The perfect MIX

THE SEARCH for the world’s top bartenders is once again on! Now in its sixth consecutive year, the prestigious World Class programme sees Thailand participating for the fourth time with 46 bartenders competing in a series of elimination rounds since January.
The local World Class Thailand 2015 titles were announced earlier last month with the first four prizes going to Pongpak Sudthipongse from Why 97, Pailin Sajjanit from Vesper, Natakorn Changrew from Perfume and Sarawut Pinpech from Mandarin Oriental. They will battle against each other and 28 contenders from seven countries in the World Class Southeast Asia Final in July. One winner from each country will then enter the global final round in South Africa later this year.
“I think this is a very good programme, says Natakorn “Thumb” Changrew, the mastermind behind hip spot Perfume.
“It doesn’t only give bartenders a stage to shine but also more recognition by educating the public in the skill set behind the craft. I’ve reached a point where I needed a push. I could use something that pressures me to make me push the envelope more and create something new. I’ve improved so much as a bartender over the three months since the competition started.”
Hawaii-educated Thumb, who was trained in the hospitality business where he developed a passion for mixology, taught himself how to mix drinks and brave the fierce industry with his own bar, Perfume, on Thonglor.
“Serving a cocktail is like choosing the right song for the right occasion. If a couple is on a date, I’m not going give them a cocktail that’s equivalent to rock music. We have cocktails for heartbroken customers, for customers on a first date, for those who are going to ask someone out or propose marriage. We try to give a soul, a character to each drink with a story to go behind it.”
Good drinks with stories to tell are exactly what the judges at World Class are looking for. The first round, titled “cocktails against the clock”, challenged contestants to make at least six drinks in eight minutes. Thumb impressed the panel of judges that included international spirit experts and renowned mixologists with a “World Class world tour” where he put on a pilot’s hat and explored international cocktails crafted from some of the world’s most prestigious spirits.
Thumb went from Bangkok to Myanmar, Tokyo, Scotland and Europe wowing the judges with classic cocktails with interesting twists, and ended the trip in South Africa |with a refreshing take on a mysterious, lost classic cocktail.
“It’s not about being fast.” Thumb says. “It’s about doing a cocktail at a high pace, getting the flavours right and entertaining the customers at the same time.”
The second half of the competition, “Thai Sensoria”, required each mixologist to come up with a new cocktail that would waken all senses with Thai flair. Taking the unique “rain stopping” ritual with lemongrass, Thumb created a cocktail called Siam Miracle with Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve, home-made |re-distilled lemongrass tincture, herbs and ingredients of different textures and flavours to create a “paktakrai” ritual in a glass.
“These four winners demonstrate everything a true Diageo World Class bartender should possess: perfect knowledge of cocktails, a sense of showmanship, superb creativity and an innate ability to provide impeccable service,” Pornseak Pharksuwan, Diageo Reserve Channel Director told XP.
Bangkok will host the World Class Southeast Asia Final on July 1-2 at EmQuartier.