Don Q cocktail competition at Bar 35

It's cocktail competition season as local bartenders vie for a spot at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic.

Last week, Kyle Reutner, bar manager of Town, won the Campari competition with a drink of Campari, Dolin Blanc, grapefruit juice, club soda and a dash of orange bitters.

Don Q Rums' Top Mixologist Challenge went down last night, and Roxanne Siebert, bartender at Manifest, shook off the competition and won with her drink, a lightly tart cocktail with Don Q citrus, maraschino liqueur, lemon, Angostura bitters and strawberry.

The other contestants and their drinks:

Christian Self combined fresh mango, papaya and jalapeño in a shaker with Don Q Gold, falernum (a spiced almond syrup), and allspice dram (an allspice flavored liqueur) for a modern tiki drink.

Kyle Moniz, barback at Halekulani, created a mango coconut cocktail with mango puree, lime simple syrup, coconut syrup, Don Q Coco, Blackbeard Spiced Rum, and a float of Meyers Dark Rum.

Dave Newman, bar manager at Nobu, poured a stiff drink of Don Q Gran Anejo, Campari, Booker's Bourbon (129 proof!), yuzu, simple syrup and creole bitters over a single, large ice cube.