Bluebird bartender wins national award

Behind the bar in The Bluebird on top of a cooler full of bottles of beer, there’s an old junker of a motorcycle. Green, rusted – who knows if it even runs.

“Supposedly that paid off a bar tab,” Leo Cook said, nodding toward the questionable-looking machine.

He would know, too. After all, he’s been a bartender at The Bluebird for nine years. Before that, Cook was at The Uptown Cafe, the Indiana Memorial Union’s catering service and The Trojan Horse. He has 15 years of experience serving brews and beverages of all types, and now it’s starting to pay off.

Last week, Cook was announced the winner of Food Network’s “The Ultimate Recipe Showdown Beverage Contest.” His prize-winning drink is the Vanilla Lemon Cookie.

It’s a juxtaposition of two distinct but often paired tastes: sweet and sour. A lemon taste is the base of the drink, with 4 ounces of lemonade being the largest quantity of ingredient added. Then Leo adds 2 ounces of Stolli Vanilla Vodka, which provides the coup de grace of the subtle sweetness.

Cook has a list of original drink recipes, such as this one, at home, which have all sprung from moments of creativity.

“I’m always looking for inspiration,” Cook said. “I was at the ‘dirty Kroger’ downtown, and they had this old-fashioned vanilla lemonade. I thought that that sounded great.”

He came up with his own recipe for a drink based on the lemonade later that night. A friend asked him to make a drink for her; he made what is now the Vanilla Lemon Cookie. She said it was great, and he’s been serving it ever since.

“I sell 10 to 15 a night,” Cook said. “It definitely goes up on the weekend. It’s a very brisk seller.”

The Food Network’s Web site has a video of Cook preparing the drink. Bryan Haney, a friend of Cook’s and fellow Bluebird employee, filmed the video.

“I like to think I played a little part in (his winning),” Haney said with a smile.

He said Cook was confident in the beginning of the filming process. They shot a total of three videos of different drink recipes, such as the Orange Fiesta and Summer Time. In the end, Haney suggested that they submit the Vanilla Lemon Cookie video.

Cook said Food Network reviewed all the online video submissions and narrowed it down to the top 10.

Cook said Food Network representatives made the drinks in The Food Network’s “lab” and evaluated them based on originality, flavor, appearance and availability of ingredients. Afterward, the top three videos were chosen and posted on the Internet.

Based on online voting, Cook’s drink won.

“It feels great to get recognition,” Cook said.

In addition to the recognition, Cook won a three-day trip to Las Vegas, and his drink will be featured on the menu at TGI Friday’s, the contest sponsor.

“That’s the best part,” Cook said. “That’s better than Vegas.”

Ryan Vingley, Cook’s friend, was just as excited as Cook.

“It’s like the little man who just works and works and works and then – Boom! – something works out for him,” he said.

A few days after receiving the award, Cook said it still felt great.

A dirty bar-wiping rag hung from the back of his jeans as he served the tumult of students filing in from the cold for 15-cent beer night.

He blew kisses to a girl, and she blew kisses back. He smiled as he served, chatting to those he knew.

Behind the bar at The Bluebird, other paraphernalia besides the motorcycle litters the walls and shelves – a bust of Elvis, a bicycle and a broken skateboard – each with its own story.

And then there’s Cook, who can tell you all sorts of stories about himself – including the one about the time the limelight shone on him.