Ultimate Monin Cup Philippines 2014

Last August 9, 2014, we witnessed the much awaited Mixology and Flair Competition at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Under the World Food Expo banner, The Ultimate Monin Cup Philippines 2014 was staged. This was organized by Monin Philippines and Savoroso in cooperation with Pinoytender Management Consultancy and Philippinebartending.com

For both categories, the registration process was pretty strict in terms of deadline and requirements. There were a total of 60 participants who submitted their recipes. The finalists were preselected based on their concoctions. We had a good mix of talents featuring participants from different bars as well as universities.

 Joseph Dwayne Ramos                 Monin Velocity                  Monin Open Flair
Vincent Louis Juntura Jr.               Invinsiblueity                     Monin Open Flair
Jasper Joseph Marc D. Cruz          Blue Oasis                          Monin Open Flair
Jerwin Calayag                              Fruity Awwesome               Monin Open Flair
Larry Guevara                               Thrilla a Manille                 Monin Open Flair
Joe Mari Castillo                           Cheer Up!                           Monin Open Flair
Leonard F. Bisquit                         Black Tea Stilleto               Monin Open Flair
Bryan Bonifacio                            4th of July                           Monin Open Flair
Arvin Gumasing                            The Midori Illusion            Monin Open Flair
John Paulo Catalan                        Moon Walker                     Monin Open Flair

Argate Joselito                              Concept                              Monin Mixology Cup
Sharleen Reyes Antonio               Smokin Sassy Skirt            Monin Mixology Cup
Paulo Eiron C. Layao                    Ticket to Paris                    Monin Mixology Cup
John Vincent P. Naïve                    Dragon Tea                        Monin Mixology Cup
Jhon Lareve Shahid Parraba        Yolanda's Wrath                   Monin Mixology Cup
Justine Anne Magbitang               Wedding Vow                      Monin Mixology Cup
Eimil Hidalgo                                Afternoon Delight               Monin Mixology Cup
Josiah Israel G. Agunat                  Jivitalize                             Monin Mixology Cup
Loreen Hernandez                          Surprise Me                        Monin Mixology Cup
Jeremy Ganalon                             The Bass                             Monin Mixology Cup
Sasa Baclig                                     Rose Mary                          Monin Mixology Cup

We started off with the Mixology Cup which emphasizes the “talking bartender”. 

The panel of judges included:

Navin Sadaranggani – Operations Manager of World Class Concepts Corp.

Adrian Gearing – Training Director – Holland America Lines

Imarie Ong – Liquor Distributor

Yoma Rivera –Bartender of Curator/Finalist of Diageo World Class

Jerry Pascua Miranda – Head Bartender Prive Luxury Club

The competition made each participant talk to the audience while making their original creation. As the pictures show, all of the contestants really came up with creative cocktails, veering away from the traditional Grenadine and Blue Curacao ensemble. After their performance, the judges asked questions to test their product knowledge in general. It was a nerve wracking moment for each and everyone since all judges were very meticulous since all of them are from the industry. The judges were divided into technical and tasting judges.

Winners for MONIN CUP

Champion           85.5%    Loreen Hernandez

2^nd Place               79.8%    Joselito Argate

3^rd Place               79.0%    Paulo Eiron Layao

Loreen will represent the country on October for the Asian Leg of the Monin Cup. She will be undergoing intensive training together with Joselito to prepare her for the competition.

After the Mixology Cup, the much awaited crowd drawer the Monin Open Flair followed.

Our judges included:

Roderick Soriano – flairbartender P&O Cruises

Mike Rabago –TGIF High Street bartender

Navin Sadaranggani – Operations Manager of World Class Concepts Corporation

Kelly de Guzman – head bartender of Royal Carribean Cruise Lines

The participants were a mix of old and new players in the circuit. Each participant is judged on Difficulty, Originality, Smoothness and Showmanship. There was also a deduction judge who monitors the spills, drops, breaks and missing ingredients.

It was a close call since everyone gave it their best shot. New moves were seen. 

Winners for Monin Open Flair

Champion           207.67   FJ Sasa Baclig

2^nd Place             206.33   Jerwin Calayag

3^rd Place             202.67   Joe Mari Castillo

Special Award – Best in Cocktail Bryan Bonifacio

This was a sweet victory for FJ since she travelled all the way from Baguio just to compete with the best of them. Her company Baguio Country Club was very supportive of letting FJ compete. Another thing that makes this sweeter is the fact that she was the first contestant. Being the first is difficult since you set the bar from the rest of the pack. But she was able to deliver her routine. She had a strong presence even at the start of her music.

The event was a huge success since the attendance of the audience doubled compared to last years. The quality also improved in terms of taste and appearance.

Overall, the Ultimate Monin Cup Philippines 2014 has achieved its goal to produce the best cocktails that come from the creativity of the Pinoytender. Monin Philippines through Savoroso has been an active player in supporting the beverage and bartending industry since they believe in the talent of the Filipino bartender as well as Philippine Bartending. On our part we should continue to support  Monin by patronizing their products and trying it out. It maybe a premium product but it just follows because it has very high quality. Money should not be an issue when one wants to produce something great.

Hopefully, the enthusiasm of everyone continues and we would like to thank everyone who watched and participated in the event in every capacity. We would strive to do a better job next year for raising the bar in Philippine Bartending. Cheers!