Photos: Rematch!!! Beeyatch!!! In NYC

There's been a lot of talk back and forth lately about cocktail contests — whether they suck or whether they are awesome. We will be the first (and not last) to say that the It's a Rematch!!!! Beeyatch!!!!! event that went down in New York City on May 14, to close out the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, did not suck. In fact, the reason this story is being published a solid week after the event went down at Macao in Tribeca is because it did not suck AT ALL.

To recap, Rematch is a speed tiki contest in which competitors must make two daiquiris and one of each the following: Caipirinha, mojito, pina colada, zombie, cuba libre, planter's punch, mai tai and, finally, open a beer. Winners are determined by a combination of fastest time, and taste and presentation penalties.

At competition start we already knew that London's Bobby Hiddleston, from Milk & Honey, had the best global time (with penalties), a difficult 1:29 to beat. Yael Vengroff, Miss Speed Rack, valiantly held the lead in New York through several rounds with a 2:16 posted. But it was not enough to win. Skinny showman Steve Schneider, from Employees Only/Macao, broke the "world record" in terms of time. He finished in 1:21 minutes, but after penalties was awarded a 1:36. That wasn't enough to beat the London winner.

There was also some high drama and theatrical hijinks. Johan Ekelund from Happiness Forgets in London pulled a "Phil Collins at Live Aid" and competed in the London Rematch, then immediately got on a plane and competed in NYC. John Lermayer from the Florida Room, winner of an similar event in New Orleans, shattered his pina colada glass when he slammed it down on the bar to punctuate the end of a tough round and was disqualified. There's no crying (or broken glass) in Rematch.

A disappointment for New York, but legends were born and smack-talking between bartenders across global borders continues. Here are some photos of the action.