East Meadow bartenders are Greene Turtle champions

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The Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille in East Meadow is home to a dynamic duo of bartenders who will be competing for a chance to add one of their signature drinks to the corporation’s menus across the country.

Michelle Baumann, 26, and Stephanie De Los Santos, 22, both of East Meadow, triumphed in the regional round of the Greene Turtle’s fourth annual Bring Your Own Bartender competition on Feb. 22. They will be competing for the $1,000 grand prize and menu distinction on April 13 at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, PA.

“We decided we were gonna dance and be a little sexy,” Baumann said of their four-minute bartending routine to impress the judges. “But it’s also about having fun.”

De Los Santos, who began bartending in August, added, “The judges were having a good time, the audience was having a good time and we were having a good time.”

They two added an elegant twist to the classic cosmopolitan, created a refreshing vanilla cocktail made with two kinds of whiskey, brought out the flavors of Hendrick’s gin in a bold pink lemonade and put a summer spin on a white sangria.

“I couldn’t even sample any of the recipes,” Baumann said with a laugh before explaining that she’s pregnant.

This is Baumann’s eighth year bartending and third year in the competition. Last year she won the grand prize, adding her recipe to Greene Turtles across the country. Her iced-tea inspired cocktail “Tee Time,” combines Old Forester Whiskey, Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka and Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka with black cherry syrup a splash of Orange Juice, Coke and Citrus Sour.

Both Baumann and De Los Santos said, however, that their favorite liquor is tequila and, as winners of the regional competition, they will be joining the national competitors in a trip to Mexico with the Greene Turtle team. There, they will take part in a tequila tasting and help choose one brand for the corporation to put in its repertoire. Other than that, De Los Santos said, “it’s all about celebrating with each other.”

De Los Santos and Baumann both said that they are proud to be a part of the Greene Turtle team and their customers shared a similar sentiment. “They really make you feel at home here,” said Karen Schmitt, of East Meadow, and her husband Jim added, “They’re great, they’re both amazing bartenders.”