[tense music playing]
[Tone] This is it.
It's the Drink Masters final.
Twelve mixologists entered this bar...
[winces] Come on!
Goddamn it!
[Tone] ...and faced epic challenges.
It's been hard to stay organized in the thick of the craziness.
I'm freaking out.
[Alex] Each challenge gets a little tougher for me.
I want to stay so bad.
[LP] I feel like there's a target on my back. It's every man for themselves.
What are we doing here?
[Tone] They were pushed to create liquid art.
Put your seats in the upright and locked position,
it is time to land!
Shake it up!
One by one they fell until only three remain.
[Julie] LP, I was really transported right to the bodega in the Bronx.
It is delicious.
[Frankie] Tao, beautiful flavor profile.
Very minimalist, but it speaks volumes.
Kate, these are the best drinks you've given us this whole season.
Sniper precision.
[Tone] Now, they're here for the crown, and they each want it.
But only one can win and become the ultimate Drink Master.
[glasses clink]
[Tone] And then there were three.
Tao, Kate, and LP,
this is what it's all been leading up to.
The first ever Drink Masters finale.
You each have the skill, creativity, and talent needed
to be crowned the ultimate Drink Master
and win the cash prize of $100,000!
But before you can taste epic greatness,
you have to serve epic greatness.
And a final challenge that is the epitome of Drink Masters excellence.
We want you to create a superb bar menu,
one part classic mixology,
one part molecular techniques,
and 100% pure you.
I don't have a bar yet, so creating menus for other bars and restaurants
is literally what I do every day.
Now, your dream bar menu will feature three cocktail courses
connected by a cohesive theme or idea.
[LP] The difficulty with making a really cohesive menu
is ensuring that every element ties into the next one
and all of the flavors make sense.
Start us off with a light, refreshing cocktail.
Use flavors that surprise and delight us.
Your second course should be a delicious, spirit-forward cocktail.
We want it to be complex, innovative,
and perfectly balanced.
Your final course is a creation so damn tasty
that the best word to describe it is showstopper.
[chuckles]
This final cocktail must be presented in two ways:
traditional and deconstructed.
So one half of your dynamic duo will be a beautiful and elegant liquid version
for the cocktail purists among us.
[Frankie] The other half of your potent pair
will be an equally delicious reimagined, molecular version
for the modernists like moi.
Deconstruction is taking those singular elements in a cocktail
and recreating them in different formats.
The judging criteria of taste, appearance, and creativity
will apply to every facet of this challenge.
You have a total of five hours to create your three-course menu,
but just like in a real bar, the clock don't stop.
As soon as one course is served, you move on to the next.
Your first course is due
at your bar station at the two-hour mark.
We'll taste while you get back to work.
[Kate] Five hours is not a lot of time to do three courses.
Doing menu development takes days, weeks, sometimes months.
Time management is the most important thing.
And now, for the very last time,
your time starts...
[judges] Now!
[thrilling music playing]
[Tao] Technique applications is the most important thing for me today.
I've been standing out since day one.
Like, look at me.
I just have to make three really, really, really tasty drinks.
The plan is to make them taste my journey.
[Kate] My strategy is to work on the cocktails in order,
because if I focus too much on the showstopper,
then my first cocktail won't shine.
It's the first impression. I need to make a good one.
I know I've got to pull out all the stops
and just speak from my heart and my passion.
Final challenge.
We are building a menu.
This is kind of a culmination
of everything all three of them have done this entire competition.
[Julie] Any menu has to be well-rounded.
They need to wow us
and also show us things that we haven't seen before.
[LP] I have to be really strategic about the way that I execute my menu,
so I created a schedule down to the very minute
of everything I need to get done.
I'm starting all my infusions for my spirits,
so this is actually for the third course.
What's cool about these three is, uh, they're all so different, so unique.
[Frankie] One thing I've loved throughout the competition,
is watching their individual personalities come through in their style.
Kate, Tao, and LP have given us some incredible cocktails.
[upbeat music playing]
I really gravitate towards, uh, cocktails
that connect with people.
Foods from your childhood, movies, music,
things that evokes feelings.
The concept of my tasting menu is nostalgia
and flavors that connect to the past.
The first thing that comes to my mind is a caramel apple.
I'm just focused on the first drink and making sure that I get that out.
Then it's time to prep for everything to come.
The name of the first cocktail is Apple a Day.
I'm using Fino sherry and gin.
So first off, congratulations.
-Thank you. -Does it change your strategy
now that you've reached this point in the competition?
Um, you know, after that last round
and I really made drinks that are true to me,
I did really well, so that was kind of like an aha moment,
and I wanted to make a fluffy juice cocktail.
I've made these in my bar and people go crazy over them.
[Frankie] Fluffy juice?
So fluffy juice is when you throw, um, like oranges or apples through a juicer,
-instead of press juicing them. -Yeah.
And the aeration gives them like a foam on top,
and they're really, really light and aerated.
-[Frankie] Right. -They're aerated juices.
One hour till the first course is up!
[exhales] Okay.
We have to think about three drinks. Some stuff take more time.
So right now, I'm working on infusions.
The theme of my bar menu is my personal journey.
Where I came from, Tunisia.
and where I learned the craft, Canada.
Then for the showstopper,
where we're going after, what to expect if you come to my bar.
Once I open one. After this.
The first drink is light and refreshing on the menu, right?
-Yeah. -So, what's your idea?
Uh, this drink is gonna transport you to Tunisia.
-Where I come from. -Okay.
[Tao] I have pomegranate juice.
This is going to go in. I'm making a grenadine out of it.
We have salted watermelon.
I got family from Mississippi. We know about throwing salt on a watermelon.
[Tao] Yeah, cool.
My first cocktail is called A Night in Tunisia.
It's basically vodka, a little bit of Blanco tequila.
There's a lot of citrus, uh, salted watermelon juice.
And then the ingredient that makes it, like, you know...
is a Ras Hanout tincture.
So this is a Ras Hanout.
Uh, so, it's a very common North African spice blend.
The drink is light and refreshing,
but I'm not just gonna give you light and refreshing.
-We're gonna give you complex. -[Tone] I know.
I know you're not gonna just give me anything.
[LP] This is Amontillado sherry.
I'm putting it in my spheres, because I love sherry so much.
My theme is connecting
the African-American experience in food and beverage
all the way into my own experience
utilizing tea as the common thread throughout three cocktails.
I'm not a Southern girl, but we drink a lot of sweet tea.
My mom always made it growing up.
-Hi, LP. I love your sparkles. -Hi, how's it going?
Thanks!
I wanted to peek in here and see what you got going.
What's your plan for your menu?
Yeah, I'm going to be focusing on teas.
-Um, starting out with, uh, mint tea. -Excellent.
[LP] The name of my first cocktail is Bountiful Impressions.
I'm using gin, a melon, lime, and ginger oleo-saccharum,
mint tea with a cherry mint sphere.
We're really going to focus on slaves
and how they were caregivers,
ultimately influencing the way that folks eat and drink food.
They took mint, which is a weed,
making it a beverage, a very decadent experience.
It's utilized all over the world as a garnish.
The reason I'm adding a cherry mint sphere
is because this element makes my cocktail a bit more elevated.
First course in 20 minutes!
[thrilling music continues]
I am making a dulce de leche syrup.
Dulce de leche is sweet milk, essentially.
I work well under pressure. I'm ahead of schedule. I'm feeling good.
Almost got my cocktail ready. It's time to focus on number two.
[Tao] I kind of saw this giant loofah.
This is a Tunisian thing that I also grew up with.
How can I use it for the presentation?
Five minutes!
[rapid tense music playing]
She's freshly ripping the mint, so we're going to smell that.
That's an initial apéritif, if you will, into the experience.
Yep. That's what I was gonna say.
Judges, drinks are up.
So the name of the cocktail is A Night in Tunisia. Please, enjoy.
-[Frankie] Thank you. -Thank you, Tao.
[Tao] I have to rush to continue.
Oh yes.
I think it's a good thing. I don't want to hear.
If they give me comments now,
like a little critique that is gonna maybe rub me the wrong way,
then I'm gonna overthink back in the kitchen.
It's... it's gorgeous.
-I love the light coming out. -[Frankie] Beautiful.
-I think this is very true to who he is. -[Frankie] Totally.
[Tone] Lady LP.
Hello!
This is Bountiful Impressions.
I'm gonna go to the kitchen.
-[Julie] Thanks, LP. -[Tone] All right.
[LP] I feel really good about my first cocktail.
It's going to set them up for all the flavors to come.
[Tone] I'm blown away by the sphere.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how this ties in with her whole story.
-Hi, Kate! -Hi! Welcome!
Name of my cocktail is Apple A Day.
[Tone] Apple A Day.
[Kate] It's nerve-racking not knowing what they're saying,
but right now, I don't care. I just got to get through this next cocktail.
[Tone] She's going for a caramel apple.
It tastes balanced. Yeah, this would be a great fall cocktail.
The first drink, I feel great about it.
Let's get it.
But for the second drink,
I have a lot of stuff to do. A lot.
Let's talk about course number two.
Course number two is spirit-forward.
All right. We got a lot to do, let's pick it up.
[Frankie] This cocktail acts as a bridge. This is their second course.
This is gonna tie together the first and the third cocktails.
First drink up, pretty happy.
Uh, I am going to now make my second and third cocktail
and all the components for the showstopper.
For my spirit-forward cocktail,
I'm kind of playing on music with this one, the nostalgia of Elvis
and his love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
My grandparents loved Elvis,
so it's a very nostalgic thing.
This drink is going to be a peanut butter fat-washed Scotch,
and I'm going to make a distillate of banana peels and ginger.
I think it's important to challenge yourself
and try new things.
[Julie] Distilled banana peels.
-I've never tasted that. Have you? -No.
I have never done this before, so it's the perfect time to do it!
$100,000! Now you try everything you've never done before.
Her flavor combinations are very, very intelligent.
There's a beautiful, beautiful approach that she takes to her flavor pairing.
No, use that one for the front.
-For here? -[Tao] Yeah.
-Oh, okay. -[Tao] And then...
My personal biggest obstacle has been myself,
but I hope that the judges have seen a lot of growth in me.
How do I use this?
[Kate] It's "start" right there.
How do I reset?
Hold it. Yeah.
One hour until the second course!
Are you boiling? Please, milk.
[LP] Working on my second cocktail, the base spirit.
So I'm infusing some Comté cheese into whiskey.
So my cocktail will start out boozy stirred
and then transition to another boozy stirred-style drink
with a bit of acidity.
Black tea will be seeping into the drink
and as the judges sip on it, it will change over time.
I thought it'd be really cool to pay homage to
something that is often, you know, drank and consumed
in a lot of Black American homes: sweet tea.
When I was a kid, it was something my mom really, really enjoyed drinking.
LP is mindful, and she is always focused.
[LP] I've worked hard to get to this,
and there have been moments where I wanted to quit.
There have been moments when I wanted to just cry,
but there was that little fire in my heart that was like, keep pushing, keep going.
Tastes... [kisses] ...beautiful.
[intriguing music playing]
Yep.
I came to Canada,
a country so different from Tunisia.
I didn't drink until the age of 23,
so thinking that this is what I do now is mind-blowing.
My cocktail is called Forest Fire.
It's gonna have boreal spices-infused whiskey,
wild mushroom tincture as well for the aromatics, to be sprayed.
I have a lot of beautiful, wild ingredients
that most Canadians don't even know
that this is a boreal forest product.
This is like a little of spices that we have in the forest.
This is my ode to Canada.
Tao, always been adventurous.
I mean, that's just who he is.
Places he's lived, the people he's met, the ingredients that he uses.
He's a flavor nomad. You don't know where you're going to end up.
[Julie] He is a nomad, though. He's very artistic.
I feel like he's always painting us a picture.
[Tao] No rest for the wicked.
That's a saying, right? They say that?
I'm making Nordic berry spirit, which is made using clear vodka.
So I'm using Saskatoon berries, Haskap berries, seabuckthorns.
These are, like, delicious berries. I think we should use these more.
This cocktail is like tasting the forest floor
of the Canadian wilderness in a good way.
This is basically a blend of, uh, wild Canadian mushrooms.
[intriguing synth music playing]
Elvis used to eat peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwiches.
I don't wanna put bacon in the cocktail. I think it might overpower everything.
So my plan is to make a bacon Scotch lollipop.
Just in time.
I'm doing mac and cheese to pair with my second cocktail,
because I have a Comté-infused rye,
and really, it's to accent the cheese in the cocktail.
Mac and cheese is the perfect thing to add to this menu.
It's a staple of my home. My mom made it growing up.
Kate. Sorry to bug, I think this is burning.
Shit! I forgot to check it. Thank you.
Five minutes! Five minutes till course two, and I'm very excited.
[Tao] I'm gonna pour, like, a Nordic forest essence that I made
on top of the dry ice.
It's going to cover all the place.
Gonna look great.
There's literally mushrooms and snow
tucked in all over the place,
and they have to reach to get their drink.
The Sensory Department called, and they're satisfied.
[upbeat rhythmic music playing]
[blows]
[Tao] Judges, drinks are up.
Wow. Wow, wow.
Amazing.
[aerosol spraying]
[Tao] This is the Forest Fire.
Please enjoy.
I gotta go do my showstopper.
Get to it, man.
-Thanks. -Thank you, Tao.
So this is our spirit-forward cocktail.
Our second course.
[Tao] I would have loved to stay and see how they were enjoying it.
I'm hoping that everyone's gonna be happy with this one.
There's definite cohesion happening here,
with cocktail one, with that salted watermelon,
cocktail two incorporating strawberries and tomato.
-Hi, Kate! -[Kate] Hi!
Welcome to A Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love.
Enjoy the cocktail. I gotta go!
I'm confident in this cocktail. I taste the Scotch. It's balanced.
There are notes that bring us from course one to course two.
[Frankie] Sweet and rich for both courses.
What's next?
Hi, LP.
[LP] This is my Punch of Ti cocktail, and I hope you enjoy.
I'm gonna go run away now so I can finish my third cocktail.
-Cheers. -[Tone] Thank you.
[Julie] In her first cocktail, she gave us the mint.
-The tea has been connecting this. -Right.
[intense music pulsating]
I'm more nervous now, just obviously 'cause it's the end.
[Kate] Showstopper!
I have a lot to do.
[LP] For the third cocktail,
give the judges a cocktail that's in a glass with liquid,
and additionally a deconstructed version of our cocktail.
-One cocktail broken down in two ways? -[Julie] Yes.
Traditional and deconstructed. So it's called a showstopper for a reason.
[Frankie] Yeah, like at BarChef,
we play around with deconstructing our cocktails all the time.
It's really common in the culinary world.
I'm so excited, because I want them to completely blow my mind.
I'm gonna make a transparent coffee.
My showstopper drink is going to be around the world trip.
Coffee, cacao, mangosteen, Palo Santo,
mixed with coffee.
And then the deconstructed part,
I'm doing transparent coffee Jell-O pebbles
and mangosteen sponge cake.
These are the flavors, the ingredients going into the drink.
[intriguing synth music playing]
[LP] So they're expecting us to go really big,
and I plan to give them all the nuts and bolts.
I'm making candles for the third cocktail.
I've never made a candle before.
My traditional cocktail is going to be a milk punch.
I have a cognac that has dates infused in it,
milk, and then a hazelnut syrup.
For deconstruction, I'm making a Baked Alaska
with all the elements that are in my cocktail.
I'm taking the dates that I use to infuse in my Cognac
and placing them in my ice cream.
The milk will be meringue on my plating,
and lastly, the Earl Grey tea that will be in my cocktail
will be in the cake on my plating.
[thrilling music playing]
Um, I'm making a Cocoa Puff milk punch,
hoping that the judges are impressed and amused at the same time.
I'm featuring the nostalgia of cereal.
My cocktail is going to be a milk punch.
I'm going to soak cereal in the milk punch,
so I'm going to make a cereal milk punch.
Growing up, I didn't have a lot of money.
My mom was a single mom and she struggled,
and, you know, cereal was definitely a food group.
I'm deconstructing it in a few different ways.
Jell-O caviar, fennel foam.
Everything I can think of.
There is so much pressure in this challenge.
It's quite intense.
I'm taking all of the ingredients in the milk punch and made a jelly,
and I'm going to take the leftover chocolate puffs
and make them into a cracker.
I need to make my cracker, and I put it in the oven and forget about it. [laughs]
Just need my crackers to not be burnt.
And it was really good and perfect and thin and just what I wanted.
[Tone] Five minutes, five minutes!
[LP] I don't know that I'm gonna get everything done.
May I invite you to the bar?
-[Julie gasps] I thought you'd never ask. -Well, thank you.
Let's go take our seats.
[anticipatory music playing]
[Tone] We have one minute! One minute!
Sixty seconds!
-[Tone] Ten seconds! -Yeah.
[Tone] Nine seconds.
Eight seconds.
[judges applauding]
[Tone] Two, one.
Time's up! Hands up!
[judges continue applauding]
Tao, bring it on up.
[Tao] I'm just all smiles. My face hurts.
It's a great drink. I wish you can all taste it.
Hello, judges.
[Tone] Before we get to the showstopper,
let's talk about your first course, A Night in Tunisia.
Tao, your choice of ingredients was bold,
daring, and authentic.
We loved it.
Can we just talk about the loofah cup holder?
That was clever and definitely elevated the presentation.
Between you, me, and the world,
I think it's in my top five of the competition.
Let's talk about Forest Fire,
which was course two, spirit-forward.
[Frankie] Tao, your presentation wowed me.
The aromatics and the visuals really took us into that boreal forest.
We felt that this cocktail was lighter
than we would have expected for a spirit-forward cocktail,
but it was very you, Tao.
I would say it's Tao-forward.
-Yes. -That's how I would put it.
Let's pull up to the showstopper.
-Let's go. -What is the name of your showstopper?
My showstopper is called Dream Jungle.
-[Tone] Dream Jungle? -Yes.
I really wanted to show me again.
Minimal, abstract, but packs a punch.
So, cocoa butter-rum, distilled coffee,
mangosteen, Palo Santo-smoked milk.
Same thing here, deconstructed.
The coffee you'll find in the Jell-O. The whipped cream has the cacao.
So the cocktail for me, it reads very Daiquiri-like.
It's well-balanced.
It's really, really tasty.
Tao, honestly, I really enjoyed this experience.
There's a good, balanced amount of richness within the cocktail.
I do taste the coffee notes, and it pops even more with the gel
that you have, that's pulverized in the glass.
That was really smart.
Technically, it's very sound.
It's a well-executed experience.
Thanks, Frankie.
It's great. Matter of fact, tell us why you should be the ultimate Drink Master.
Cocktails and travel are literally what I live for.
I think I see cocktails in a very, very unique way.
[Tone] Mm-hmm. Tao...
-Thank you. Amazing job as always. -Thank you.
-[Tone] And good luck. -[Tao] Thank you.
I'm very, very proud of the menu that I did.
It describes me perfectly.
I think I did super well.
[LP] I feel really good about presenting my final cocktails to the judges.
It's my opportunity to explain my inspiration and my story.
-Let's start with light and refreshing. -[LP] Okay.
LP, your cocktail was really delicious.
I found it to be a hair too sweet,
but it was very refreshing and light
and a really beautiful job.
And then you topped it off with a beautiful, delicious pop of flavor
with that cherry mint sphere, It was a great touch of technique,
and it was perfectly executed.
I do agree with Julie when it comes to the sweetness.
-Let's talk about your second course. -Okay.
-The spirit-forward cocktail. -[LP] Mm-hmm.
Punch of Ti.
[Julie] LP, there was no mistaking it was spirit-forward.
The rye and the rum really came through in the cocktail.
The apricot was delicious.
[Frankie] My only note is with the presentation.
I was looking for like, you know, that multisensorial presentation.
This mac and cheese came out of nowhere. I felt like I was at home.
Course three.
Tell us the name of your cocktail, and tell us about it.
[LP] Third cocktail, third course, A Spoonful of Sugar.
Take a bite of the dessert, then a sip of the cocktail.
The dessert itself is Baked Alaska
and then the Earl Grey is my, uh, sugar.
Plenty of traditional Black family always have tea in their home.
When I was a kid, that's all my mom drank.
She really loves any tea.
So this is inspired by that.
Awesome. Love it.
-[LP] Thank you. -Like, amazing.
As soon as you presented this candle, I'm like, did LP do a scented candle?
-I did! -[Frankie] You absolutely did.
And it's amazing. It's so elegant.
I think it's delicious.
-I cannot believe you made a Baked Alaska... -I... don't know.
...and a mac and cheese today.
[judges chuckle]
[Julie] There's so many different components to it.
I particularly love how the lemon curd and the ice cream kind of play together.
And then, when you go to the cocktail, you get that Cognac,
and the milk punch which has a bit of a creaminess to it.
Tell us about why you should be the ultimate Drink Master.
For me, this... this job is something that has turned into a surprise passion,
and honestly, anyone watching,
I hope they're just inspired and they feel that they can do this.
I think it's going to be a lot of people,
especially young Black women,
that go, like, "Never thought about doing this."
-[LP] I hope so. -And, uh...
And I think you will be inspiring a lot of people.
-I hope. -[Tone] Regardless of what they look like.
But I think especially people that look like myself and you.
You know how this goes. This is gonna be the hardest decision.
Please go back to your station. We'll talk to you soon. Good job.
[Kate] I'm proud of what I put out. I've made a lot of mistakes,
and I've turned them into achievements, into happy accidents.
I like to think I'm not an emotional person,
but that's just a crock. [laughs]
Kate, let's talk about your light and refreshing.
First course was Apple a Day.
Julie?
[Julie] Kate, with the dulce de leche,
I expected it to be a little bit heavier than it actually was.
It was very tasty, and I really enjoyed the cocktail itself.
-A fun, grown-up take on a caramel apple. -[Kate] Yeah.
The dulce de leche flavor is a favorite of mine.
Uh, I just found the cocktail overly rich.
-But overall, it was a nice job. -Thank you.
I'm going to jump straight into course two,
our Elvis play,
Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love.
Frankie, I'm gonna throw this to you first.
[Frankie] I would have loved to see a bit more of a refinement
with the overall presentation.
[Julie] But it was delicious
and it was spirit-forward, which was what we asked for.
The whiskey worked really nicely, but the cocktail was absolutely delicious.
[Tone] Cocktail-wise, great.
Lollipop, great.
Let's talk about course three,
the showstopper.
[Kate] So this cocktail is called Boys to the Yard,
and is a clarified milk punch,
but is made with cereal milk from Cocoa Puffs,
Mezcal, Amaro, toasted fennel, orange, and bergamot.
Take a sip of the cocktail. Enjoy it.
Then you have broken down components of the cocktail.
The sphere is orange Mezcal along with a fennel foam.
[Julie] Kate, I loved the presentation.
I think the cocktail's really tasty. I love Mezcal.
It fits in with your whole nostalgia from your... you know, from being younger,
and you probably ate Cocoa Puffs.
I ate one and thought, "Oh yeah, I remember that."
-[Kate laughs] Thank you. -[Julie] Really good job.
The cocktail was actually really nice.
It was very delicious, also quite creative
with using the, you know, the cereal milk to clarify the cocktail.
And then also the pairing of Mezcal and cacao. Love it.
All around, I think each have been a conversation starter, right?
Everybody can talk about their favorite cereal growing up,
the milk that they drank after.
-So I really, really enjoyed it. -Thank you.
With that said, tell us why you should be the ultimate Drink Master.
You know, I think this is my life, for sure.
I want to make my staff proud.
Um, I want to give back to the bartending community. I love what I do.
This is... this is me.
This is always going to be me.
I always want to serve people. I always want to make people happy.
If you're wondering if people are gonna be inspired and proud of you?
Do not worry about that.
You want to be seen?
-We see you. -[Kate crying] Thank you.
-[exhales emotionally] -[all applauding]
The three of you truly, and absolutely, deserve our congratulations.
We have an almost impossible decision to make.
So if you don't mind, take a break while we deliberate.
I've poured my last drink, and it's all up to the judges now.
Where do we start?
For this challenge,
we wanted them to give us a cohesive menu with a story
and really tie each drink, one to the next.
So let's go through it. Tao.
Tao's a little more abstract than most.
I call him a magician all the time. He does stuff I'm not expecting.
The edibles that he had on the side,
the flavor pairings that he does, the ingredients that he uses.
He also told us a story about his life, you know?
I mean, I loved how he sort of took us to where he's been,
you know, where he's from in Tunisia, moving to Canada,
and then where he wants to go.
He loves getting out there and seeing the world,
-and that was apparent in his story. -[Frankie] Mm-hmm.
Let's talk about LP's menu.
Her through line, I'm gonna say tea.
A lot of layers, but tea was what she went with.
She used a different tea for each course.
[Julie] She really pushed to give you some of those more modernist techniques
in all three of her courses.
Very refined, beautiful balance as well, which was really, really nice.
Kate always has a good theme. I love Kate's themes.
Kate's overall theme with her cocktails today was nostalgia,
which is so powerful.
It becomes emotional, immersive.
Visceral, you know, and I really enjoyed that element of her presentation.
I think everybody really did a great job
of really nailing their menus and their flow.
That's why this is so difficult.
But with that said, do you know who the ultimate Drink Master is?
We do.
Let's crown a champ.
[tense music playing]
Next to my divorce,
this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. [laughs]
There was honestly never a moment I thought I could win this
until I was in the finale.
I'm pretty much a realist in that way, but it would be really sweet to win.
It really would.
If I vomit, can I use your hat?
-Yeah. -Thank you.
To be honest, I came since the beginning thinking I can win this.
Here I am with my chance to win it all.
Man, I hope I win.
The judges... have reached a decision.
Tao, LP, Kate.
The three of you are here in this moment 'cause you earned it.
Tonight, you took us on three very distinct,
very personal mixology journeys.
Trying to decide which three-course bar menu we enjoyed the most
came down to the tiniest of details.
The first ultimate Drink Master is...
[tense music building]
...LP.
Oh God.
-Congratulations, LP. -[all applauding]
[LP] That's fucking wild.
You are the ultimate Drink Master.
-[Kate] Cheers. -[Tao] Congrats.
[LP] Holy shit!
Thinking back to when I started bartending,
there were so many people who invested in me
and provided me with opportunities,
so I really hope to be able to do that for many, many, many others.
Congratulations to all y'all.
So proud. So inspired.
Thank y'all for letting me take this journey with y'all.
-Congrats to both you, truly. -[Kate] You too.
I won for me,
and I accomplished what I want,
and I feel good about what I did.
[Kate] The best part of this experience was the people I met.
I have a new family, and that's the best prize.
[pops]
-Hey! -Oh! [laughing]
[Kate] Yeah!
[cheering]
Let's grab some champagne.
[Julie laughs]
-Cheers! -[Frankie] Congratulations.
Cheers to LP.
[Julie chuckles]
[all] Cheers.
And now, enough about LP, back to me.
Cheers to you at home.
Thank you for watching Drink Masters.
Give it up for LP one more time, our new ultimate Drink Master.
-[all applauding] -Whoo!
I'm the ultimate Drink Master! [chuckles]
[closing theme music playing]