Rizal Junior – ‘Junior’ to fans and regulars – is the award-winning bar manager at View Rooftop Bar in GTower, Kuala Lumpur; most recently, he represented Malaysia in the Angostura Global Cocktail Championship in Trinidad and Tobago. Kim Choong traces the path that a multi-tasking waiter took to become the mixology champion he is today.

How many years have you been working behind the bar?
I started in 2003, so about nine years. My first job was with Nexus Resort Karambunai in Kota Kinabalu. It was a multi-tasking role in the golfers’ lounge. It was a small bar, so I did the bartending, waitering, cleaning and everything else! The cocktail menu there was not extensive, but did cover the popular ones.

Was that how you really got into bartending?
Not really, it gave me a start but I became more serious about bartending three years later when I joined Westin KL. At that time, my manager was a Cuban guy, Alfredo Hernandez. He used to be a bartender himself and was very passionate about what he did. I stayed there for five years – four years in Qba and one year taking on several other roles in the department.
 
In that last year, I was the Beverage Team Leader, in charge of research and development for cocktails and mocktails for the entire F&B department in addition to manning the bar. At that time, I was also working with Shashi K, the person in charge of their wines in the whole hotel too. He’s a great sommelier! We both reported directly to the Food & Beverage Director.

Why did you leave?
I wanted to advance my career. Many companies approached me at that time and the offers were very attractive. That made me feel that my skills were valuable and I knew that I could be appreciated for what I have built in my career. It was time to move on. One of the companies which approached me was Flams, and I took on the role as the Operation Manager for Elixir.

Out of all the offers, why Elixir?
The offer was good and most importantly, I was going to work with Roman Milostivy – the 2008 global champion for Bols Around The World. We were already friends when the offer was made and when I found out that I would be working with him, I took the job.

Being an Operation Manager in Elixir, did you have a say in the drinks menu?
Yes. Although I was looking after the floor operations, I was also taking care of the bar. Roman was Bar Manager and drinks master so we worked together on the drinks menu.

Was that the last job you had before joining View?
No, I left Elixir a few months after Roman went back to Russia and became the Head Mixologist for Il Primo, under the Thai Thong Group. I was there to help set up new bars, design their drinks menu and do costing for all their outlets.

What happened with Il Primo?
Il Primo didn’t work out, so I resigned and here I am, the Bar and Beverage Manager at View! I am fully in charge of bar operations, cocktail development and designing the drinks menu. View is very supportive of the cocktail scene here and we have been doing very well in this area.

Is this what you have always wanted to do?
I have always wanted to run a small bar where I can fully focus on the beverages. I would like to see 70-80% of sales coming from cocktails, in a bar that is conceptual and artsy.  

What would you like to see in the cocktail culture in Malaysia?
I wish for more brand education, not only that we bring in quality brands but we should also be given the chance to learn more about the brand and interact with brand owners about how to develop our recipes using their products. Our market seems to be too focused on how much money we can make before we decide to bring in a brand. I won’t say that is not right, but when that becomes the sole reason for using a brand, the focus is not on quality. I would also like to see more international cocktail championships brought into Malaysia, such as Bols Around the World, Bacardi Legacy, Havana Grand Prix, Worldclass, 42Below cocktailworldcup, etc…..

You were sent to Trinidad and Tobago in February for the Angostura Global Cocktail Championship, can you tell us about your trip?
It was a lot of fun! I went with the representative from Single Malt Sdn Bhd (the Malaysia distributor for Angostura), Lee Yim Theng. We flew to London and transitted in the Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago. We were joined by the rest of the 14 contestants and their teams when we arrived. The whole trip was a week long, but we spent two full days in total travelling, it was exhausting. And right after we arrived, we still had to drink and party for two whole days because it was also the time of their annual Carnival!

Drinking the whole day, and you are making it sound like torture!
We had to do it because we were the contestants. They gave us masks and costumes to wear and we had to march in the parade. The carnival is the biggest celebration in Trinidad and Tobago every year; the whole island shuts down, no one works and all they do is party for two days – on a Monday and Tuesday! They set the dates according to the days they fall on.

What do you think about the competition?
I feel that everyone did a great job in the championship and we all learned a lot. Other than being complete party animals, we talked a lot about our backgrounds and what we do and exchanged views on the cocktail scene. I made many friends and am very happy that I got to meet so many people in the same profession.

Who won the championship?
The winner was David Delaney Junior from the US, second place went to Rikki Carter from New Zealand and third place went to Jamaal Bowen from Barbados.

What was your cocktail recipe?
I used the same recipes that I entered in the competition here. The first one was Malacca-Loda, and the second, the T&T Cobbler.


Malacca-Loda
60ml Angostura 1919 eight-year-old rum
15ml Malibu
5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
3 dashes Angostura orange bitters
1 barspoon kaya (coconut jam)
80ml fresh coconut juice


T&T Cobbler
50ml Joseph Cartron Peach
15ml 1824 Angostura 12-year-old rum
2.5ml Angostura aromatic bitters
5ml Angostura orange bitters
40ml orange juice
splash of Mumm champagne

Do you serve the cocktails you designed for the Angostura Championship here at View?
I plan to include them into the menu during our anniversary in June. So yes, they will be served at View.

Will you compete again this year for the Angostura Championship?
Of course I will. I have observed the way the winners and others prepared the cocktails, so I feel that I stand a chance. I feel that I have good techniques and I am creative. The recipes I have created for this championship are unique and blended well with Angostura products.  

What is your favourite spirit?
Rum, of course! My second favourite is Whisky. Basically I drink to suit the occasion or depending on my mood.

How about your favourite cocktail?
A Daiquiri – because it is simple and nice, not just because it is rum! I also like Whisky Old Fashioned, Mai Tai and Negroni.

What is your favourite of your own creations?
The Mary Melon Martini, it’s a vodka-based cocktail. People who don’t like rosemary would say that it is f*cking medicine because it’s melon liqueur, honeydew melon and rosemary ...

What do you do when you are not working?
I watch Chinese movies, eat at hawker stalls, go to the pasar malam (night market), walk in the mall, check out new ingredients in supermarket, hang out at bookstores (because I like magazines) and go to the karaoke! I can’t sing, but I like to see other people sing … after a few drinks I’ll break out into some oldies or rock though.

Do you have to drink every day?
No I don’t have to. I only drink when it is necessary. But sometimes when you are in this line of work, you can’t avoid having to drink a few with your counterparts.

Junior’s Bio:
2007: 1st runner up for Horeca School of Excellence cocktail competition by Guinness
2007: 1st runner up for the Belvedere
2008: Champion for 42Below and was sent to New Zealand to compete.
2010: Finalist Worldclass Diageo
2012: Champion for Angostura global cocktails challenge Malaysia.

Global Championship
New Zealand – 42 Below Cocktailworldcup global final 2008. 7th place, teamed up with contstants from Singapore and Indonedia.
Singapore – WorldClass Diageo cocktail competition Singapore and Malaysia Grand Final 2010. Finalist.
Trinidad & Tobago – Angostura Global cocktails challenge Global final 2012. Finalist.