Last Sunday, Nick Wu (吳盈憲) of East End Bar and Tomoaki Inaba of the Japanese bar Wa-shu (和酒) kicked of the Bartenders’ Challenge, with a classic gin and tonic whipped up by Wu, and a zesty lemongrass tonic courtesy of Inaba. The event, which is to be held every Sunday this month at Wa-shu, will bring the best out of some of Taipei’s top bartenders.
Though the event’s name is misleading — it’s not a challenge since there are no winners — the concept is simple: two bartenders, one from Wa-shu and one guest bartender, make their own version of a classic cocktail, such as a Bloody Mary and a Bacon Mary or a gimlet and juniper gimlet.
Inaba, who is also the owner of Wa-shu and organizer of the event, tells the Taipei Times that the purpose is audiences a behind-the-scenes look into the art of bartending, and to encourage people to try drinks they would not normally order (though honestly, a “competition” where the audience decides the winner would probably spice things up).
Photos courtesy of Wa-shu
Inaba, who hails from Japan, says it has become popular in recent years to invite bartenders from other bars over to create new drinks. In the past, many of these guest bartenders came from overseas, though now it’s mainly local bartenders learning from each other.
“This guest bartender system is very popular in Taipei,” he says. “It’s good to learn techniques and skills from other bartenders.”
Inaba says the ingredients are decided beforehand by the Wa-shu staff. The idea is for the new drink to be somewhat of a spin on the guest bartender’s signature cocktail.
Photo courtesy of Wa-shu
On Sunday, R&D Cocktail Lab co-founder Spencer Huang (黃勝斌) will be making cocktails with American whiskeys and Japanese ingredients. As R&D is known for blending locally-sourced fruits, spices and herbs with bitters and bourbons from around the world, we can expect some interesting fusions such as the “Plumhattan,” which will include both Michter’s Whiskey and Wa-shu’s own Plum Whiskey, with some Angostura bitters and a Carpano Classico.
Warning: Excessive consumption of alcohol can damage your health.
Photo courtesy of Wa-shu
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