Bartenders strut (and shake and stir) on awards night

CHINA DAILY

From August to September last year, the 11 bartenders stood out in the regional finals in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. In the China final, they had to prepare two cocktails for the judges while introducing themselves and their cocktails via photos and videos.

"Xie is very well-skilled. I am sure that his drink will stand up against all the other drinks in Moscow," McHugh says.

Xie's entry is called Original Connection. His inspiration, he says, was that in the past, before the popularity of mobile phones, people were most closely connected with each other at tables. Xie says Bacardi Superior white rum from Cuba represents the North America continent, while the Baron Otard VSOP Cognac from France he uses represents Europe and his homemade spice syrup is Asian style.

"I hope to connect the world with this cocktail," says Xie, who has been a bartender since 2003.

The competition also reflected some Chinese elements. For example, two candidates used traditional Chinese wine vessels - respectively the gourd and the zun, a bronze wine goblet with three legs used in ancient times.

Han Guoli from Chengdu, Sichuan province, won second place with his Bat Glory, inspired by his love story with his girlfriend. Wang Yuwen from Tianjin took third place for his Bacardi Spirit cocktail.

The winner Xie says that when he first learned to make cocktails in a bar, he found it amazing because he knew little about it. But he soon became obsessed with it. At that time there was not so much information about cocktails on Chinese websites, so he had to brush up his English and search on English ones.

"Things are different now because of the information explosion," he says.

His secret to success is to maintain his passion and perseverance, he says. His inspiration comes from life, such as chats with friends and things to eat and drink. Whenever he sees some unknown leaves or plants, he wonders whether those can be used in cocktails.

Now that it is springtime, he recommends cocktails with plants, flowers and spices, such as roses and thyme.