Rain was covering the city 3 hours before the start of the preparation. It was a worrying few hours but the sun decided to show its face when the truck delivering 60 bottles of Angostura Rum arrived at the loading bay of JP teres, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.
Preparation on the day (click to view preparation gallery)
The competition area at the bar was roped off when the crew arrived to set up the venue. Boxes of Angostura merchandise were unwrapped and packed into small goodie bags, display bottles were put on shelves and the brand buntings erected around the venue.
When the sound system was wheeled in by the sponsoring company Happy Fish, our three young bartenders checked in at the bar to prepare the fresh ingredients for the two signature cocktails that day. Freshly squeezed 10 litres of lime juice and 8 litres of orange juice were needed and the bartenders rolled up their sleeves and started working.
The eight finalists together with their tools and ingredients arrived at 11am, everyone introduced each other and were excited (or nervous) about the competition. 12pm, judges arrived and was briefed by Ben Ng from Fluid Alchemy Bar School, who assisted the judging process. At the same time, a paper test consisted of 25 multiple choice questions was being held at the holding room for the eight contestants.
The motto
This is the first time ever a cocktail competition in search for an iconic recipe from bartenders around Malaysia was organised. The competition was initiated with an online recipe submission and the eight finalists were selected through a blind tasting of their cocktail recipes re-created by an experienced bartender. The purpose is to provide bartenders in Malaysia the opportunity to show off their creativity and to fight for their chance of feedback from industry experts, which helps to improve their skills further.
The judges (click to view competition gallery)
Judges for the competition included Struan Ralph, Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich South East Asia; Roderick Wong, President of Malaysia Sommelier Association; Keith Nair, Beer Ambassador of Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB); Joshua Ivanovic, Director of Cocktail Solutions and Ashvin Shawn Kishore, Bar Consultant of Bar Essentials Pte Ltd.
During lunch time, guests started streaming into the venue. Cocktails and canapés were served and the venue was getting really heated but the early afternoon sun. Apparently a rain ritual by the hotel, displaying a stick through an onion planted in the ground has done the trick of keeping the rain away.
The competition (click to view cocktail gallery)
The competition started at sharp 2.40pm. Conor Hadlington from Intercontinental KL was the first to present his Highland Pony recipe. At 26, this was Conor’s first cocktail competition and his product knowledge and appreciation of flavour impressed the judges. The drink was refreshing and had a sharp finishing using Laphroig 10 year old.
Dedi from SouledOut Mont Kiara outlet has shown a great concept with the delivery of his banana leaf Jasmine Violet cocktail. “The cocktail is visually stunning and a very unique combination of floral, caramel and rum flavours,” said head judge Struan Ralph. The cocktail was served in a coned banana leaf chilled over crushed ice.
Insan Nurul from The Estates by The B.I.G. Group presented Day By Herbs that has a potential to be a very good drink. The strong combination of 6 alcoholic contents including banana liquor and a rinse of Absinthe stunt the judges’ palate. The drink was served in a martini glass garnished with an orange twist.
Amar Yasser from Maison Francaise gave a very confident presentation and amused the crowd with his live fish in a bowl concept. It was said that Amar is a bartender you would want to have at your bar as he can be quite an entertainer. The fish was adopted by one of the guests that day and the drink was called Tiramisu Delight presented over dry ice.
The only girl in the competition, Ace from TwentyOne tables+terrace, served a Hot 7 Years Toddy in the competition. “It is a brave move to serve a hot drink for a competition that takes place under hot weather,” said Struan. The drink involved heating up the butter in a saucepan and adding cinnamon to the drink. The drink is served over a potpourri to keep the drink warm.
Christian Wood from Across The Road was only 10 weeks into his bartending career while he stood in front of the panel of five international judges, presenting his recipe The Iron Lady. Although more practise would be required from this fresher, Christian’s good humour and honesty in his presentation were great qualities of a bartender. The drink was intense with espresso and cacao flavour. It was created during the passing of the British Prime Minister – Margaret Thatcher, hence its name.
Joel John Timis from View Rooftop Bar, G Tower presented a tea cocktail that the judges felt could be a popular female drink. Chrysantura Tea was presented with good presentation skill. The unusual taste of the drink brought out a refreshing feel when served in ice. The use of fresh Chrysanthemum, pure honey and star anise gives a healthy impression of the drink.
The last recipe presented was by Emcee from TwentyOne kitchen+bar. The Rum & Dill Ice Tea carried an unusual taste and flavour new to a rum recipe. The presentation was skilful and with obvious experienced bartending techniques. The cocktail itself is already serving at the bar and receiving good responses. It was a well balance recipe and a type of creation expected of a bartender who knows his ingredients well. It was no wonder that Emcee was crowned the Gold Winner for the competition.
The winners of the competition brought home trophies, cash prizes, Angostura merchandise and a Fundamental Bartending Course by Fluid Alchemy Bar School. The event received positive feedback from the judges, participants and guests and ThirstMag is hoping to organise another one soon.
The winners:
Gold Winner - Emcee (twenty.one kitchen+bar)
Silver Winner - Dedi (SouledOut Sri Hartamas)
Bronze Winner - Amar (Maison Francaise)