Bartending Challenge 2013

CEBU, Philippines - A “spirited” competition happened in Amnezia Superclub’s Club Amnezia last February 18, one where more than 35 amateur and professional bartenders bested each other out in a showdown of bartending flair and skill.

Organized by Independent Bartending Inc, the challenge raised by Bartending Challenge 2013 didn’t fall on deaf ears, with participants hailing from the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions heeding its call.

Far from being your everyday bartending competition, Bartending Challenge 2013 took a comprehensive look in what defines the best bartender from the rest, not only assessing its participants on how good they are in mixing drinks and entertaining crowds, but also considered bar knowledge as an important point.

Allowing each participant three minutes to show just how good they are in wowing crowds while crafting mixes (freestyle, 1-tin, 1-bottle), a question and answer portion between the competition’s participants and its judges proved to be a pivotal in the competition’s overall success as an event.

Judges Shamil Lin, founder of Barstylez Singapore, Bench Demaisip, Senior Bartender, Cebu City Marriot Hotel, Eric Miranda, Cachaca Sales & Marketing Manager, Rey Sumania of Jaimaican Int’l Mixology and Torani Philippines Mixologist, and Dave Penaranda, OIC, MFC Baguio Chapter based their assessments on Bartending Challenge 2013’s criteria for judging, which covered originality, creativity, flair, presentation, taste and smoothness of mixes, and bar knowledge.

Questions delving into the types of after-dinner drinks to bar terminologies and equipment were asked during the course of the competition, as mixed drinks like Coconut Tequila Cocktails and Mojitos were creatively crafted by the competing participants of Bartending Challenge 2013. (FREEMAN)