Sipping on the job

Was it a decade ago, when my fellow STAR columnist Wilson Lee Flores invested in a Padi’s Point joint, on Mindanao Avenue was it, and invited me to judge a Saturday-night bikini contest?

Such memories never get pushed out of my brimful bin of vintage bemusement. I dare Alzheimer’s to try its heinous best. The prideful noggin will stay sacrosanct for the most part, inclusive of that delicious set of images when I was led oh so courteously to a front-row seat before a dais, served a glass of one’s alcoholic choice plus oily finger food, given a pen and a sheet of paper for rankings, then sat back (or pressed forward for better scrutiny) as a bevy of hopeful, curvaceous ladies sashayed one by one onstage, clad in the skimpiest of swimsuits.

Why, that night still swims in my most graphic suite of sweet recollections, for which, thanks again, Sir Wilson!

Oh, I’ve judged and judged, it’s something I haven’t dreaded, swinging the gavel down on my comparative appreciation and evaluation of poems, short stories, essays, novels, actual books — all the write stuff, as I’ve moved on from being plaintiff contestant myself. Silvering hair does the trick.

I’ve helped judge food dishes, too, apart from food writing pieces, thus earning drag-down lunches and dinners for deliberations and awards rites, respectively, as well as weekend R&R at five-star hotels and resorts, courtesy of GCs donated to our hallowed circle that organizes the annual Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Contest.

Only recently, thanks to Nanay Socorro Ramos, I managed to play ninong to at least five kids to whom I distributed substantial GCs (okay, gift checks) for National Bookstore, after having served as one of the score of judges for the STAR-NBS My Fave Book writing contest.

That same day when good old friend Inez Silva Reyes was awarded the first prize in that annual competition, the 12th in fact, I had to take leave early, on the footsteps of fellow STAR columnist and judge Butch Dalisay, thus missing out on seeing Inez proudly accept her handsome prizes onstage.  

While I’ve always enjoyed watching co-emcee Tim Yap perform before a podium that can’t ever hide his colorful footwear, I had to excuse myself to make it to yet another contest.   

Now, here was where, at Privé Luzury Cub at The Fort Strip, I would be partaking of a virgin experience as an adjudicator. How do I get into such hog-heaven environments? For one, it helps to grow a rep as a whisky lush. That’s how I got invited by Diageo Philippines to help judge a bartending competition. Bartending! A first!

It would be for cocktails, I was told, with either Johnnie Walker Gold or Johnnie Walker Premium as the base (but not lowly, heavens, no!) spirit. I initially expressed misgivings, thinking all cocktails tended to be on the sweet side, and more essentially, subscribing to the passionate belief that good Scotch whisky was always best taken by itself, neat, water on the side.

It would be delicate or antsy at best to expect an uisge beatha purist, especially one who’s particularly devoted to single malt whisky, to fully appreciate cocktails that might just spoil, if not water down, my fave hard stuff. In particular, too, I swear by the newly launched JW Platinum, a whisky blend that’s been quite a success for JW and Diageo, seeing as how few bottles stay on the shelves of selected liquor shops.

But my concerns were quickly allayed when intros were made to acquaint the three judges with one another. The other dudes, Patrick Pita and Will Thompson, were savvy, filling me in on the nature of the competition as well as the evolving value of cocktails. And so this ignoramus of a barfly who thought Singapore Sling and Zombie have been the latest additions to classic cocktails was properly enlightened.

The event was billed as “Challenge: Bar Chef.” Now here’s the backgrounder: 15,000 bartenders across 50 countries will be jcompeting for the title of Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year 2013. It’s said to be the world’s biggest and most prolific cocktail education program and bartending competition. Now on its 5th year, “World Class” has come to be known as the Oscars of the cocktail world. 

Beginning as a cocktail training program, it’s now internationally recognized as an annual luxury event that continues to elevate the craft, innovation, and creativity within the industry. The global training program invests in “the skill of the bartender and provides an international platform to discover and showcase the best talent from preeminent bartenders all over the world.”

For the Diageo Reserve World Class launched in the Philippines last December, 10 contenders from esteemed bars in Metro Manila were introduced. They’ve joined a series of qualifying heats and finals, with the winner going on to compete in the international finals, which will take place aboard boutique Azamara Club Cruise’s ship, Azamara Journey, from July 4 to 9.

Each contender is expected to add his/her own “unique splash of creativity, dash of showmanship and twist of technique.” Only the 50 best bartenders will be selected to compete at the Global Final for the coveted title of Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year.

And so we sat on high stools as barflies, watching intently as each bartender brought in his tray of ingredients and implements, carefully laid these out on their side of the bar for a maximum of two minutes, and were then cued to start their 5-minute-max cocktail preparation. Two glasses were filled with their final concoction plus garnish/es if any. One glass was taken away for photo documentation. The remaining glass went to me, as first sipper, ha-ha. I then passed it on to Will and Patrick, after pretending to be genteel in nosing it for aroma before bringing it to my lips for one or at most two sips. Hey, I couldn’t be photo-documented falling off my bar stool after swigging nine cocktails.

Grades were recorded for grooming, social and articulation skills, manner of presentation, creativity, etc., with the most points, 20, allotted for actual taste.

The process was repeated, and it was entirely fascinating. The bartenders used tools like torches to burn cinnamon bark or flambé syrup inside a glass. Some brought small pans to heat up stuff, or actually cook ingredients for use in the cocktail. (After all, it was a Bar Chef contest. And a Bar Chef is a chef and a bartender in one.) They had their own homemade bitters besides Angostura. Some fashioned their own ice balls, one with star anise showing in the mini bergs. We asked questions, and rated their replies, too. 

Sadly, the only lady in the competition, Queen Garcia, became indisposed. And so we ranked the performances and unique cocktails of nine bartenders.

Jerry Miranda of Privé came up with what he called Smoking Golden Gun, Samuel Alcantara of Sofitel Hotel with Secret Garden that had broccoli among other curiosa, Syrian Ebdane of Sofitel Hotel with Spicy Mango Julep, Randy Ogsila of Opus with Apple Burst, Geronimo Gutierrez of Opus with Captain Nemo’s Mom, Allan King Roxas of Prohibition/Dillingers with Golden Sour, Lemuel Guirindola of Makati Shangri-La with Johnnie Walker Around the Globe, Gavino Lazarra of Privé with Golden River, and Reymond de Jesus of Makati Shangri-La with Aspen Colorado.

To my surprise, my top choice won first prize: Randy Ogsila with his Apple Burst, for which, besides other magic tricks, he torched a cinnamon bark and applied the smoke on the empty glasses before filling them up with his apple-based concoction. Terrific taste, as I recall it. Personality-wise, he was also most confident, and had excellently explained what he was doing every step of the way.

Allan King Roxas won second prize with his Golden Sour, which I remember to have also impressed my taste buds. Reymond de Jesus won third prize with Aspen Colorado, which was poured into a cone-shaped cocktail glass set upon a larger glass that displayed some of the herbs and spices utilized.

Indeed, it was a most educational experience. And I was overjoyed to note that the three winners had ranked high in my list. That could only have meant that I sipped properly from the same page of acquired tastes as the vets in the game, Patrick and Will.

Of course, as the awards rites ended, the wondrous coda was my receipt of a large bag that had a bottle each of JW Gold and JW Platinum. Now my kitchen help will surely raise both brows when she sees me snip off rosemary and dill from our not-so-secret garden, use a lighter to char peeled ginger, place little green sinamomo buds to spice up an ice tray, and maybe come up with my own Private Platinum cum Pink Pakwan concoction.