Those in the hospitality industry will be interested to note that the best cocktails can be found in Japan and Australia. The Diageo Reserve World Class bartending contest recently held in Brazil, although won by Australia’s Tim Phillips, also showcased the best that Asia has to offer.

One of the bartenders that were particularly impressive was Taiwanese Kae Yin who thrilled judges and audiences with his creativity, skill and artistic flair.

Of the 16 contestants who made it through to the semi-final rounds at the competition, six were from the Asia-Pacific region and three proceeded on to earn the top honours in four categories.

Last year’s global winner Manabu Ohtake is from Japan and this year the award went to Tim Philips of Australia.

This interview on CNNgo.com has more:

Standing before the judges at the Diageo Reserve World Class Final bartending competition in Rio de Janeiro, Taiwanese bartender Kae Yin’s hands trembled slightly as presented his cocktail.

With his index finger, he carefully etched a flower into the layer of powdered green tea that he’d sprinkled over a plate of rice flour.

“The rice powder represents our soil, which is the source of all things that grow from the ground and give sustenance to the Taiwanese people,” he explains, speaking through a translator.

“It symbolizes growth and prosperity.”

The audience watched with curiosity as Yin added homemade bitters and violet liqueur to a bamboo cup containing an infusion of Tanqueray 10 gin, Chinese chamomile tea, oolong tea and honey.

He covered the rim of the vessel with an inverted teacup, and then swiftly flipped it over before placing the cocktail on the plate, in the center of the rice-flower.

I’d seen this technique before in Chinese tea ceremony, but I’d never imagined it could be applied to mixology.

“This cocktail is called Trinitea,” he says, spelling out the last three letters for effect.

He served the drink on a slatted bamboo box, enveloped in a cloud of vapor that emanated from a dish of dry ice beneath the lid.

The cocktail tasted pleasantly bitter and earthy, with soft herbal notes that balanced the zing of the gin.

It came as no surprise to me when Yin was named Asia-Pacific Bartender of the Year.

Asian expansion

Kae Yin reflects on another expertly crafted Trinitea.Cocktail culture is on the rise in Asia, and bartenders like Yin are leading the trend with innovative techniques and a style all their own.

“We have influences from Japan but also look to Europe or America for creative ideas,” he tells me.

“This is just the beginning. Bartenders in Asia will go a lot farther.”

Renowned for their precise technique and fastidious attention to detail, established Ginza legends such as HisashiKishi of Star Bar and Hidetsugu Ueno of Bar High Five are attracting attention from the international media and helping raise the standard of bartending in countries like China and Korea.

Source: http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/drink/where-worlds-best-cocktails?page=0,2

But Australian bartenders are holding their own on the world stage as Tim Phillips has demonstrated. Sydney in particular is becoming a city where you can find world class cocktails.  Phillips venue even features a new menu each day allowing him to stretch his creative muscles and dazzle customers with his innovation, like he did in the competition. With Australian drinkers becoming more cosmopolitan and travelling overseas often, they are demanding higher standards in all sectors of the hospitality industry including bars.

The post goes on to state:

Although major differences exist between the bar scenes in Australia and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region, Global Bartender of the Year Tim Philips notes that the number of discerning drinkers is growing.

People are taking bartending seriously as a profession,” he observes. “Pop culture has also had an influence.”

Sydney is fast becoming one of the most exciting cities for cocktails in Australia. Hemmesphere, the swanky bar where Philips made his name, is known for its extensive drinks list and plush interior.

At the moment, the 28-year-old bartender is busy preparing to open his own bar in a couple of months.

His new joint, called Bulletin Place, will feature a daily changing menu of five cocktails based on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

“We’ll take the selection process out of the customer’s hands, and they’ll have to trust that the drinks we’re serving are great,” he tells me.

It’s a daring idea, but Philips has a penchant for the unconventional.

His signature cocktail, the Reincarnation Flip, is a surprising mix of rum, Scotch and fig jam, finished with raw quail’s egg.

For the World Class competition, he devised a “drinking game of chance,” where drinkers were asked to spin a wheel to determine the ingredients (which included an array of homemade flavored syrups and ice cubes) that would go into a Scotch-based Old Fashioned.

Source: http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/drink/where-worlds-best-cocktails?page=0,2