Warning: Spoilers ahead for the first two episodes of E!'s Cocktail Wars.
Say "cheers" and raise a glass to these show-stopping spirits.
Two talented bartenders have already been crowned winners of E!'s new mixology competition series Cocktail Wars.
During the two-episode premiere on Aug. 18, cohosts Joey Fatone and Lance Bass—accompanied by mixology expert Melissa Brooke and special celebrity guest judges E!'s Justin Sylvester and The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Melissa Gorga—sipped, savored and debated before naming bartenders Jon Schott and Tyler Kent the champions of the first two rounds of competition, respectively.
Schott blew the judges' socks off after nailing episode one's creative challenge: using cold as an ingredient.
"John took the challenge and ran with it," Brooke commented after imbibing in his rum-based "Staycation" concoction finished with a cold pistachio cream. "The foam very much tasted like one specific thing, which was great by the way. And the cocktail tasted like another thing."
After the *NSYNC band members announced Schott as the first winner of $10,000, the Washington, D.C.-based foodie was ready to celebrate with a round of shots (or should we say Schotts?).
"Winning feels unreal," Schott reflected in a confessional. "When I was bartending when I was 21, people would ask me what my real job is and I'll tell you right now: This is what I do. I win Cocktail Wars, I make drinks and I have fun doing it."
Now, fans at home can recreate the winning cocktails using the bartender recipes below. Check back each week for updates on all the tipsy treats featured on E!.
EPISODE 2: Winning Drink by Tyler Kent of Marie’s Crisis
While fans wait for more delicious recipes, keep reading to learn some epic fun facts from their *NSYNC days.
1. After Chris Kirkpatrick, 23 at the time, was passed over for the Backstreet Boys—the first instance of shady impresario Lou Pearlman capturing boy band lightning in a bottle—he told Pearlman he was still interested in being in a group.
Pearlman agreed to put up the money if Kirkpatrick did the work of finding other guys to join him, and so the sifting through demos and watching hours of tapes began. They happened upon The All New-Mickey Mouse Club alum and aspiring singer Justin Timberlake, 14, who recommended fellow former Mouseketeer JC Chasez, 19. ("JC was the cool older guy, and Justin wanted to be just like him," co-star Christina Aguilera remembered to Rolling Stone.)Â
They continued the search in Orlando, and Kirkpatrick thought of Joey Fatone, 18, who he knew from his days performing at Universal Studios. But they still needed a deeper voice.
Timberlake's vocal coach advised them to check out this kid from Mississippi, Lance Bass, who flew down to Florida on Oct. 1, 1995. Pearlman and Timberlake picked the appropriately named 16-year-old up at the airport in a black Rolls Royce.