A shaking but not rocking bartender championship
By Izabel Deuff
JAKARTA (JP): If you were asked who you would define as the aristocrats of working class people, it is unlikely you would choose bartenders. However, that was how Doug Coughlin, a master bartender in the American blockbuster Cocktail, viewed his job.
Cocktail, featuring a young and handsome Tom Cruise, is the ideal to which all bartenders aspire and it was the pursuit of the lifestyle embodied in this movie which perhaps inspired four young Indonesian bartenders to enter the 1998 Jakarta bartender championship on Aug. 21.
Aldrin and Baron from Front Row Sports Grill and Helmi and Antu from TGI Friday's Ascot and Senayan branches respectively, displayed their "bar-obic" talents and knowledge and skills through various tests.
They had to undergo a written test in which they were grilled on Friday's food menu and drink mixes, and information on current events in the city.
They were questioned on 400 alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink mixes then went on to a wine bottle opening contest in which their pouring techniques made up 70 percent of the marks on offer. The final part of the competition dealt with their organizational skills, cleanliness, guest interaction and freestyle flair.
This was the most remarkable part to watch. First, the contestant presented the menu to the five judges. Then they took orders and began their shows behind the bar.
For about 15 minutes, each participant performed their own bottle juggling routine in a blur of colors and flashes. Tossed glasses looped-the-loop above and around the bartenders as they spun bottles full of colorful liquors in a lively and entertaining spectacle.
They brought the audience to the edge of their seats when they caught bottles on the cocktail-shaker or the back of their hands. In the event of their dropping a glass or a bottle, the bartenders kept their sense of humor and made the audience applaud.
Some of the contestants placed an emphasis on performing an original routine, for example attempting to juggle with two bottles. Others placed a focus on the final details, tossing up slices of lime and ice cubes and trying to catch them in a glass. Three of the contestants added an interesting twist to the end of their routines by performing magic tricks.
Unfortunately the tricks did not offset the numerous mistakes they made during their routine, or put the broken glasses back together again.
The winner, 24-year-old Aldrin, was the only contestant who succeeded in throwing bottles and glasses accurately. It was the second time he has won the contest and his victory comes three years after he first joined the Front Row Sports Grill. In that period he has devoted many hours to practicing "bar-obics".
"It's good for my future and for my career. I want an international career," said Aldrin.
His wish to go around the world as a bartender is as strong as his desire to carry on doing his job. "I like to meet people and to entertain them," he said.
He recently lined up against contestants from 12 other countries in the Regional Asia Pacific Final, which was held in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25.
Unfortunately, like last year, Aldrin failed to go any further in the competition. The Asian champion, who this year came from South Korea, will now go on to Dallas in the U.S.A. to compete in the World Championship from Oct. 5 to Oct. 7, when bartenders from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe and Asia will vie for the title of the "World's Best Bartender" and a cruise worth US$ 10,000.