Philippine Bartending Retrospect in 2013

This year definitely deserves to be reflected upon for it was swamped with activities which truly has a lot of learning.

Philippine Beverage Congress part 2 featuring Tomek Malek which we held in Padi's Point Araneta. We still hold the record for attendance during part 1 which is at 750.It was a solemn event and informative one since we learned a lot from the best in the world this year.

Liquid Concepts - Our friend Larry Guevarra, one of the "real" legends in Philippine Bartending is definitely in the country. After being the champion in the mixology cup, He is now whipping up those concoctions in the Bottleshop. If you want to learn...drop by his shop in Magallanes.

Bacardi Myxology University is something new to the academe. Bacardi rum which is an international brand decided that it is time to connect with the schools and Pinoytender partnered with them to make it possible. For it's initial launch it was participated by 6 different schools like Lyceum of the Philippines University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and Systems Plus College. We were able to invite resident speaker of Bacardi by the name of Arijit Bose from India. After this run we even held a seminar for the professional bartenders in Manila and it was held in Crowne Plaza.

Bacardi Myxology Competition - After the successful run of the seminar it was time to put up a mixology competition for students. The main objective of this competition is to let the student make a cocktail while talking infront of the guest. Our distinguished panel of judges included Erwan Heussaff of Niner Ichi Nana, Adrian Gearing of Holland America Line and Noel del Rosario of N20 Gastropub.

Molecular Mixology by Liquid Chef Neil Ocampo - we helped Hatters Inc. launch this concept in Philippine Bartending and we even learned and fell in love with cryogenics and emulsification.

Monin Cup 2013 - This year we helped Savoroso to organize their yearly competition. We were able to make it the much anticipated event for the mid year.

Philippine Flair Open 2013 - The year of activities was capped of by the biggest flairtending competition in the country. Judges were form Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Korea. Foreign participants came from Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam and Russia.

Media support from F&B World and HNM - we were able to get media exposure from them.

Rob Husted Flairbar.com - the main man in online magazine about bartending has graciously supported us by writing articles and promoting our events. Thank you Rob.

The year has been good and well worked.With all the learnings we got from all these events, we will take all of these and bring them one for next year making sure we exceed the things that we did for this year.

To our brothers at World Flair Association - we are currently at a state wherein we are one especially after Philippine Flair Open 2013. We will continuously work on it. Thank you for still keeping us in the loop despite of all the prior events.

To our supporters, friends, sponsors,partners,and others.We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.We live. We learn. On thing we learned is the L in LEARN which means LOVE. We LOVE Bartending and we will show it in all events that we do to inspire others to LEARN as well.

Philippine Flair Open 2013 Event Summary

Here in the Philippines, this event has been considered as the competition that "paved the way" for the Filipino flairtender to penetrate the international competition circuit.This competition was made to LEARN, ELEVATE and EXPOSE our country to the FLAIRBARTENDING PROFESSION. as well as develop TRUST, SPORTSMANSHIP, FRIENDSHIP and FAIR GAME among our brothers whether participant or judge. 

This year, we had new sets of judges coming from Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Korea as well as from our own country.

November 28, 2013 was the elimination round where in there were 18 local competitors and the top 5 will advance to the finals. We are grateful to have one participant from Cebu and one from Davao.

Our top 5 finalists were: Joseph Anthony Apostol, Mike Rabago, Darwin Deguzman,Shallum Recto, and new addition Joe Mari Castillo.

November 30, 2013 was the finals which included new players from Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam and Russia.Apart from the top 3 we gave out special awards which included the BIGGEST MOVE which was bagged by Darwin De Guzman, and the PEOPLE'S CHOICE which Shallum Recto took home.

On paper, the top 3 were 1st and 2nd Taiwan, and 3rd place was Joe Mari Castillo.

Mixed reactions and emotions were expressed for deep in their hearts our top 5 deserved to be included there as well. As organizers, we value and respect that which is why we released the raw scores for the finals of all the judges as well as their videos so everything would be transparent.

Looking back at the objectives, we were able to achieve all of them.Learning, is a never ending process even in "organizing" a big event such as an international competition.Attention to details play an important factor that can lead to the overall experience of each competitor.Learning how to judge properly is also a constant learning experience.We have achieved this since this year 4 Filipinos participated in well known competitions in Asia and we were able to finish in the top 5. These include, Joseph Apostol, Darwin de Guzman, Shallum Recto, Joe Mari Castillo, and Jerwin Calayag, all of which participated in PFO this year.We as a country will not stop learning since we already started accepting everything that our brothers advised us.

We are not perfect but we will strive for perfection.Friendship is indeed seen in every competition. In fact our brothers from Russia was kind of unexpected as participants since they are miles way from our country.But they even extended there stay and went to Palawan, a place which our friend Tomek Malek went to as well.

If there is one thing that we learned here is one advise which one of our judges gave "If you don't have monetary support, better not hold a competition." This actually makes a lot of sense. An international competition is BIG. We cannot just let the money revolve as funds like we have always been used to here. In line with this, we are still thankful for all our sponsors that includes: Noel Bazaar, Cut Unlimited, BACARDI, Monin, Coca Cola, Hilik Boutique Hostel, Outback, Flairbar.com, F&B World, HNM Magazine, N20 Gastropub, World Class Concepts Corporation, Ocean Glassware and of course Liquid Concepts and Razor Chef.Thank you for all your help since we were able to push through with the competition successfully.

Philippine Flair Open will always be part of Philippine Bartending history and rest assured we will be back even better. 

As a final word, we would like to apologize for all the people who we might have caused inconvenienced, thank you to all our local and foreign participants, all the friends we gained, all the people who watched and cheered.As organizer, we will continue to support even the underground and small competitions in the country. Do not hesitate to approach us for we only have one goal, one dream....international recognition. Mabuhay!!!!!!

Here are the pictures of Philippine Flair Open 2013

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151907379892762.1073741861.288112267761&type=3

Project Bar Tour Philippines - -- A Bartender's intoxicating weekly journey through the metro.

I would like to apologize for not being able to update my blog for months since I am swamped. Philippine Flair Open 2013 will be on in 5 days time and well final touches are underway.

As a bartender, one of my past times is really going to different bars to have a drink, order food, and enjoy the ambiance. 

But not only that, I am also particular with the service the bar staff renders whether am sitting at the bar or at the dining area. This project is not meant to find faults but to rather make people aware and understand the importance of service in the business and how it will make or break one. The service I get in each and every bar is like my personal mirror.

I would sometimes ask myself, ”Am I doing this as well?” "I don’t think I will do this” ”I think I can do this too” and so on. If it is worth sharing to people then I will not hesitate since the establishment or the person deserves to be commended.

As a trainer, one of the things I would preach is always to follow the GOLDEN RULE. 

It is easier said than done yes but at the same time it also takes commitment and consistency. We have good days, we have bad days, but in our profession we don’t have to let our guests know about the later.

This is just an opinion coming from an ordinary guest that wants to be treated well not like a king but just enough that he will remember his stay there and will have the urge to comeback not only because of the drinks, the food the ambiance but the service.

To achieve this goal I will go to different bars once a week and try to document my “bar hop” as religiously and consistently as I can. This in itself is not as easy as it sounds but I am up for the challenge.

Drink moderately and don’t drink and drive.

So stay tuned.

This thing called Molecular Mixology

Last weekend was a totally interesting weekend for Philippine Bartending. At N20 Gastropub we held the first Molecular Mixology Workshop conducted by no other then our very own Liquid Chef Neil Ocampo who currently works at 1 Altitude Bar in Singapore.

This 2 day workshop was attended by bartenders and business owners a like but everyone had one goal and that was to learn and embrace this new concept in the beverage industry.

It started out with a lecture and demonstration of the different concepts that comes with Molecular Mixology.

So what is Molecular Mixology? Molecular Mixology was derived or was like a offshoot of Molecular Gastronomy or  molecular cuisine is the science of cooking but it is commonly used to describe a new style of cuisine in which chefs explore new culinary possibilities in the kitchen by embracing sensory and food science, borrowing tools from the science lab and ingredients from the food industry and concocting surprise after surprise for their diners. Formally, the term molecular gastronomy refers to the scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general. The term Molecular Gastronomy was born in 1992 (complete history on this post: Molecular Gastronomy History).Chef Ferran Adria from the famous El Bulli restaurant is one of the credited proponents of this concept.

If you attended this workshop you would think you were in a kitchen laboratory. Think of it this way, liquid nitrogen, powders in canisters, mixing bowls, liquors, syrups, eggs, hand mixers, wire whisks, smoking gun, dry ice, and the list of items goes on.

In the lecture part several concepts comprise molecular cuisine and this includes:

SPHERIFICATION is a spectacular cooking technique they introduced at elBulli in 2003 which enable us to prepare recipes that no one been imagined before. It consists of the controlled gelification of a liquid which, submerged in a bath, form a spheres. There are two kinds of BASIC SPHERIFICATION (which consist of submerging a Liquid with ALGIN in a bath of CALCIC) and REVERSE SPHERIFICATION (submerging a Liquid with GLUCO in a bath of ALGIN)

EMULSIFICATION 

In this concept, LECITE is the major component

A natural soy lecithin-based emulsifier, ideal for making airs. This product, discovered at the end of the 19th century, was first produced for the food industry in the last century.

It is useful in the prevention of arteriosclerosis and contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

LECITE is made from non-trasgenic soy. 

GELIFICATION 

Gelatins are one of the most characteristics preparations in classical cuisine, and they have undergone greater evolution in modern cooking.

Until a few years ago, they were made mainly with gelatin sheets; starting in 1997, AGAR, a product of algae, was introduced and is now commonly used.

LIQUID NITROGEN

Nitrogen is a natural gas. It can be liquified in a plant and is used as such in molecular gastronomy most often to deep freeze foam pieces or to make ice cream.

Origin

The air we breathe is composed of approximately 78% nitrogen in it’s gaseous state, against 21% oxygen and 1% of various other gases. To produce liquid nitrogen, the air is first liquefied and the nitrogen is then separated by distillation. Since the boiling point of nitrogen is -195.8°C (-320.5°F), liquid nitrogen is extremely cold, it's a liquid said to be "cryogenic

Creative cooking applications

In cooking, liquid nitrogen is used as a coolant. It is not an ingredient and so it is never ingested; it cools the food, then evaporates. It is only after complete evaporation of the liquid nitrogen that the food can be ingested. Foods that are cooled with liquid nitrogen are extremely cold as they have been in contact with this cryogenic substance, and should be left to warm up before being touched and ingested, in the same way that foods dipped in boiling oil must cool down before being touched. The denser the food, the colder it will be and therefore the longer it will need to warm up. This is why chefs typically use liquid nitrogen to make meringues or frozen mousse, that is to say, they dip very low density confections.

Some chefs use the cooling properties of liquid nitrogen to make especially unctuous ice creams. The creaminess of the ice cream is obtained thanks to the small size of the ice crystals formed during cooling with liquid nitrogen. It is also possible to create amazing appetizers like frozen meringue or mousse. Liquid nitrogen finally makes it possible to freeze alcohol to make original cocktails, which is not possible with traditional freezing techniques

Dry Ice - sometimes referred to as "cardice" or as "card ice" (chiefly British English), is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is used primarily as a cooling agent. Its advantages include lower temperature than that of water ice and not leaving any residue (other than incidental frost from moisture in the atmosphere). It is useful for preserving frozen foods, ice cream, etc., where l Mechanical cooling is unavailable.

Dry ice sublimates at −78.5 °C (−109.3 °F) at Earth atmospheric pressures. This extreme cold makes the solid dangerous to handle without protection due to burns caused by freezing.

SMOKE MACHINE / POLYSCIENCE is inventing culinary technology that helps chefs to find new ways of expressing their creativity. Today, the world's best chefs rely on this technique. Smoke Machine® thermal circulators are their first choice technology for it and many great friendships have developed since then. His passion for futuristic kitchen gear has also captured the attention of America's top chefs, like Grant Achatz at Chicago's Alinea. With the impulse of Chef Achatz, Philip developed the Anti-Griddle™. Within the last years additional innovative culinary tools were added and Philip Preston is constantly working on new inventions to give chefs more ways of expressing their culinary creativity.

The second day was all hands on where in we were tasked to make our own molecular cocktails. I was able to make a creation using dry ice and liquid nitrogen. I tried combining a single malt plus chocolate syrup with liquid nitrogen until I was able to obtain an ice cream consistency. I then tried using the cream charger and made my version of an emulsified raspberry mojito.

The possibilities are endless. It does entail an investment but at the end of the day it’s all about one’s passion in creating that perfect drink.

So the next time you go to bar and order a Bacardi and Coke, don’t be surprised if you are served with a brown pasta plate with lime wedge.Cheers!

September is Bacardi Month in Philippine Bartending.

Last month can actually be dubbed Bacardi month here in the country since Bacardi has been very visible supporting events organized by Philippinebartending.com and Liquid Concepts.

Bacardi Myxology University Tour – This event’s main objective is to make the students aware of the brand and how to use it in coming up with mouth watering and creative concoctions. The participating schools included: Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sta. Mesa and San Juan branch, Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila, College of St. Benilde, Systems Plus College of Cubao and University of Santo Tomas. The seminar was conducted by our guest speaker Mr. Arijit Bose from India.This tour was highlighted by seminars conducted to professional practitioners as well.

Mixology goes Molecular by Liquid Chef Neil Ocampo - This event formally launches the concepts behind Molecular Mixology via a 2 day workshop which was attended by bartenders, business owners and enthusiasts alike. Molecular Mixology is an offshoot of Molecular Gastronomy which has Chef Ferran Adria of El Bulli as one of its proponents. This concept of Mixology simply takes the creativity of the bartender here in the Philippines to another level. Some concepts discussed were emulsification, spherification, gelatification, smoking, and the use of lidui nitrogen. Bacardi Rum was used as the base ingredient for some of the cocktails created.

Bacardi Myxology Competition for Students - As part of the output of the seminar, each university as well as other students were tasked to make their original concoction in 5 minutes while talking infront of the judges. This competition simply makes the students aware that part of the bartender’s profession is to be able to communicate properly to the guest how their concoction is being done. Another aspect of this competition lets the students explain how they will market their cocktail in a bar that they will work in.

The participating schools include: University of Santo Tomas, Polytechnic Univeristy of the Philippines San Juan and Sta. Mesa, Systems Plus College of Cubao and Lipa City Colleges. This event was held in N20 Gastropub and included distinguished panel of judges namely: Adrian Gearing of Holland America Lines, Erwan Heussaff of Niner Ichi Nana, and Brain Pangan of N20 Gastropub.

The winners were:

First place: Mitos Samana 

( Lipa City College of Batangas) Bacardi's Finest

Second Place: Joselito Argate 

(Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila) Love 117

Third place: Mary Luester Dagohoy 

(Polytechnic University of the Philippine Sta. Mesa)Ginger Sour Smash

The other participants were: Resellyn Catacho

Joel Dave Abatayo

Miguel Lorenzo  Borromeo

Christian Alland P. Caluag

Ian Kruschev Olleres

Lorenzo Sutacio

Ma. Jesusa Gadi

If you want to know more about Bacardi check out there website www.bacardi.com or check out their facebook page: Bacardi

Stay tuned for more events brought to you by Philippinebartending.com.

Philippine Beverage Congress PART 2 feat. TOMEK MALEK

Tomek Malek with host Richie Cruz

HISTORY unfolded once again in Philippine soil in the Bartending industry. After it’s successful launch  last year courtesy of Mr. Tom Dyer and our other guest speakers and performers, Pinoytender Management Consultancy now followed it up this time with the reigning #1 flairbartender in the WFA standings TOMEK MALEK from Warsaw Poland.

Liquid Concepts and Flair Republic were the producers of this event supported by Philippine Bartending.com and Flair Factory.

Tomek in his lecture portion

Held last March 3, 2013 at Padi’s Point in Araneta Center Cubao, Quezon City, PBC 2 was a huge success having been attended by bar practitioners, Hotel and Restaurant Management students, teachers and administrators, and enthusiasts.

This event was hosted by Richie Cruz, proprietor of www.philippinebartending.com. It started of with inspirational messages from Larry Guevara (Flair Republic/Liquid Concepts), multi awarded Filipino flairbartender Ram Ong, and Mastah UAE headed by Mr. Russel Sanchez. Guest performers included the current winners of the prestigious flairtending competition in the country Philippine Flair Open 2012 which is WFA recognized. This included Joseph Apostol, Darwin Deguzman, and Shallum Recto.

Photo ops with Flair Republic Team and Patricia

This event had Tomek Malek explaining the value of “Flair” in Bartending, he introduced the WFA (World Flair Association) and the WFA Gradings and pointers in joining competitions.

He topped it off with an eight minute routine which showcased different combinations, stalls, bumps, baskets, snatches, shadow passes, knee bumps, arm rolls and capped off with an accordion pour and a flaming routine.

Shallum Recto

After the event, TOMEK got a chance to meet and greet his fans by having his picture taken with them and signing autographs.The following day, TOMEK had a 2 day master class where he had students also from Hongkong Flair Iron Team which are Ken Lam and Tsunamikip Tsang. Here they were taught some basic to difficult moves as well as different combinations and techniques which they can apply in their own routine.

Joseph Apostol

It is definitely “More Fun in the Philippines!” in Philippine Bartending.Special thanks to Monin, Coca- cola , Haranah Tours and Padi’s Point, Erwin Ceniza of Mastah UAE and Navin of Ocean Glassware.

Darwin de Guzman

For more information about our competitions and events please check our website:www.philippinebartending.com

Who do you want to be the next guest for the Philippine Beverage Congress Part 3? But before you answer the question, make sure you will save up and attend since it’s not easy staging an event such as this one. Otherwise, go to the grocery, buy some beers and chips, turn on your computer and go to you tube and enjoy watching the whole day .