First Place: Kevin Sheffield

Cha Cha’s Cantina, Society Social Club, Lady N’awlins and F.W. Sullivan’s

Second Place: Ian Hallada, the Tobacco Company

Third Place: Dustin Timberlake, Gallery5

In a category that usually takes at least a few years of toil and sparkling customer service to crack, this year’s winner is notable for the relative lack of time he’s been working behind a bar. Yet Kevin Sheffield has used hustle, social media and networking to create a nice-sized following in the Fan and downtown. “I’ve learned from all the veteran bartenders to just have fun, build relationships with customers, be patient and keep working hard,” he says. “In my opinion, a great bartender listens to people, always remembers people’s names, knows their drink and tries to relate to every customer.” With four different bars in his rotation, it’s never too difficult to find the upbeat Sheffield slinging somewhere, usually in a slightly creative fashion. “I’ve been known to flare a little as well,” he says. “It gets the people going.” Rounding out the top three are the Tobacco Company’s Ian Hallada and Gallery5’s Dustin Timberlake.