They came, they danced, they ate fried chicken. And by the end of a ridiculously successful night, they helped raise an impressive amount of money for breast-cancer research.
A half-hour into Shake for Second Base – Sunday evening’s fundraiser showcasing 10 of Dallas’ best female bartenders – it was shoulder-to-shoulder at Sissy’s Southern Kitchen. More than 200 people stormed the Henderson Avenue restaurant to enjoy drinks, fried chicken and short ribs, and the slightly twisted classic cocktails (for instance, Jeweled Jugs and Boob-a-rang) were totally down with the theme.
The event was a precursor to next weekend’s Speed Rack competition at the San Antonio Cocktail Festival, which also raises money for breast-cancer research. With the Dallas event somewhat hastily conceived, co-organizers Bonnie Wilson (of Whiskey Cake in Plano) and Trina Nishimura (of The Cedars Social and The Establishment in Dallas) were dazzled by the turnout.
Along with the lineup of pink-shirted lady drink-slingers, a number of Dallas’ barmen got into the act too, including Libertine’s Mate Hartai, Whiskey Cake’s Sean Conner and Jason Kosmas of Marquee Grill & Bar.
The evening included the chance to bid for an hour-long cocktail date with your favorite bartender, girl or boy. Co-organizer Nishimura earned the top bid of $1,250 and was among a trio of Cedars Social bartenders bought by one patron for $1,700. And apparently even more could have been garnered: “They totally forgot to auction me,” said happily busy bartender Emily Perkins (in photo above) of The Porch, resplendent in red polyester pants. “I don’t just wear these pants for anything.”
But no matter: Peeps were having fun, gettin’ funky along the far wall under Sissy’s antiquey dinner plates and deer heads where a DJ spun skillful remixes of George Michael, Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder.
When Wilson and Nishimura got done counting the night’s proceeds, they found they’d raised an amazing $10,000 for the cause. The amount will be added to that raised next week in San Antonio as part of a regional donation to the national Speed Rack campaign.
“It was way more than we expected,” she said. “We were very blessed with the support.”
— Marc Ramirez, 1/15/13