Meet the bar stars who shone in 2017
Well, what a year that was for Asia’s bartenders, with not one but three global cocktail competition winners coming from bars in the region.
Atsushi Suzuki, the group bar manager at Speak Low and Sober Company in Shanghai, took the Chivas Masters Global Cocktail Competition for China in his hometown of Tokyo. And in beating a field of some of the best bartenders in the world, he became the first ever bartender to win a global title for China. Below is his Double Talk drink:
Timothy Ching took another global title for the Hong Kong scene too when he went to London for the sixth edition of Beefeater’s MIXLDN comp. Ching, head mixologist at the Le Comptoir group, got to make a gin with Beefeater master distiller Desmond Payne as part of his prize.
Later in the year, Malaysia too, scooped a world’s title in France. Up against 17 other bartenders from around the world, David Hans triumphed through three rounds of cocktail-making to secure the Giffard West Cup trophy, making him the first in Asia to step up to the podium since the competition’s debut in 1997 (with Singapore’s Christyne Lee also coming second).
Elsewhere, there seemed to be more competitions than ever before and certainly taking place in an ever-widening number of countries across Asia. Check out the list of winners from each event, country by country, below.
Absolut Invite
China Mailand – Sean Xia and Six Liu (E.P.I.C., Shanghai)
Hong Kong – Bryson Rivera and Vikky Ma (Bar Q88 at JW Marriott, Hong Kong)
Angostura Global Cocktail Competition
Asia winner – Josh Ivanovic (Junglebird, Kuala Lumpur)
Malaysia – Josh Ivanovic, (Junglebird, Kuala Lumpur)
India – Akhilesh Sheoran (Perch, New Delhi)
Singapore – Amos Kew (Bee Bee’s, Singapore)
China Mainland – Bastien Ciocca (Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou)
Hong Kong – Tom Egerton (Potato Head, Hong Kong)
South Korea – Terry Kim (Alice Cheongdam, Seoul)
Asia Bar Battle – Singapore Cocktail Festival
Winner – Merlion Warriors (Team Singapore)
Japan – Toru Ariyoshi (Gossip, Tokyo), Akira Abe (Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills), Tsuyoshi Kimura (Le Binchotan, Singapore), Ai Igarashi (D2TLLRY, Singapore)
Philippines – Kenneth Bandivas, Michael Keith Tubiera, Rian Asiddao, Jay Natividad
Singapore – Kino Soh (Highball), Kenny Hong, Boo Jing Heng, Naz Arjuna (Bitters & Love)
Thailand – Suwincha “Chacha” Singsuwan (Rabbit Hole, Bangkok), Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn (Backstage Bar, Find the Locker Room, Bangkok), Jamie Rhind (Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok)
Vietnam – Vu Ngoc, Peter Nguyen (The Lighthouse, Ho Chi Minh City), Vien Du (Glow Sky Bar, Ho Chi Minh City), Kim Thanh (Eon Heli Bar, Ho Chi Minh City)
Bacardi Legacy
Global second place – Kentaro Satoh (Bar Day Cocktail, Yokohama)
Global third place – Grace Tsai (Bar 21 at The Place, Tainan)
China Mailand – Allan Fang (Barules, now Archaeology, Shanghai)
Taiwan – Grace Tsai (Bar 21 at The Place, Tainan)
India – Pawan Singh Rawat (Grappa Bar, Shangri-La Eros Hotel, New Delhi)
Japan – Kentaro Satoh (Bar Day Cocktail, Yokohama)
Philippines – Orman Bag-ao (Long Bar, Raffles Hotel Makati, Manila)
Singapore – Davide Boncimino (The Other Room, Singapore)
Thailand – Hideyuki Saito (Bronx Liquid Parlour, Bangkok)
Beefeater MIXLDN 6
Global winner – Timothy Ching (Le Comptoir, Hong Kong)
China Mainland – Ni Kun (Tailor Bar, Shanghai)
Hong Kong – Timothy Ching (Le Comptoir, Hong Kong)
South Korea – Kim Jin Hwan (Coffee Bar K, Seoul)
Japan – Masanori Fujikura (Cafe PDC, Tokyo)
Chivas Masters
Global winner – Atsushi Suzuki (Speak Low & Sober Company, Shanghai)
China Mainland – Atsushi Suzuki (Speak Low & Sober Company, Shanghai)
Hong Kong – Ryan Nightingale (Aberdeen Street Social, Hong Kong)
Japan – Masato Sakurai (The Bar Ginza, Tokyo)
Cointreau Queens
Winner – Lola Liu (Ciao Amici, Shenzhen)
North China – Kandy Xiao (Chaplin, Beijing), Ray Zhang (Bar.AVI, Beijing)
East China – Yumi Yoshino (Speak Low, Shanghai), Jenny Duan (Malt Fun, Shanghai)
South China – Lola Liu (Ciao Amici, Shenzhen), Luffy Lu (RMK Second Floor, Shenzhen)
Southwest China – Yanni Hou (Qile Bartenders’ Club, Chengdu), Lihuan Li (IF Lounge, Chongqing)
Taiwan – Chin-Ling (Asia49, Xinbei), Su Yi-Wen (Indulge Bistro, Taipei)
Diageo Reserve World Class
Hong Kong and Macau – Samuel Kwok (Quinary, Hong Kong)
India – Rohan Sanjiv Rege (JW Marriott Pune)
Indonesia – Alfado Goenawana (Frestro Restaurant and Bar, Bali)
Japan – Suguru Makinaga (Bar Leigh Islay, Osaka)
South Korea – Du Ui Hong (Le Chamber, Seoul)
Philippines – Royce Angelo Pua (12/10, Manila)
Singapore – Sin Kim Shin (Jigger & Pony, Singapore)
Taiwan – Peter Lin (Motown, Taipei)
Thailand – Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn (Backstage Bar, Find the Locker Room, Bangkok)
Diplomatico World Tournament
Global third place – Hisatsugu Saito (Bar Trench, Tokyo)
Asia winner – Hisatsugu Saito (Bar Trench, Tokyo)
Japan – Hisatsugu Saito (Bar Trench, Tokyo)
Singapore – Peter Chua (Crackerjack, Singapore)
Hong Kong – Imelda Ng (Blue Bar at Four Seasons, Hong Kong)
South Korea – Albert Jinyong Lee (Alice, Seoul)
India – Evgenya Prazdnik (Gunpowder, Goa)
China Mainland – Frankie Zou (Botany, Beijing)
Thailand – Arron Grendon (Trisara, Phuket)
Taiwan – Peyonn Kent Tieau (Inge’s at the Marriott Taipei)
East Imperial Gin Jubilee – Asia’s Best Gin & Tonic
Asia winner – Imelda Ng (Bar Blue at Four Seasons, Hong Kong)
Auckland – Haans Mayer (The Golden Dawn)
Hong Kong – Imelda Ng (Bar Blue at Four Seasons)
Kuala Lumpur – Kazi Tanbir (HYDE)
Phnom Penh – Chhuon Udom (Elephant Bar at Raffles Hotel Le Royal)
Shanghai – Thomas Ke (The Cannery)
Singapore – David Kim (Chihuly Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore)
La Maison Cointreau
Winner – Jake Page (Employees Only Singapore)
Australia – Brendan Bartley (Choo Choo’s, Perth)
Japan – Yuko Ikegami (RIHGA Royal Hotel, Osaka)
Malaysia – Angel Ng (PS150, Kuala Lumpur)
New Zealand – Cameron Attfield (The Gin Room, Auckland)
Phillipines – Joey Cerdinia (Blind Pig, Manila)
Singapore – Jake Page (Employees Only Singapore)
South Korea – Younjung Oh (Keepers, Seoul)
Thailand – Chatchai Kanjai (Eat Me, Bangkok)
Giffard West Cup
Global winner – David Hans (Wake Me Up, Kuala Lumpur)
Global second place – Christyne Lee (Highball, Singapore)
China Mainland – Rambo Zheng (Tailor Bar, Shanghai)
Hong Kong – Slamet Haryadi (M Bar at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong)
Malaysia – David Hans (Wake Me Up, Kuala Lumpur)
Philippines – Michael Keith Tubiera (Rambla, Manila)
Singapore – Christyne Lee (Highball, Singapore)
Thailand – Patcharaporn “Fon” Kongjun (Havana Social, Bangkok)
Patron Perfectionists
China Mainland/Taiwan/Hong Kong – Li Tong (Lotus Lounge, Guangzhou)
Japan – Tomoe Osawa (Bar Adonis, Tokyo)
South Korea – Jin-Woo Lee
Speed Rack Asia
Winner – Ana Souza (now at Skullduggery, KL)
Hong Kong – Ana Souza (The Pontiac)
Kuala Lumpur – Angel Ng (PS150)
Manila – Faye Fernando (The Curator Coffee and Cocktails)
Seoul – Kim Ji Won (Alice), Stella Marinela Joao Conselho (Southside Parlor)
Singapore – Charmaine Ann Thio (28 Hongkong Street), Bannie Kang (Antidote), Monica Koo (Club Street Social), Linnea Stenberg (Crackerjack), Luc Yong (Crackerjack), Reena Rivera (Crackerjack), Debbie Gabriella Raymond (Gibson Cocktail Bar), Christyne Lee (Highball), Kino Soh (Highball), Tasha Marie Nakazawa (Highball), Cheryl Cherry Choe (Kilo Lounge), Symphony Loo (Neon Pigeon), Jayden Ong (Sugarhall)
Sydney – Sky Huo (The Baxter Inn)
The Tahona Society Cocktail Competition
China – Zhiming Lin (Wonderland, Shanghai)
Teisseire Asia Flavour Masters
Winner – Mike Cheong (Drink Cocktail Bar, Singapore)
Indonesia – Hendry Effendy (Union Group, Jakarta), Igede Bacudewa Krisna Virgantara (Ayana Resort, Bali)
Singapore – Benedict Poh (Employees Only Singapore), Mike Cheong (DRINK Cocktail Bar at FOO’D by Davide Oldani)
Vietnam – Dinh Thep (Layla Eatery & Bar, Ho Chi Minh), Nguyen Hoang Vu (XX Bar, Ho Chi Minh City)
Did we miss anyone? Let us know and we will add them in. And good luck to everyone who enters next year.
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