A shaking but not rocking bartender championship

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.