'Bar-obics' essential in bartender championship
JAKARTA (JP): Sam, the womanizing bartender on the popular TV program Cheers, is the epitome of a great bartender who keeps his clients perched on their barstools.
As international restaurants, coffee shops, bars, discotheques, pubs and night clubs begin to multiply in town, Indonesian Sam wanna-bes have started to show off their new-found talents -- not only in chasing girls, but also in the popular "bar-obic" art most Jakartan bartenders have embraced.
At TGI Friday's, for example, bartenders learn to make drinks and entertain the guests with bottle flipping and drink tossing. With the skill of a juggler and the quips of a comedian, the bartenders are expected to create a lively atmosphere inside the restaurant.
Bar-obics are so popular that TGI Friday organizes an annual bartender championship to find its best bartender. More than 1,700 bartenders from its 300 restaurants across the world are expected to take part in this year's competition. The competition started 30 years ago.
The championship is a comprehensive skill test for bartenders. They must answer specific questions on food items, fruit, wine bottle opening, pouring techniques, and current events. In addition, they must pass a pouring test in both compulsory and freestyle flair.
In the compulsory event, competitors must show their knowledge, skill and accuracy behind the bar, while the free- style event gives the bartenders an opportunity to show-off their bar-obic skills. They are judged on accurate pouring, organization, cleanliness, working flair, guest interaction and professionalism.
The preliminaries have started in every country the restaurant operates in, and the final will be held in Dallas, Texas in the U.S.
TGI Friday's Jakarta branch began their preliminary round on Sept. 1. Three young bartenders, Stanley, Alik and Dandy, demonstrated what it takes to keep the crowd happy. They moved fast, flinging the bottles and tossing the drinks. Up and down. Right and left. The contestants looked a bit nervous, but managed to smile after the audience gave each a round of applause. Unfortunately, the show did not last long. Each contestant had only 10 minutes.
Each of the three bartenders were given a prize by the management. The winner, 23-year-old Dandy Tumawela, will go to Manila to compete against other Asian bartenders for the ticket to Dallas.
Dandy, who doesn't like drinking and prefers Koes Plus (a local band popular in the 1970s) to loud rock music, has little chance of winning in Manila. He will likely loose not because he doesn't like drinking or rock, but because he has only been performing bar-obics for five months. Worse, Dandy, who has broken seven bottles and six glasses while practicing, only knows how to make 80 drinks. A good bartender should know more than 400 alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink recipes.
But, never mind, TGI Friday's Jakarta is only four months old. People will understand if the Indonesian bartender looses. (sim/als)