On Saturday 21st July 2007, I joined the Student Category for the Bartender's of the Year Competition. The result was spectacular. I gained the chance to enter the finals which will happen at Clarke Quay on Tuesday 24th July 2007.
As i was preparing for this competition, i was getting utterly nervous. I never expected it to be that bad as i was quite calm for the whole week. While i was preparing my garnishes and utensils, i was getting a tad intimidated by some of the other contestants. However, with the support of my friends around, i managed to keep my cool, remember my concoction and perform better than i expected.
I would like to thank Aisah, Fabian and Hui Bin for being there and giving me support and advice when needed.
I would like to extended a special thanks to Elliot, who helped me throughout the competition. He guided me with the procedures of excellent showmanship and helped me with the garnish and concoction. Thank you so much for sticking by me. I know that i could have worked a lot harder on my smile and shake. I hope i haven't let you down.
After being entered to the finals, i had a great sense of relief and a even greater sense of accomplishment. I heard one of the judges say that "we should find out where this guy works" when i was doing my cocktail. This made me even more nervous (lol). I almost lost my sense of concentration. However, i'm very proud of myself and i'm glad that i can go up on stage once again at Clarke Quay in front of an even larger and more difficult crowd.
I was SUPER happy when one of the judges came up to me and started talking to me about my drink and bartending. He said out of the whole competition, he would only buy 2 of the drinks, which included mine. He gave me tips about cocktails in general and tips on how to remain calm during the performance (i was shaking a lot when i was pouring the alcohol in to the jiggler). He was a former editor for Wine and Dine magazine, which made me happier as he could back up what he said; He had the credentials to speak with experience. After, he made a speech to the contestants and it really made a lot of sense. For example, making a drink with complex concoctions doesn't mean it will be a good drink, simple can be just as great.
The drink was named "Golden Salutations" the concoction consisted of
Muddled apple cubes (I used Fuji apples, but any will do as well)
20mL Ciroc Vodka
10mL Bols Peach Liquor
Top up with Sparking grapefruit juice
dash of 1883 Raspberry Sryup
Garnished with apple slices and raspberry
The drink (in my opinion) is a tad sour and sweet. The color is light golden with a hint of red flowing up.
Alan's opinion was too much alcohol, that was when i was testing it out. I am proud to say that it has improved a lot since then. I hope everyone that tried it liked it, if not i hope they would tell me, so i may improve it for the future.
Anyhoo, i was quite upset when one of my trainer's came up to me asking me to change my steps and name of cocktail. He said i had too many steps because it made room for errors, which i thought was a tad insulting. I thought this competition was to show our skills and drink, not to cut out some steps. This kind of bothered me for awhile, but fret not, i will not be listening to him and i will stick to my old procedures. However, he and 1 of the judges suggested i change the name of the drink, which i will, probably to what Elliott said "beautiful goodbyes." I have this thought that my trainer asked me to skip steps because he was afraid i may bring my schools reputation down because i show that i'm nervous and un-calm. However, he also said that besides being faster, that the tasting portions would be more consistent, which is true. So, i was a bit confused but i'm sure with a bit more practice at home, i should be able to pour out just the right amount, i hope! =)
Now, to me, this was more than a competition or a drink, to me it was a sense of accomplishment and happiness.
I'm glad i took part!
here are some pix! Enjoy peace!
After the Competition =)
"Golden Salutations"
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