Celebrating 10 Years of World Class Vietnam with a Bang

This year’s 10th anniversary of World Class Vietnam, the prestigious bartending competition, saw industry tastemakers, pioneering bartenders and previous champions gather in Danang to celebrate and crown this year’s winner - Vang Hieu Trung from The Dot Bar.

Celebrating 10 years of World Class in Vietnam

If there were an Emmy’s for the bar industry, it would no doubt be World Class. Beyond a bartending championship that’s a cut above the rest, the annual global competition sponsored by Diageo is also an ‘educational platform where bartenders can learn and compete in the largest and most prestigious bartending competition in the world’.

Since its inception in 2010, World Class has trained, inspired and supported over 400,000 bartenders across 60 countries. Notable past winners include industry top dogs such as Michito Kaneko (Japan, 2015), Bannie Kang (Singapore, 2019) and James Grant (Canada, 2021).

For Vietnam, this year marks the 10th anniversary of World Class and the first time that the competition finals are held in Danang with previous years in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, previous winners - including reigning champion Vu Ngoc -, industry experts, judges and media friends were flown down to Danang for the two-day competition. And, while nineteen bartenders graced the counter in front of the judges, only one champion emerged - Vang Hieu Trung from The Dot Bar.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make an impression on a global stage and network with bar legends, learn from other leading bartenders and meet spirit connoisseurs from around the world,” says Lâm Đức Anh, Brand Ambassador for Diageo and founder of STIR Modern Cocktail, the only bar in Vietnam on this year’s Asia 50 Best Bars List (#84). It’s no wonder why more than hundreds of ambitious bartenders apply each year in pursuit of this golden ticket opportunity.

For Vietnam’s bar industry, World Class combines the elements of a mixology convention where bartenders can come to see the latest trends and technologies with a springboard for up-and-coming talent to showcase their skills. “Many of these winners network with each other and invite bartenders from smaller cities to taste their cocktails and witness their techniques”, says Eve Manne, Head of Trade Marketing for Diageo. For many bartenders in Vietnam, especially in smaller cities, World Class sets the tone for the bar industry and more importantly a benchmark to follow.

For Lâm Đức Anh, who identifies himself as a first-generation bartender - one who chooses to bartend as a career rather than an earned-wage job - attributes World Class in Vietnam for elevating the standard and perception of bartending in the country. “Before World Class, there was almost no way for bartenders to upskill, learn from each other and train. Coupled with low wages, the means to progress back then entailed going abroad or saving up, reading books and watching online videos.”

World Class Vietnam 2022

The judges

Like previous years, five judges are called to the bar and tasked with the responsibility of tasting more than 100 cocktails and of course, determining the winner of World Class Vietnam 2022.

• Peter Cuong Franklin, chef-owner of Anan Saigon and Nhau Nhau

• Richard McDonough, Mood Therapist and co-founder of Kuusi by Tung

• Nguyen Minh Khanh, Whiskey connoisseur and founder of PK Maltroom

• Pham Minh Tan, founder of The Alley Cocktail Bar & Kitchen, The ATM Cocktail Bar & Kitchen, Tre Eatery & Bar, and The Liquid House

• Jovel Chan, food and drink marketer, speaker and writer (yours truly)

The judging criteria

There are 5 categories - hosting and entertaining, craft, flavour, understanding of the spirit and bonus points. Of the five, flavour accounts for 50 out of 100 points (versus 35 points last year) which means beyond shaking, stirring and showmanship, flavour triumphs all and needs to be perfect.

• Hosting (10) - How well have you hosted the judges and entertained the audience

• Craft (10) - How well is the cocktail presented? Have you demonstrated poise & perfect technique?

• Flavour Analysis (50) - How good is the taste & aroma? Is the cocktail balanced

• Knowledge (10) - Have you demonstrated your knowledge and understanding of Reserve Brands in your delivery and method?

• Challenge Bonus (20)

As for time, the faster the better and speed accords higher points in each challenge. Recipes are submitted 2 weeks before and any change to the recipe, glassware or even garnish results in a 10-point deduction. A tad harsh but that’s what one would expect from a bartending competition that’s well, World Class.

The drinks

The rules are strict. Even when it comes to homemade preparations and pre-mixes, all of the main ingredients must be assembled in front of the judges.

Below are just a few of the many rules that the nineteen contestants had to navigate during the intense two-day competition:

• Drinks in any challenge may not contain more than 8 ingredients, including fruit juices, syrups, bespoke ingredients, drops and dashes

• The total combined alcoholic ingredients must be equivalent to no more than 90ml (3oz) at 40% alc./vol.

• Where a recipe refers to bespoke ingredients (such as syrups, infusions, homemade bitters, etc.) a full methodology for making these ingredients must have been submitted together with the cocktail recipes two weeks beforehand

• Homemade or bespoke ingredients such as pre-mixes, infusions, foams, etc. can be prepared before the challenge but must comprise no more than three of the eight maximum allowed ingredients

The challenges and winners

‘Tanqueray No.TEN Martini Atelier’ Challenge

Inspired by Michito Kaneka’s ‘Japanegroni’, where the World Class Bartender Of The Year 2015 uses a variety of fruits, herbs, roots, spices and woods to create his own signature modifier, the Tanqueray No. TEN Challenge challenged bartenders to create an original homemade vermouth to complement the citrus heart of the Tanqueray No. TEN in a signature Martini to deliver the right balance of sweet, dry and aromatics in one final serve.

From the lot, Kim Uyen won the ‘Tanqueray No.TEN Martini Atelier’ Challenge with her clever rendition of the classic Martini. Named ‘Martini Melody’, Kim Uyen was inspired by the idea of a symphony where the Tanqueray No. TEN played the role of a conductor that strung an orchestra of local aromatics together.

For her concoction, Kim Uyen was not afraid to experiment with unconventional ingredients such as fermented don du guava and mang tang from Tay Nguyen. And while many eyebrows were raised, hearts were also won and Kim Uyen’s unique symphony of flavours was awarded its winning status.

Don Julio Culture Club Challenge

Perhaps my favourite challenge, which is a surprising revelation considering gin is my usual go-to. But, couple anything pickled, fermented or salted with the fruity and citrusy notes of a Don Julio and I’m a convert.

In an attempt to preserve both the freshness of seasonal ingredients as well as the drink itself, the nineteen bartenders were tasked to curate a local agricultural product, preserve it as well and design a cocktail that would accentuate their preserved ingredient’s unique ‘je ne sais quois’ using Don Julio.

Receiving a unanimous decision from the judges, Alex Phan from Madam Kew singularly won the challenge with his Asian-accented rendition of a Bloody Mary named ‘The Keeper’.

For his preserved ingredient, Alex used a smoky ‘chao’ (fermented tofu) brine, which gave the cocktail a lingering umami finish that paired perfectly with the smokey burnt okra amongst other elements of his brilliant cocktail including tomato juice, tabasco, cinnamon syrup, lime and of course, Don Julio tequila. A cocktail representative of earthly gifts, I can for one say I was very happy to receive ‘The Keeper’.

Singleton & Talisker Dram Dialetics’ Challenge

When travelling, navigating an unfamiliar place’s network of quirks, rules and cultural mores can be bewildering. However, it’s the little local eccentricities, so daunting at first, that soon start to inspire affection and offer an outsider a deeper understanding of a place. It’s this knowledge, that the story of a place can be told through its rituals that’s inspired this challenge.

Using Talisker or Singleton whiskey, contestants were asked to create a cocktail around a local ritual or one they’ve encountered while travelling. From the many tea rituals of the Asian continent to the particular ceremony applied by one’s own mother and her humble morning brew - wherever there’s a ritual, there’s a story.

Emerging once again a challenge winner was Kim Uyen, who created a cocktail based on the popular Sac Bua ritual practised by the Muong, a big ethnic group living predominantly in the Hoa Binh province. Like the ritual, the cocktail had four parts and paid homage to the folklore and singing traditions of Sac Bua.

The final classics challenge

Several bartenders. Lots of drinks, and no rules. The final challenge saw the final eight take to the bar to create only classic cocktails. Yes, that’s right. In the books of World Class, “the best and tastiest cocktails are the simplest ones that are easy to get right, but almost impossible to perfect.”

Paired in twos and going head to head with each other, the final eight raced against the clock and each other to make 5 serves from a list of 30 classics (French 75, Pina Colada, Classic Dry Martini, Gin Fizz, Whiskey Sour etc.). Best part? They have to do it without their phones or recipes. Plus, each bartender has to choose which cocktail to serve to which judge after two days of interacting and engaging with the panel of judges.

Alas, after an intense final showdown, Vang Hieu Trung from Dot Bar emerged the winner delivering not only speed (6 minutes and 11 seconds) but also quality flavour, top-notch showmanship as well as accurate presentation. A true mark of a well-deserved bartending champion that come August 2022 will join over 60 country champions in Sydney to compete for the coveted title of ‘Global World Class champion 2022’.

Here’s to 10 years of World Class in Vietnam, a formidable win and an industry pushing into new frontiers led by pioneering tastemakers redefining what it means to be a bartender in Vietnam. This is just the beginning.

*All photos courtesy of Diageo World Class Vietnam 2022.

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