Practice makes perfect, or at least that’s what they say. That didn’t matter for Lili Contini, a bartender for the Broadway Oyster Bar who won St. Louis’ Finlandia Vodka Cup Monday night at the Old Rock House.

Contini has only been bartending for a year, so her shocked reaction when her name was announced was genuine.

“I really thought my drinks were mediocre, but they worked out,” says Contini, whose drinks included a grapefruit martini, Finlandia Soco Hurricane, and African martini.

She competed against popular bartenders from Sub Zero Vodka Bar, Park West Grille, Side Pockets, Kitchen K, the Pepper Lounge, and the Old Rock House. They mixed their favorite drinks on stage and on the spot.

Celebrity judges, who got their fill of drink that night, included representatives from KPNT-FM (105.7 the Point), Alive magazine, St. Louis Zoo, Playback:stl, Contemporary Productions, the Vital Voice, and the Loft nightclub.

Oh, and me. I found the banana, grapefruit, and chocolate martinis especially tasteful.

Nick Whiteside of Old School House won the peoples’ choice award, not surprisingly. Arty J of Home nightclub hosted, DJ Trackstar spun, and Keenan Harris gets a shout-out for pulling the first-time event together.