Dadan Agisna from Ayana Resort & Spa’s Rock Bar in Jimbaran, Bali. (JG Photo/Sandra Siagian)
For Bayu Wiseso, making a cocktail is more than just mixing a few ingredients together.
The Balinese bartender, who started his career in hospitality as a waiter, believes creating a cocktail for his customers is a form of art.
“Drinking responsibly is also the art of enjoying an alcoholic beverage,” said the 30-year-old, who moved behind the bar 10 years ago.
“To make a drink is easy. To make people happy, it’s not so easy. When I make a drink [and a customer] asks for one more, it always makes me happy.”
Treating a cocktail as art helped Bayu become Indonesian champion at the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year national finals in Bali last week.
The bartender, who currently whips up cocktails at the Ku De Ta restaurant in Seminyak, Bali, beat five other contestants to win the title after a series of challenges.
The six contestants — three from Bali and three from Jakarta — were narrowed down from a batch of 50 after completing three challenges earlier in the year that required the bartenders to create cocktails using different liquor brands.
There was a “Retro Chic” challenge using Ketel One vodka, the “Bar Chef” challenge using the Singleton of Glen Ord and a “Hollywood/Bollywood/Hong Kong” challenge using Ron Zacapa rum.
At the national final held last Monday, Bayu was joined by I Gusti Made Salit Ari of the W Retreat & Spa’s WooBar in Seminyak and Dadan Agisna from Ayana Resort & Spa’s Rock Bar in Jimbaran, Bali.
Raga Perdana Umar from Shy Rooftop in Kemang, Reiza Yudhaputra from Kuningan’s Bluegrass Bar & Grill and Sony Ariesandy (San) from Parc 19 in Kemang represented Jakarta in the final.
Bayu Wiseso from Ku De Ta in Seminyak, Bali. (JG Photo/Sandra Siagian)
Each contestant first had to create a signature cocktail before competing in a speed round that tested their skill and precision.
Bayu’s winning cocktail was appropriately named “Art Punch,” inspired by the Balinese people.
Bayu’s cocktail combined vodka, tamarind — one of his favorite flavors — and yuzu – a citrus Japanese fruit.
Hidetsugu Ueno, global guru judge of the Diageo Reserve World Class competition, praised Bayu’s overall performance.
“The winner [Bayu], he is good, he has good character, good personality and was really fast in the speed round,” Ueno said.
“While Bayu has won the Indonesian round, he needs to work really hard to prove it in the global final. He needs to divide his drink more, work properly and not spill so much.”
Ueno, a leading bartender in Tokyo, said when it came to judging a cocktail in any country, the drink itself was the most important.
“I need to be able to taste the base spirit to appreciate why it is there,” Ueno explained.
“You’ve got the color, the liquid and you have to show the appreciation. I also look for the personality as I want a personal drink from a bartender. I want to feel like a special guest when I get a drink.”
Shy Rooftop’s Raga Perdana Umar said despite not winning with his cocktail mix of rum, cinnamon, earl grey tea, spices and honey, simply being named a finalist had helped his career.
“I think at my age I’m too old to move on but this will help support my career and the most important thing is that I gained experience from the other competitors,” Raga, 32, said.
Bayu echoed the sentiment. “My fellow competitors are quite talented, especially my Bali ones from Ayana and Woo Bar. They were very innovative,” Bayu said.
The 2013 national winner will go on to compete against the best bartenders from more than 50 countries in a final round held on a cruise of the French Riviera in July.
“So I can now take those skills I have learned and use them to help improve my venue I work at. Experience was the most important thing for me, besides winning.”
The winner of the global final of the competition will receive the prestigious Diageo Reserve World Class Best Bartender of the Year title, as well as a publishing deal to create a cocktail book.
“As a bartender, winning is great, and it’s nice to say that I’m the best in Indonesia this year,” Bayu said of his award.
“But right now, Australia, Japan, Europe and America are all on the map for great bartenders. I want to show that Indonesia has just as good bartenders and has the talent to compete with the rest of the world.”
Ueno said that from what he had seen, Indonesia was influenced by the West in bartending. He added that finalists in the competition could help local bartenders learn more skills overseas.
“You need a lot of patience to become a good bartender,” San said about advice he would give to young bartenders.
“But once you get the skills, you can go anywhere in the world to get a job.”
Bayu said he was looking forward to learning new skills from fellow contestants around the world to bring back home.
“We always start with something small. We cannot become a superhero for a day but we can always try to improve our skills,” Bayu said.
“This is my dream. I wanted to win so I could learn from other bartenders around the world to share them with others back home.”
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