With only days to go before the much-anticipated “TGIFriday’s 2018 Bartender Championship,” the spotlight is on the restaurant chain’s powerhouse cast of skilled bartenders who will vie for this year’s King of the Bar title.
23 contenders from all TGIFridays branches nationwide will not only flash their ala Tom Cruise’s style as a flair bartender in the 1988 movie “Cocktail,” they will also strut the stuff good barkeeps truly are made of.
First off, the contestants will battle it out in the Compulsory Round on August 6. What exactly is this stage in the competition? It’s a test of technical knowledge of TGIFridays’ bar elements, including mastery of about a hundred cocktail recipes and speed and accuracy of pouring drinks down to the last drop.
Only 8 from the 25 contenders will advance to the next level which is the Freestyle or Flair Bartending Competition that will be held on August 7 at 4 pm at the restaurant’s Glorietta branch. This is considered as a most riveting visual spectacle where these contestants will manipulate bar tools, juggling, flipping, throwing and catching bottles and glasses in mid-air, without missing a beat. To say that this is just a physical display of the bartenders’ skills would be an understatement!
The over-all winner and champion of both Compulsory and Freestyle Rounds will then represent the country in the Asia-Pacific Competition which the Philippines will host this October.
TGIFridays Philippines has an impressive record of producing world-class bartenders who have won in international competitions. Last year, Jholan Peñafiel was named grand champion at TGIFridays World Bartender Championship held in Dallas, Texas, showing that she was at the top of her game when she bested competitors from the USA, Latin America. United Kingdom, and Europe. She aced the Compulsory Round and blew away the judges and the crowd in the Freestyle Competition expertly mixing and serving drinks while showing off her flairtending moves and letting her personality shine throughout the competition.
Peñafiel is the second Filipina bartender to win the world championship, the first being Rizza Umlas who won the title in 2015 also in Dallas, Texas. Eric “El Terrible” Martinez brought home the World Title in 2006 at the World Bartender Championship held in Las Vegas, USA.
Aside from delicious American comfort food (think ribs, burgers and more) with that wow! Factor, TGIFridays has a rich beverage tradition and a lively bar with elite bartenders whose showmanship enhances the over-all guest experience.
To know more about TGIFridays, check out its social media sites: TGI Fridays Philippines (Facebook) @tgifridaysph (IG) and its website – www.fridays.com.ph.
