Twenty-nine bartenders walk into a convent...
It's not the setup for a joke, but for the Barstylez Asia Flair 
Bartenders' Cocktail Championship 2015, aka "The Big Match." Twenty-nine bartenders from 14 countries, including six women, came to Singapore in September 2015 to test their skills and vie for top prizes. They competed under the columned ceiling and stained-glass windows of Chijmes, a former Catholic convent built in the 1840s. The event was sponsored by Tito's® Handmade Vodka, Giffard Liqueurs, Dester Beer* and Hamilton Beach® Commercial/Jelco.
Bottles spun through the air as top bartenders — some in T-shirts, some wearing the traditional white shirt and vest — demonstrated their creativity and ability to juggle bottles. The grand champion was Lee Guan Yi of Taiwan. Ayako "Ollie" Kumashiro, of Japan, won "Best Cocktail" and "Best Female Bartender," as well as two other prizes. Watch her seemingly effortless flair techniques in this video from the 2014 Bar Pro World Finals.
The highlight of the event was the Mystery Box Cocktail Challenge, in which 10 finalists each chose a box containing different Giffard Liqueurs, Tito's Handmade Vodka and a few other ingredients. Using only what was provided in the box and their own glassware, competitors had to invent a cocktail recipe on the spot that included at least six but not more than eight ingredients. Not only that, but they had to plan two routines for their cocktail, preparing one tasting portion with working flair techniques and the other with exhibition flair.
(Do you know the difference? Working flair bartending techniques are more practical, involving quick tricks and flips a bartender can use on the job. Exhibition flair bartending consists of choreographed routines, often with props and bottles that contain very little liquid. Here's an explanation of both techniques by bartender Chris Cardone.)
Each competitor was required to make two portions of the same cocktail, pour three tasting glasses for the judges and, as a finale, open a bottle of Korean-made Dester beer. The winner of the Best Mystery Box Cocktail Challenge was a drink called "Bali Temptations," created with the Hamilton Beach Commercial Eclipse blender by Indonesian bartender Endra Mulana Jaya. The 28-year-old rising star has been a finalist in several Asian bartending competitions and has a passion for both flair bartending and mixology.
Here's the recipe for his winning drink, although it may be hard to find some of the ingredients outside of East Asia. Kemangi is a basil with a strong lemon scent; pandan syrup, made from fresh pandan leaves, is reminiscent of vanilla; and soursop, called guanábana in Spanish-speaking countries, is a prickly green tropical fruit.
"Bali Temptations" Cocktail Recipe
10g/ 1/2 oz** mangosteen
1g (a pinch) Kemangi (lemon basil)
40 ml/ 1 1/2 oz Tito's Handmade Vodka
20ml/ 3/4 oz Giffard Elderflower Syrup
15ml/ 1/2oz fresh lime juice
50 ml/ 1 3/4 oz apple juice
Muddle mangosteen with kemangi in Boston Shaker. Combine all other ingredients in a mixing glass. Shake well, double strain and pour into chilled martini glass. Top with soursop and pandan foam (recipe follows). Garnish with one whole mangosteen and kemangi leaf on the side.
Pandan Foam:
300ml / 10oz soursop Juice
20ml / 3/4 oz pandan syrup
100ml / 3 1/3 oz water
5ml / 1/5 oz Xanthan gum
Blend well with Hamilton Beach Commercial blender, and then pour into whipping siphon.
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*Tito's® Handmade Vodka, Giffard Liqueurs and Dester beer are not affiliated with Hamilton Beach Commercial or Jelco. Use of their names does not imply an endorsement or affiliation.
**Ounce conversions are approximate
