How a Scottsdale mixologist won the opportunity to bartend for Kevin Hart

PHOENIX – Arizona heat dwells around the bar patio of Old Town Scottsdale’s The Montauk. At the bar, Bud Shaw is in his element as he concocts a spicy margarita. He moves from one ingredient to the next, crushing ice between two ice shakers as his shoulders fall in line with his hands. The Scottsdale bartender pours the drink into a cup lined with salt, tops it with sliced jalapeno and places it right next to a glistening golden trophy that reads, “Bartender of the Year.”

The trophy, which is displayed at the bar, celebrates Shaw’s accomplishment as the champion of the 2024 Coramino Cup. Presented by Gran Coramino Tequila, the competition aims to find the best bartender in the nation.

Shaw had competed the year prior, in the contest’s first year, but was knocked out in the first round. While making drinks in a timed competition, Shaw finished his cocktail but could not find the closeout card that he had to return to the judge to end his time. Adding to the ticking time, the card was for one of the judges, cofounder of Gran Coramino and comedian, Kevin Hart.

“I couldn’t find his card, it was Kevin Hart’s card … and it took me about 25 seconds so my time kept going down,” Shaw said. “That was a rough way to go out.”

Shaw was devastated to exit so early but he applied again in 2024 after seeing it promoted on Instagram. With the support of his wife, Caitlyn, who told him he was going to win, he ended up becoming a top 10 finalist.

Judges visited the 10 bartenders at their local bars and put them through a speed round that tested their multitasking ability, charisma and cocktail tastes.

For the judges, Shaw made 10 shots, five cocktails and two other drinks within a five-minute span.

“You have to keep a conversation with that as well while you’re working, so it’s a lot of multitasking,” Shaw said.

With the drinks handed off to the judges, they tested on a range of metrics such as whether there was too much alcohol or citrus in the drink.

Shaw felt confident in his performance and was right. He and five other bartenders were flown to Las Vegas to compete at Resorts World over Labor Day weekend.

As the final two rounds were approaching, Shaw got focused by using breathing exercises and manifesting winning it all. His wife contributed by wearing a gold dress in preparation for her husband’s victory.

The six bartenders were split into groups of three for the first round, where judges tested them on speed, hustle, taste and charisma. With Kevin Hart in the room hosting the event for the crowd, Shaw said he was nervous but he pleased the judges and made it to the final round.

Down to just three bartenders, the tests became tougher. The judges took away ingredients for drinks, forcing the contestants to rely on their expertise in cocktail creation.

Luckily for Shaw, who was in his 16th year bartending and was the creator of The Montauk’s cocktail menu, he had been studying for years. Through trial and error, Shaw learned proper combinations from making drinks and researching which ingredients pair well with certain alcohol.

“It’s one of those things where I’m doing very well with what I’m doing so why not perfect that art,” Shaw said.

Despite the challenge the judges threw his way, Shaw had no doubt he had done well.

“[In the] second round I think I cooked everybody,” Shaw said. “I was the first one to finish, my garnishes looked beautiful, the energy in the room was just there and everyone was just cheering.”

Even with the confidence, Shaw felt he could be overthinking his success. When Hart ultimately revealed Shaw was the winner, he said the stress released immediately.

It wasn’t just a shiny trophy that the Scottsdale bartender won. Overall, he won $10,000, a feature in Chilled Magazine, and will bartend for Hart for a year at exclusive events.

Shaw has not only won a championship for himself but by bringing the trophy back to Scottsdale he said it’s more than just being about him.

“This isn’t for me. It’s for Arizona,” Shaw said.

A journey through bartending

Shaw’s journey in the world of bartending began when he moved to Phoenix from Yuma to pursue a college degree. Shortly after enrolling at Arizona State University, Shaw dropped out and took up a job at Buffalo Wild Wings as a bartender.

“I just fell in love with bartending and just being able to entertain people and have fun on my job,” Shaw said. “I never thought that I could make a living off of serving people alcohol.”

While it took time to learn the intricate craft of creating cocktails, Shaw felt he was a natural at being a bartender.

“I was a class clown growing up, I liked entertaining people and talking a lot,” Shaw said. ‘I’ve been trying to be a class clown my whole life so it leaned over into that.”

After working at Buffalo Wild Wings, Shaw was inspired by bartenders he had seen making sophisticated drinks and decided to apply to other bars. After 14 years working at various bars, he grew his skills and came to The Montauk, where he has been for the last two years.

Caroline Eggertsen, a bartender at The Montauk, said she could see Shaw had a gift for bartending.

“He has a presence and makes it fun to work here so I was drawn to him right away,” Eggertsen said.

In the future, Shaw sees himself owning a small intimate craft bar where people can come and be educated on the craft he has devoted himself to.

“It’s not just something to get drunk, it’s something to enjoy. It’s like food, we need it but you also want to enjoy it too.”