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  There's a cocktails in this city that left a room full of bartenders in tears. It came out of a competition most of Charlotte has never heard of. And by the end of this one, you'll know where the woman who runs it sends her own friends for a drink. But first, this is Clt Daily. I'm Steve Baboulis. It's Thursday, October 15th, your independent daily briefing for the Queen city. Today, five questions, our interview series. My guest is Morgan Robinson, founder of Hospitality Coalition. HOKO for short. HOKO runs Battle of the babes, a cocktails competition where women bartenders go head-to-head. Its sixth year wrapped up last month at Merchant and Trade, Uptown. She answered five questions in writing, so what you'll hear are her words, read by me. I started by asking why she built HOKO. Here's what she wrote. When I started HOKO, I saw a city full of talent and not enough infrastructure behind it. Charlotte has incredible bartenders, chefs, operators, and creatives. but the people doing the work were rarely the ones being celebrated or prioritized. She says Battle of the babes is the clearest example of what Hoko is trying to fix. Six years ago, it was a competition. Today, it's a platform. It puts women bartenders in front of the decision makers who drive hiring, bookings, and sponsorships in this city. Competitors walk away with press coverage, cocktails featured on menus, relationships with spirit brands, and a body of work they can point to. For many of these women, it's the moment the industry stops seeing them as staff and starts seeing them as talent. Then I asked her to take me back to that night in September. Her answer, the moment that stayed with me is Bug from the Crunkleton taking first place. Her cocktails was a tribute to her Polish heritage and her family, and you could feel how much it meant to her in every detail. Her dedication to that drink and her commitment to this industry had all of us in tears. That's what Battle of the babes is about. Women putting their whole story into their craft and finally getting the stage it deserves. I wanted to know what people outside the industry don't understand about running a bar in North Carolina. She went straight to the liquor laws. Most people don't realize North Carolina is a control state, which means every bottle of liquor a bar pours has to be bought through a local ABC store. Bars pay the same retail price you'd pay off the shelf, plus a mixed beverage tax on every bottle. and there's no negotiating volume discounts the way bars can in other states. Brands also can't just hand product to a bar, so if a spirit isn't already on the state's list, it has to go through a special order that can take 8 to 12 weeks. So when a bartender wants to build a menu around a craft spirit, or an owner wants to bring in something new, it takes real planning and relationships to make it happen. That's a big part of why the partnerships that work here are the ones built on trust and clear expectations. So what does Charlotte need next? Here's how she put it. What Charlotte needs next is investment that lasts longer than one night. Brands need to treat bartenders as partners, not poor stations. Owners and operators need to invest in their staff and put them at the forefront of this industry, because when their people are seen, their businesses are seen too. The talent is already here. Now, as promised, I asked Morgan where she'd send a friend for a great drink. outside of anything Hoko is involved in. I'd start them at the Babe Cave in Loso and tell them to order the Josephine Baker and the Frida the Margarita, two full riffs on classic cocktails. Then I'd send them over to Idlewild in Noda and have them ask for a bartender's choice. Relinquish some control and let your bartenders take you on a journey. Some of the best drinks in this city come from just trusting the person behind the bar. Babe Cave is on Bank Street in Idlewild is in Noda. As for what's next, Morgan says Hoko is teaming up with some of this year's competing bars to celebrate the new cocktails going on to their fall menus. Dates aren't set yet, so follow Hospitality Coalition on Instagram to catch them. That's Clt Daily, and this has been five questions for Thursday, October 15th. My thanks to Morgan Robinson. I'm Steve Baboulis. We'll be back tomorrow. Same time, same city. Until then, Charlotte, take care of each other.