They'll sure get you high
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Bangkok's Smirnoff Mix Master contenders make cocktails with altitude
Some bartenders go to incredible lengths to find the inspiration for a new cocktail. Take, for example, Bangkok’s Anakin “Ton” Wongsala, Chaiyot “Arm” Pitayanon and Nantanatt “Natt” Nitayasaeng. They jumped out of a plane.
Parachutes were involved but, even so, a four-kilometre plunge must surely inspire some pretty wild drinks. We’ll all find out at Smirnoff’s next party on Wednesday.
That’s when Ton, Arm and Natt will serve the new concoctions they evidently dreamed up while plummeting through space, all made with Smirnoff’s new Blueberry, Espresso and Lime flavours. Guests at the party will vote on which is best, and the winning inventor becomes a Smirnoff Mix Master.
“I never thought I’d go skydiving in my entire life – I’m scared of heights!” says Arm, 26. “But it was a once-in-a-life-time experience, and once I’d experienced the adrenaline rush, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Funnily enough, Arm originally planned to be a commercial airline pilot. He probably thought switching to running a “bar organiser” company would be much safer. And he was safe designing cocktails and putting on parties, even flying to London to take a course in mixology.
Then someone pushed him out of a plane.
“Mixology is an art of never-ending creation,” he says of his adopted career. “I love that I can use anything and everything to create cocktails. I always try to make them four-dimensional – sight, smell, taste and aftertaste. The best part of the job is when a customer enjoys one. I want them to ask for more and challenge me to create special drinks for them.”
Thirty-year-old Ton, still hyped from the skydiving, points out that bartending isn’t just about memorising recipes and putting the right ingredients in the right fancy glass. It also demands creativity, people skills and hearty service.
“I never liked drinking cocktails until I got a job at a hotel bar,” he says. “But I was drawn into the subtlety and the creativity aspects. And besides, it’s much better than the mundane nine-to-five job I had before.”
Ranked fifth in Thailand’s first Diageo Reserve World Class last year, Ton too has a “cocktail consultancy” and often sends his proteges to man the bars at parties and other events.
The Nation hasn’t had a chance yet to meet Natt, the only female in this week’s contest, but the guys assure us that she’s sassy and uniquely creative, making her one of the local scene’s most talented mixologists.
MIX IT UP
“Be There: The Mix Master Party” starts at 7pm on Wednesday at Route 66 on RCA.
Providing the tunes will be German electro-dance DJ Dirty Disco Youth of Dim Mak Records, backed by Tattoo Colour.
Find out more on Facebook’s “SmirnoffThailand” page.
