For the first time, Singaporean bartenders have won the first three of eight places for the national finals of the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year 2014 competition in May. This brings each one a step closer to representing Singapore in the global finals in July to become Bartender of the Year 2014.
The themed challenge: Mid-Century Mediterranean Mastery – drawing inspiration from the food, drink and classic icons of the Mediterranean.
First place
Contender: Louis Tan of L’Aiglon
Cocktail: The Wolf’s Peach Illusion
Ingredients: Tanqueray No. Ten, cherry tomatoes, lychee liqueur, lemon juice, basil syrup and pineapple
Inspiration: The Wolf’s Peach was the nickname given to the cherry tomato by the Spanish, who considered this new fruit to be both evil and poisonous
Second place
Contender: Peter Chua of 28 HongKong Street
Cocktail: Calypso’s Mercy
Ingredients: Don Julio Blanco, dry vermouth, homemade bell pepper and coriander syrup with fresh lime, gomme syrup and absinthe in a glass rimmed with seaweed salt. Tasting note: drink blindfolded
Inspiration: The sensuality and passion of Mediterranean culture
Third place
Contender: Mark Graham Thomas of Bacchanalia
Cocktail: Mezes
Ingredients: Tanqueray No. Ten infused with truffle and homemade pesto, Tanqueray No. Ten, apple liqueur, lemon juice, egg white, feta and Parmesan cheese syrup.
Inspiration: Meze is Greek for “taste,” “flavour” and “snack”; this cocktail draws inspiration from the Med’s produce and cuisine
