How it was done
On 11th March 2013, we opened the competition to all bartenders working in Malaysia to submit one recipe using Angostura Rum Reserva, 5 year old or 7 year old as the main base of their creation. Up to the closing deadline of 21st April 2013, we have received 22 complete recipes. 

A complete recipe comprises of name of the cocktail, the idea and inspiration behind the creation, ingredients list, preparation methods and an image of the drink. 

The Research and Development (R&D)
This stage is to choose the best 8 recipes into the final round. Two days prior to the R&D, Thirstmag teamed up with Fluid Alchemy Bar School to gather all the necessary ingredients for the submitted recipes. We had to shop at the local markets, supermarkets, liquor stores and gourmet shops and even had to buy shots from the bars as we couldn’t source the ingredients from the retailers in time. The shopping part was a lot of fun but at the same time, challenging. With nearly 100 different types of ingredients on our shopping list, the task of getting the fresh-produced ingredients in time without storing them for too long was proving to be the most interesting. Imagine a bar needing a constant supply for these fresh ingredients and to keep the consistency of their quality can be quite tough, especially when you have to depend on how reliable your supplier is.

Preparation of the drinks
Ben Ng and Timothy Jason from Fluid Alchemy Bar School organised the recipes according to their numbers and list of ingredients. The drinks were prepared by Ben Ng following instructions provided in the contesting recipes. Each drink was then presented to the judges for a blind tasting. We found that it would be a useful exercise for the bartenders to learn about the technique in writing a step by step guide in their preparations. It would be a good practise to have another party to read the recipe once it is written to evaluate if the steps can be repeated again.

The judging
All the drinks were numbered, however, the participants’ names and the outlets remained anonymous to the judges throughout the blind tasting. We took away any markings or suggestions of any outlet name on the image and from the recipe. This way we removed the attachment of personality and association of any establishment from the panel of judges. Each drink is judged by its presentation, aroma, taste, after taste and creativity. The panel was formed by:

Ashvin Shawn Kishore – Bar Consultant at Bar Essentials Pte Ltd, Singapore
Joshua Ivanovic – Managing Director at Cocktail Solutions, Malaysia
Roderick Wong – President at Sommelier Association Malaysia

Feedback
After a 4-hour mixing and tasting, we ended the session by talking to our judges about their views overall on the recipes:

The number of recipes submitted has shown a positive growth of available bartenders compared to just a couple of years ago, when bartenders who would compete in a cocktail competition was scarce. 

We have been anticipating a rapid development in the cocktail scene in Malaysia for access to the knowledge on cocktail making has become more accessible through brand owners, international bartenders, bar owners and bar schools available in the country. 

However, while observing the submissions for the competition, it shows that there is generally a lack of understanding in the basic and fundamentals of cocktail making. More research on the ingredients would have helped in the balance of tastes in the drinks. 

Secondly, the proportioning of the ingredients is one of the techniques that require some work from the competing bartenders. It comes back, again, to the balance of the drink and a more precise instruction in writing the recipe. Having another person prepare the drink following the written recipe and explaining the steps will help tweaking any ambiguity in the instructions.

Thirdly, where the bartender gets his inspiration about his creation also plays an important role in the formation of the drink. While a recipe is based on the notes from the base spirit, one should consider how and what other ingredients can be put together to create a well balance taste. 

Fourthly, it is about the practicality of the creation. An iconic drink should be straightforward enough for others to replicate and therefore, assessing the ingredients from a commercial point of view will help evaluate the cost of the creation. This also link to the visual impression of the drink and understanding the style of the person who will order your drink makes a difference in your approach to the creation. 

In conclusion, if you are sending a recipe over, you must be confident that it is balance and you are able to communicate when you’re remaking it. That is what we would like to see during the final round of competition, where each finalist will be presenting their creation and run through the steps with a chain of thought as clear as they are sure when all these wonderful ingredients were put together.

We are having the crème de la crème of the industry competing here and it would be nice to let the bartenders take away an experience shared by industry experts. 

The eight finalists who will compete against each other using the same recipe on the finale on 20th May 2013, in no particular order, are:

Conor Hadlington – One Six Five, Intercontinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Emcee - twenty.one kitchen+bar 
Ace - twenty.one tables+terrace
Christian Wood - Across the Road
Insan Nurul Sharily – The Estates
Joel John Timis – View Rooftop Bar
Amar Pawaka - Maison Francaise 
Dedi Pranata - Souled Out

Details of the competition will be release in a week’s time from today.