tap
Starting Monday is state's first-ever bartending week, with a bar swap, tastings and special releases.
Wisconsin Bartender Week Team. Photo submitted.
A new-to-Wisconsin event aims to shake up the state’s beverage scene, spotlighting local bars and craft spirits—and celebrating the bartenders behind the stick, as insiders describe them.
More than 25 establishments are set to participate in Wisconsin Bartender Week, which runs from Monday, Aug. 18 through Sunday, Aug. 24.
The inaugural festival, an offshoot of Hanna Lee Communications’ Worldwide Bartender Week, goes beyond beer with a seven-day lineup of events including special-release spirits, a bar swap, expert-guided tastings and more.
PufferFish co-owners Jc Cunningham and Monique Cunningham will serve as local hosts with the goal of engaging cocktail enthusiasts while celebrating the storytelling that drives some of the state’s top mixologists. With over 30 years of combined experience in hospitality and events, the Cunninghams have channeled their expertise into the rooftop tiki bar at 411 E. Mason St. known for its inventive cocktails, festive pop-ups and zero-proof offerings.
“We are thrilled to stage Bartender Week in Wisconsin and shine a spotlight on the incredible talent within our state’s bar community,” Jc said in a statement. “What Hanna Lee Communications has built with New York Bartender Week is a phenomenal platform for highlighting vibrant, emerging markets like Milwaukee and Madison.”
PufferFish will join more than a dozen Milwaukee bars, along with participants from Madison, Appleton, Greenfield, West Allis, Neenah, Cedarburg and Baraboo, for the week’s festivities.
The full list includes: Agency, Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, Buckley’s Restaurant & Bar, The Copper Turtle Brewery and Taverne, Discourse, Glassnote Candle Bar, Haven Cafe, La Piña, Lost Whale, Oggie’s, The Loon Room, The Wolf on Broadway, Tin Widow, Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern, Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge, Mint Mark, Muskellounge and Sporting Club, Public Parking, The Robin Room, Commodore Club, Holey Mackerel, Station No.06, Town Council Kitchen and Bar, Union House and Wiscocktail Lounge.
A kickoff gala will take place at Milwaukee Public Market on Monday, Aug. 18, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., inviting guests to mingle with participating bartenders and sponsors while toasting to the week ahead.
The following day, six bartenders from Madison and Milwaukee will trade places for The Ultimate Bar Swap, with takeovers at Lola’s, Robin Room, Muskellounge, PufferFish, Lost Whale and Bryant’s.
Wednesday, Aug. 20 features a tasting led by experts from the Milwaukee chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild, highlighting whiskeys and other spirits from La Crosse Distilling Co., Dancing Goat, J. Henry & Sons and Central Standard Craft Distillery.
Tin Widow will host an “almost-anniversary” celebration on Aug. 21, featuring a special-release barreled gin created in collaboration with Dancing Goat Distillery.
Programming on Aug. 22 and 23 spotlights Wisconsin-inspired cocktails at participating bars, with a send-off party on Aug. 24 at PufferFish.
A full schedule is available to view online. Tickets and RSVPs are not required to attend.
Bartender Week debuted last November in New York City with more than 180 participating bars. The NYC festival will return for a second installment this fall, and is also expanding with events in India and Kenya.
Hanna Lee, president and founder of Hanna Lee Communications, said she’s proud of the event’s continued expansion.
“Together with incredible local partners like Jc and Monique Cunningham, we are building a movement that honors bartending as a noble profession to electrify bar communities across the U.S. and, ultimately, worldwide.”
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