The 6th Annual Battle of the Babes is almost here. Last year set the bar.
The rooftop at Merchant + Trade is about to come alive again, and if the 5th Annual is any indication of what the 6th is about to deliver, you already know you need to be there. Eight new competitors. One September night. No two cocktails the same.
The 2025 recap
On September 28, 2025, hundreds of guests climbed to the rooftop at Merchant + Trade in Uptown Charlotte for the 5th Annual Battle of the Babes Cocktail Competition. What they found was not just an event. It was a full expression of what the hospitality community looks like when it gathers around something worth tasting and talking about.
Eight mixologists brought eight completely different visions to the glass. Some honored family legacies through their ingredients. Some introduced Charlotte guests to flavor combinations that had never appeared at that altitude before. Others built cocktails around personal stories of resilience, growth, and identity. The range of what was poured, from floral and delicate to bold and spirit-forward, reflected exactly what the competition is designed to produce: a platform wide enough for every woman behind the bar to be heard on her own terms.
Judges The Cocktail Bandits and Marcus Hammond brought informed, considered evaluation to every sip. DJs Micki Blendz and Fannie Mae kept the rooftop moving. Vendors Glowgirl, Golden K Designs, and Uniquely She filled the space with the energy of a full lifestyle experience. Guests sampled all eight cocktails, compared notes, cast their votes, and made the evening into something that could not have been scripted. This is what Battle of the Babes has always understood: the cocktail is the anchor, but the experience is the event.
Three bartenders. Three stories. One historic night.
First place: Alley — Omni Charlotte
A first-time competitor who walked away with the top honor. Grapefruit, lime, and coconut built the backbone. House-made pepper bitters added the edge. Tajín, chili threads, and a grapefruit garnish finished a drink that balanced strength and softness in a single glass. Alley's debut proved that the competition's greatest contribution is the stage it creates for talent that has been ready long before anyone knew to look.
Second place: Rosalynn — Lorem Ipsum
Playful and sophisticated in the same breath. Rosalynn's cocktail introduced guests to flavor combinations outside the familiar while keeping the experience approachable from the first sip. It was the kind of drink that pushes a palate gently forward without losing it along the way.
Third place and People's choice: Ky — Waterman
No competitor in Battle of the Babes history has ever taken home both the judge's third-place award and the People's Choice in the same year. Ky made it happen. Japanese whiskey, passionfruit, pineapple, and calamansi. St-Germain and grapefruit bitters. A citrus-pepper rim and edible flower garnish. A story about growth, resilience, and stepping into your power. Guests felt every layer of it and cast their votes accordingly.
Now for the part you have been waiting for.
The 6th Annual Battle of the Babes Cocktail Competition is returning to the rooftop at Merchant + Trade on September 27, 2026. Eight new competitors. Eight new cocktails. The same mission that has made this event one of Charlotte's most anticipated nights in hospitality five years running.
A new class of mixologists is stepping behind the bar this year, each bringing their own craft, their own stories, and their own vision of what belongs in a competition glass. They are ready. The question is whether you will be in the room when they prove it.
This year's competitors will be announced soon. Follow HoCo for the full lineup reveal before September 27.
September 27, 20265PM – 9PMMerchant + Trade, 303 S Church St, Charlotte
Every ticket includes:
Entry
All 8 competition cocktails
Heavy hors d'oeuvres
Swag bag
Entertainment and energy
Last year, a first-time competitor took first place. A bartender made history with a double win that had never happened before. This year, eight new women step up with everything to prove and a rooftop full of people ready to be surprised. Do not miss it.
Battle of the Babes is one expression of what HoCo builds when it brings the hospitality industry together with intention. If your business is looking to partner on experiences like this, or if you want to build something that resonates this deeply with your own audience, the conversation starts here.
