Mixers and shakers

As some of the world’s top bartenders compete with one another, Veenu Sandhu finds out who has what in store

Ordinarily, it might be a bit much to hit the bar at nine in the morning. In the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year competition, touted as the Oscars of the bartending industry, 32 of the world’s top bartenders have been shaking, stirring and pouring through the day — from 9 am to 5 pm — to create some of the finest drinking experiences.

Norway’s Therese Sterebø Østervold — she’s one of the three women who have made it to the contest — races against time and comes up with four cocktails in a neat five minutes in the “Cocktails Against The Clock” challenge. “On some crazy work days back home, I end up making 500 Mojitos a week,” says Østervold, 28, showing off the calluses on her palms. Time isn’t all that the contestants have to conquer in this competition, one of the six they face. They are also judged for their mixology techniques (building, muddling, stirring), how coolly they perform in this pressure cooker-like situation and how good their drinks taste.

 

“A bartender is an actor too, someone who knows how to make his customers relax with his wit, creativity and openness,” says Peter Dorelli, former president of the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild and ex-head barman of American Bar at Savoy Hotel, London. Dorelli is the judge for “Theatre and Stars”, a contest which requires the bartenders to come up with an original cocktail inspired by a famous woman. Indonesia’s Zulkifli Moka aka Kiki Moka pays a tribute to his favourite singer, Shirley Bassey, the voice of the theme song of Diamonds Are Forever. His cocktail, also named Diamonds Are Forever, is made with Ron Zacapa rum, Cointreau and orange juice. “The sugar dusting on the glass is to give the diamond effect,” says Moka. Audrey Hepburn and Ava Gardner are also the muses for some cocktails.

The tricky “Classic, Vintage and Twist” contest has quite a few contestants sweating under the collar. “We have to remember the recipes and histories of 12 drinks! And the judges can pick any two of those,” says Patricia Toribio, 35, from Dominican Republic. Mother of a 16-year-old girl, one of the favourite cocktails that she has created is the Low Bush Martini. “It has raspberry and blueberry, both of which are low bushes,” she explains. For the “Twist” part of the contest, the bartenders have to give their own twist to a known drink and make up a story around it to explain it. Brazil’s Talita Simões’ twist to the Long Island Iced Tea is accompanied with a children’s story about a suave gentleman.

At 23, India’s Hemant Kumar Pathak from Taj’s The Blue Bar turns out to be the youngest contestant. “The irony of it is that I cannot drink because I’m not 25 yet,” he laughs. Just four years into the profession and he has plenty of cocktails up his sleeve. At the “Asian Food Matching” contest, where bartenders have to make a cocktail to compliment some dishes, Pathak doles out a spice treat — 1942 Special — made from mango puree, chillies, coriander, ginger, lime juice and a large measure of Don Julio Taquila. Teamed with chikandar ki chaat, it leaves one smoking in the ears.

While this isn’t the contest which Pathak wins, he emerges the winner of the “Classic, Vintage and Twist” challenge. But the man who finally goes home with the “Oscar” is Japan’s Manabu Ohtake from Tower’s Bar Bellovisto who is crowed Bartender of the Year 2011.

This is the third year of the Diageo Reserve World Class competition and the first in Asia. “India,” says Andrew Fell, commercial director, Diageo Reserve, “is the perfect choice. The Asia-Pacific market is currently driving global wealth and India is spearheading growth in the luxury goods industry.”