Having been lucky enough to have visited a few of the Hard Rock Cafes dotted around the world, I was excited to tick another one off that list when visiting one of the two outlets in the Lion City at Cuscaden Road for the BARocker South Asian Regional Finals that took place on November 15. If you’ve visited any Hard Rock Café before, you would probably be familiar with the cocktail acrobatics with which the bartenders (or BARockers as they are officially called) are known for.
Last Tuesday, Singapore hosted 11 of these BARockers from across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia and Australia, who were here to show off their bottle-flipping and cocktail-shaking skills for a place in the BARocker 2016 World Finals in Panama City on January 16, 2017. This year sees the competition enter its fourth year, with previous winners from Las Vegas, Tokyo and Lima. Will it be anyone from South Asia this year?
In what was to be an intense battle, the Rockstar bartenders had to showcase their cocktail making skills, working flair and showmanship to create three signature beverages served at their individual locations, all whilst being timed and carefully critiqued by the three judges: Hard Rock Café International’s Senior Director of Beverage, Cindy Busi, Master Mixologist and Barcadi Brand Ambassador, Ricky Paiva and founder of Singapore Barstylez, Shahmil Lin.
All BARockers put on an incredible show and it was so cool to see so much spirit and support, not just from the BARocker’s friends and family but from the crowd themselves. Each BARocker was unique in their own right; all creating an eye-opening, crowd-pleasing and adrenaline-rushing experience for both the audience and the judges.
Some of my personal favourites included contestants from Singapore (a previous champion), Surfer’s Paradise and Phuket but ultimately it was Balinese BARocker, Fernando Barthel that took home the trophy in impressive style. His fusion of magical tricks, smooth acrobatics and signature Hard Rock swag really made this fresh-faced BARocker stand out above the rest. I wish him the best of luck in the Global finals.
To find out how Bali’s entry does, or if you’re interested in the competition or about Hard Rock in general, be sure to check out http://www.hardrock.com/barocker.
The above article is written by our new writer, Matt (@theoldmesgone)who hails from Wales and livin’it up in the Lion City. Teacher by trade, aspiring writer/ adventurer by passion.
Hard Rock Cafe Sentosa
26 Sentosa Gateway, #01-209 to 214 The Forum, Singapore 098138
Tel: +65 6795 7454
Email: sentosa-enquiries@hardrockcafe-singapore.com
Hard Rock Cafe Singapore
50 Cuscaden Road #02-01 HPL House Singapore 249724
Tel: +65 6235 5232
Email: orchard-enquiries@hardrockcafe-singapore.com
Operating Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30AM-12:00AM
Fri-Sun 11:30AM-2:00AM
Last Order @ 10:30PM
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