Be Back soon!

Hey Guys!It's been a while since i posted for I have been busy with schools and events like U Flair, Mix it Up! , the very successful and historical Philippine Beverage Congress, school work and Bartending gigs. I promise to write about all of these as soon as I wrap up everything. For now I am active on my Facebook page so oyu can catch me there more often. Cheers!!!

Raising the Bar at No.38

I would like to apologize for not being able to blog for 2 months. I have been busy with school, consultancy and some events. For those who have been following the fan page as well as my twitter, that’s where I am also occupied with since it’s easier to upload pictures and videos as well as get connected with the rest of the world.

What better way to be back in the blog world by educating everyone a little bit about semantics in the Beverage and Bartending industry here in the country.

What is BAR TOUR? When I was in college, this was a requirement we had in our HRA105 (Beverage Management). The mechanics was simple but complete: we were supposed to go to 3-4 bars and observe the following aspects: service, barlist, menu, the bartender, sanitation, ambiance, price and overall experience. Afterwhich, we had to make a report and present it in class. Looking back, I thought we looked like mystery shoppers and bar consultants. I retained this activity in my memory for it was both fun and interesting and I eventually applied it to some of the schools I taught in.

Another meaning of BARTOUR may mean like a promotion or launch of a product or a person/group. I remember when I used to bartend for Bacardi, we had a Bar tour to Launch Bacardi Limon in several bars in Manila. This was a one month run.
Unfortunately, some sales people from the business took advantage of this and infused this as part of their menu and coined it “bar tour”. But it’s actually a bar seminar which focuses on a few aspects about bartending and focusing on the company. To make this appealing, you carry a famous brand name and offer it with a free meal with drink plus a certificate…and voalah!!! The cash register rings.

In other countries, a seminar is coined as “Raising the Bar” which is very appropriate because when a participant is already exposed in bartending this can be a refresher course or a totally different experience for him.

This concept is what I applied together with my partners so as bartenders we can “walk the talk” so to speak. The No. 38 “Raising the Bar” series is a seminar held at No.38 Sports Bar located at 114 Jupiter St. in Makati City. We will only focus on what you need for your class and not those that you will teach so as not to be redundant.
So far on our first run with Polytechnic University of the Philippines, it was generally SWEET.

You can visit our fan page or my personal page to see the pictures.

We accept a maximum of 50 persons per batch.

For details and bookings you may contact us at 09176117441.
See and know the difference. We raise the bar up a notch once again for Philippine bartending.

Holy Week Reflection: The Only Constant thing is Change

The title of this blog maybe the most cliché saying but this holds true especially this holyweek. As a devoted practicing catholic, tradition dictates that Holy Week is a time for reflection and solitude. But last Maundy Thursday, I had to see for myself it this still holds true nowadays. I decided to go for a swim with my buds and we went to one resort. Alas! We weren’t able to come in because this resort was packed. So we decided to look for another spot. And well good thing they still had a space for us. I was shocked. The resort had 5 pools in total and all of them were full. Not to mention the cottages, tables and the verandas. Where have all these people come from? It wasn’t as “holy” here than outside. People were laughing, running around, drinking, smoking and swimming of course.
As I sit and observe all of these things happening, I rationalized things in perspective. My conclusion: To each his own. As long as you still have your faith in tact and you observe holy week in your own way then I raise a glass to that. I am not saying that everyone has to go on vacation during holy week but that’s just the way it is. FREE WILL as they say. Just be responsible with your actions.
It’s the same thing as bartending. There is no absolute STANDARD. Everything evolves. Everything is dynamic. One cannot be stuck. You just have to accept that change and integrate it in the present. Old school meets new school.Simple.

SUMMER BEER ALERT!!! SMB.SARAP MAG BEER BUT PROVIDE US FRESH BEER!!!

If you would look for some information regarding beer in Wikipedia, it states there that:
Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and probably the oldest; if you watched the movie “Beowulf” then maybe you would agree; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. Beer is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), and rice are widely used.

Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included.

Summer time is here!!! The Philippines is also known for its’ beers.
We generally have 2 major beer companies: San Miguel Corporation and Asia Brewery.
Well both would have almost the same line of products although the first one would have a little edge in terms of variety in my opinion.

I had the privilege of tasting beer when I was 8 years old I when my tatay would tease me that it was brown water and I would puke and scream after tasting it since it was bitter. When I went to highschool I was pressured to love beer since it meant being a man if one drinks this. And in college, I indulged in it having been trained in recent years.
But when I became a bartender, I slowly began “appreciating” beer and its contents rather than love it.
In fact, I can say that here in our country, since most of us like anything sweet, even the beers were tailored in that direction. I will not name a brand but well in the US this brand is very bland but strong, but here it has a touch of sweetness.
Here’s the catch, beer can taste either, bland, bitter,malty or sweet, but NEVER SOUR like vinegar. I experienced this when I was working with Virgin Café ( it’s now the spoof of DOLCE). A certain ex-basketball player turned government official came upto us in our bar and almost poked a gun at us because we weren’t aware that we served him a bottle of sour beer 3 times. The following day we investigated and found out that some of our beers were exposed to the sun since there was no more space for storage.
When exposed to the sun, since beer is fermented it is prone to further fermentation which can lead to being sour.
This year, it was like dejavu, a friend of mine let me taste his beer when we went to one bar. It did have a faint touch of sourness. We changed it and still had the same result. But I am quite certain that this bar had no issues when it comes to storage.
The next day, I was driving along the highway and I noticed a beer truck without any cover, all the beers were exposed in the heat of the sun. This made my eyes big and it made me think that this is the reason for the beer fault.
I hope this blog reaches the proper distributors of our beers. Please make sure that the beers you deliver are fresh by covering them and making sure they are not exposed to sunlight. When your trucks are at a standstill during traffic, all your beers are exposed. And to the major beer producers, I hope you orient your distributors properly with regards to beer storage.
Let us enjoy beers the right way. CHEERS!

Buy FHM's December issue

Hi guys! It's been like 2 months since my last blog....been busy with stuff like school and the biz....but here's a treat....at last!!! we have an issue on fhm's December issue. I will try to post blogs if not every week, at the most 1 per month.Happy Holidays to all and you may try these drinks at your home!!!cheers!!!

Bar Catering- what it takes to suceed?

Mobile Bar, Bar Hosting, Bar Catering, Cocktail Catering- all these terms mean the same thing.

This concept entered the Philippine soil in the early 2000. A bartender would be hired to bartend in a house for a small party. And sometimes a group of bartenders would get hired for big events. Then for more convenience, some entrepreneurial bartenders thought of bringing the whole package right at your doorstep so that all you have to do is PARTY.

Nobody can claim that they are the BEST Bar host for it’s all a matter of preference, but there are some ways for one to be successful if not the best in this type of endeavor.

Here are some tips:

1. Bar Knowledge (Basic) – This is the very foundation to make your venture in bar catering succeed. Here are some of the things that you need to know:
Fermented- which would include wines and beers
Distilled –which would include rum, gin, vodka, tequila, whisky, brandy, and liqueurs

With knowledge of these now you need to know the different brands available in the market as well as their prices. Talking about liqueurs, it’s a tricky subject since there are lots of flavors available.
Then one must learn about the different bartending tools as well as their uses and where to buy them. You don’t need to buy the whole store, just the essentials.
Afterwhich, you need to know the different type of glasswares and choose which ones you really need for your outfit. Try to innovate.
And of course you really need to know how to mix cocktails. Although there are books, it is best that you enroll in short courses so that you may know how to execute these cocktails by learning the basic mixing procedures. You can inquire with us and we will teach you the right way.
Lastly, you need to be creative, as a mixologist, your palette should be accustomed to different flavors of beverages whether alcoholic or not. With added imagination you can whip up your own original concoction.

2. Strong Network – just like any business, this is very vital. you can start with your relatives, plan a small party and let them taste your creations. Afterwhich, you can contact friends, classmates, community, co workers, and eventually if they like your concoctions, your company will spread like a virus.

3. Marketing Strategies
Just like the 4 p’s of marketing –product, place, price, promotion, all these p’s are important.
Product – you can take pictures of your creations and make a brochure or post photos on fb or other network sites on the net. Actually, aside from your products, you should polish your service, and this would mean hiring well trained individuals. Your cocktails me be exquisitely thirst quenching, but if it is not served promptly then it would be useless. Service with a smile as well as attentiveness is also a valuable asset. Having experience is an advantage of your employee but you still have to train them so all of them would be in the direction that your company would like to go to.
Place – you can target your own neighborhood or you can target everyone. The question is…are you accessible?
Price – the bar catering businesses keep popping up like mushrooms. Try to check there prices and try to match it and be competitive. but remember, before you price, you have to be sure that your PRODUCT and SERVICE are full proof. Another tip is to have a good grasp of numbers so you know your way around pricing your packages.
Putting up this type of business, you would need around P50,000 – P70,000 to get you started.
So that’s basically what you need to be a competitive bar caterer, I could add having prayers and goodluck. Again, although there are many bar caterers in the market today, there is still room for more. But please make sure that you don’t treat this business as a fly by night thin. It pays to be legal.
Why should you believe me? You don’t have to, but I know what I’m saying since I have been in this business since 2002.

WANTED - Bar and Beverage management teacher

Here in the Philippines, Hotel and Restaurant Management schools are very much in demand to the extent that they keep on popping up like mushrooms. It's a very good business if you look at it in a different perspective since the school will get prospective clients every year.For these trying times schools have even lowered their fees so that the student can enroll in their schools.

In good business, in order for the school to entice enrollments, it should invest on its facilities and personnel.And depending on their target market, they should price their fees accordingly.


One prerequisite of this course is called Bar Management/Beverage Management.
This course generally deals with the subject of bartending both in theory and application. This course should supposedly have a Lecture part and a Laboratory part.

Unfortunately, some schools compress it into one preparation.Compared to other countries, we don't really have a solid bartending school. Bartending is just a part of some other trainings.

Can anyone just teach this subject? Does having a masteral degree make one qualified to teach this subject?

Ideally, this subject should be taught by a professional bartender with a good grasp of English and a gift of teaching. Unfortunately, we cannot have everything.
If you really would like to pursue this profession, you must check if these traita are possessed by the instructor.

Why are these qualifications important?
1.Professional Bartender - Professional doesn't necessarily mean that he can flip 3 or more bottles(it doesn't follow folks).
Being professional means he has embraced the profession for a period of time and has been practicing and learning from it continuously.In order to share your knowledge you must have a very good background about it.Better if you still practice it.

2.Good grasp of English- Well this should be a no brainer but just to prove this point, English is still the medium of instruction. Most Liquors, tools, glasswares, and even terminologies are all in English and it would be best if you know how to speak,read and understand the language.

3.Gift of teaching - Now this is the clincher. God has given us talents and I would like to think that teaching is one very important gift. Not anybody can relay messages effectively to people. It's like if we go back to the 12 apostles. These guys were chosen. That is why there are courses offered on public speaking because it is harder than it looks. Not everyone can catch the attention of 300 students or 50 students in 1 and a half hours until 5 hours.Some people are good individually no doubt...but for them to share and transmit their talents or learning is another story.

These are simple qualifications really, no need to read the dictionary...but I guess in relation with the 3 trait one must have PASSION in teaching.