Bud Shaw, a bartender at Old Town Scottsdale’s The Montauk, recently won the 2024 Coramino Cup, a nationwide bartending competition that “celebrates and shines a light on the hustlers of nightlife and high-energy spots that often go under-appreciated but are known by their peers as the hardest-working folks on the floor.”
The competition took place in Las Vegas over Labor Day weekend. Shaw came away with first place and headed back to Phoenix to continue perfecting his mixology skills – perhaps to cement another first-place win at next year’s Coramino Cup.
Actor Kevin Hart and Juan Domingo Beckmann, an 11th-generation tequila maker, founded Gran Coramino Tequila. The competition brought together 10 – out of 950! – bartenders from across the country.
Shaw’s win earned him a feature in Chilled Magazine and a $10,000 grand prize. In the coming months, he will continue to display his talents at an assortment of Gran Coramino occasions, including red-carpet events, live shows, exclusive parties, and more. Hart, a judging panel from Chilled Magazine, and other industry experts selected Shaw as the 2024 annual contest winner.
“Gran Coramino was created to celebrate the hard work required for excellence, especially during the moments that no one sees,” Hart said in a press release. “Bartenders embody the ‘Hard Work Tastes Different’ motto we live by – they work to make sure people have a good time – and they make it look easy.”
Shaw was one of six bartenders tested on a variety of skills. The other finalists came from venues in LA, Chicago, Miami, and Vegas. Participants were evaluated on “hustle, accuracy, charisma, and overall presence, showcasing why they are the hardest working bartenders in the industry.”
“Six peeps from all ends of the country coming together for one goal: to show how important we are to the industry,” Shaw said in an Instagram post. “Connections, making people smile, and having fun are the goals I’ve set to conquer in my lifetime, and I’ve done a pretty damn good job at it so far.”
Shaw has honed his bartending talents at The Montauk in Scottsdale for the past two years, thanks to an extensive specialty cocktail menu program that he spearheaded. His win was a testament to the originality, experience and vibrant personality he brings to his teammates and customers.
For more information, visit grancoramino.com or themontaukaz.com.
