Co-workers head to cocktail competition
By Valerie Molino
Two bartenders from Fauna, a popular Centretown restaurant, will be among the 16 finalists in a citywide cocktail competition on March 20.
Eric Romolock and Julian Bernard will be competing in the first ever Ottawa regional final of the Made With Love competition at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park.
Made With Love was founded in 2009, in Montreal, by Pierre-Olivier Trempe.
Trempe has also organized Made With Love competitions in Mexico, and most recently in Spain.
Made With Love’s mission is to promote and develop the cocktail community, said spokesperson Maryline Demandre.
She said that about six weeks to two months before the regional final, a qualification competition occurs.
Fauna hosted Ottawa’s qualifying event about six weeks ago. Both of the Fauna bartenders made it through to the qualifier and will compete for both the public choice and judged awards.
The winners will receive a spot in the national finals in May, the location for which has yet to be announced, said Demandre.
Romolock has been a bartender since Fauna opened about two and half years ago, he said.
He’s a graduate of the sommelier program at Algonquin College, which he said has given him an advantage as a bartender.
“With the wine school, you learn how to taste wine, and so you’re finding the perfect balance, acidity, sugar and alcohol. It helps a lot with bartending because you can make a balanced drink.”
Once Romolock passed the qualifiers, he was invited to pick one of the sponsored liquors to include in his drink. He chose Campari, “an alcoholic spirit obtained from the infusion of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water,” according to the company’s website.
Romolock also plans on including honeydew and watermelon in his drink, he said.
“Campari is from Milan, it’s from Italy,” he said. “It’s going to be just like a colorful Italian beach party, that’s kind of where I’m leaning towards now.”
As for Bernard, he’s been a bartender for six years. He began his bartending career at Sidedoor, a restaurant on York Street in the Byward Market.
His planned drink for the competition? Bernard wouldn’t say much.
“I’m definitely trying to go above and beyond, and try to stimulate every sense of the guest,” Bernard said.
“I will say that the location of the final has a lot to do with the inspirations of the cocktail,” he hinted. “If I won I would be super happy and proud to be among a very skillful group of bartenders,” he said.
Demandre said that often the first round of a regional competition doesn’t attract many people, but that wasn’t the case in Ottawa. During the qualifiers, Fauna was filled with about 150 people.
She said they expect about 400 to 500 people in attendance on March 20.
“We see that there is really an interest here in Ottawa,” Demandre said.
Romolock said he’s participated in other cocktail competitions but nothing as big as Made With Love.
If he wins, “it would just be hard work paid off,” he said. “It would be nice to go to another city and do it and represent Ottawa. We get left out of a lot of things in the spotlight nationwide.”
Bernard revealed that there is a competitive spirit happening between the two of them, but he would still be happy if Romolock won. It would look good for the bar, he said.
To get more information about the other competitors and to buy your tickets, visit Made With Love.