Mary Carroll’s Bartender Gains South Shore Celebrity Status as Long Island’s Best Bartender

March Madness took on a whole new meaning this year! West Islip local Dan Bartley, bartender at Mary Carroll’s Irish Gastro Pub in Babylon Village, was named Long Island’s Best Bartender after winning Greater Long Island’s Battle for the Best Bartender challenge this past March.

After being nominated, Dan secured his spot as one of the 16 best bartenders that were accepted into the tournament-style contest. Dan competed against bartenders from Nassau County then progressed to the final rounds of drink-slinging to face off against bartender Dan Leopold from Cold Spring Harbor’s Sandbar. The two Dans went shaker-to-shaker at That Meetball Place in Patchogue, where Dan Bartley emerged victorious. We had the opportunity to chat with Dan about his big win…

THE LIST: Congratulations Dan! Can you tell us about the winning drinks you concocted?

BARTENDER DAN: We had to make three cocktails for the final round. The first one was a Sidecar, which is a cognac-based drink; the next was a margarita cocktail, and the final drink was my personal take on an Old Fashioned, which put me over the top for the win.

THE LIST: We love a good margarita! Ok Dan, let’s cut to the chase…can you tell us what you did or which special ingredients you used for the winning cocktail?

Makes 2 Cocktails

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz. New Amsterdam Coconut Vodka

• 4 oz. Bacardi Coconut Rum

• 3 oz. pineapple juice

DIRECTIONS

• 1 oz. cream of coconut

• Toasted coconut flakes

• Simple syrup

• Pineapple slice for garnish

Rim glasses: Pour a ring of simple syrup onto a shallow saucer. Sprinkle toasted coconut flakes onto a separate saucer. Dip martini glass rim into syrup and then press rim into toasted coconut flakes. Set glasses aside.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add coconut vodka, rum, pineapple juice and cream of coconut to shaker. Shake well. Strain evenly into 2 martini glasses and garnish with pineapple slices.

Makes 2 Cocktails

INGREDIENTS

• 6 oz. X-Rated Fusion liqueur

• 2 oz. Smirnoff Orange Vodka (or preferred)

DIRECTIONS

• 2 oz. pineapple juice

• 2 oz. cranberry juice

• Orange slices

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add all liquid ingredients and shake well. Strain evenly into 2 martini glasses. Garnish martini glasses with orange slices.

BARTENDER DAN: Sorry ladies, I’ll never tell, but come down to Mary Carroll’s and I’ll make one of my winning drinks for you! But I will share one of my personal recipes that is a delicious summertime fan-favorite at Mary Carroll’s. Enjoy!

Makes 2 Cocktails

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz. New Amsterdam Pink Whitney vodka

• 4 fresh strawberries, muddled

• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice

• 2 oz. simple syrup

• Lemonade

• Fresh Lemon wheels and strawberry slices

DIRECTIONS

Add vodka, muddled berries, lemon juice and simple syrup to shaker. Shake well. Strain mixture evenly into 2 ice-filled tall cocktail glasses and top off with lemonade. Garnish with lemon wheels and strawberry slices.

Bay Shore’s own Coastal Kitchen & Daiquiri Bar is one of the south shore’s best cocktail bars well-known for their coastal-themed drinks. Their cocktail menu offers a diverse range of travel-inspired cocktails accompanied by their own traditional favorites.

Perfectly balanced and refreshing, their Passion Fruit Margarita brings the good vibes of summer with a pop of passion fruit zing!

Makes 2 Cocktails

• 3 oz. blanco tequila

• 1 ½ oz. fresh lime juice

• 1 ½ oz. passion fruit syrup

• 1 oz. agave nectar

• Tajin seasoning (or coarse salt) for rimming glasses

• Lime slices

Rim glasses: Pour a ring of Tajin (or salt) onto a shallow saucer. Run a slice of lime around the edges of the cocktail glasses. Press the rim of the glasses into the seasoning to coat the edges. Set glasses aside. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, passion fruit syrup and agave nectar to the shaker. Cover and shake for at least 30 seconds. Pour evenly into ice-filled Tajin-rimmed glasses. Garnish glasses with slice of lime.