The recent Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Malaysia 2019 held by Flor De Caña saw its finality with Joe Ngui of Bar Trigona Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur being crowned the Malaysian champion, in which Ngui will represent Malaysia in the global finals in Nicaragua. We learn more about the competition as a whole and the cocktail that helped Ngui take first place.
The Flor De Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge was hosted by The Rum Bar KL and started out with 9 competitors, bartenders from all over Malaysia vying for a top 3 spot challenge. The competition itself aims to bring awareness to and promotes sustainability, with the challenge having bartenders to combine creativity and sustainable practices using Fair Trade products. The competition came in two rounds: –
- Speed Round, where all 9 finalists had to present and make their 3 serves of their sustainable cocktail in 5 minutes.
- Mystery Box Challenge, where the Top 3 had to select 3 ingredients from the box to create a special cocktail.
“Well this has and will be one of the most challenging competitions i have joined due to the process and it was a competition that pushed me to be very creative with using ingredients focusing on sustainability and how to make all ingredients work together and pair well in the drink. This is an exciting moment for me and i feel proud with all the support i have recieved throughout this journey.” — Joe Ngui, Winner of Flor De Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Malaysia 2019
The Mutiara
Flor de Caña 12 years, salted plum pinot noir, lemon fig cordial, organic balsamic vinegar, liquified egg white powder.
Garnish: Served in a dehydrated cacao husk.
The Speed Round cocktail entry was sweet and savoury and had the pronounced flavour of the salted plum, with hints of the vinegar adding a layer of complexity.
The Jungle Hornbill
Flor de Caña, Sarawak Pineapple, Fair Trade Brown Sugar and Fairtrade cocoa powder.
Garnish: Served in a dehydrated cacao husk.
The Mystery Box Challenge cocktail is an homage to the Jungle Bird, Malaysia’s only traditional cocktail, and also Ngui’s Sarawakian roots, with reference to the Hornbill. The cocktail was a twist on a cocoa Junglebird paying homage to the ideas of not only sustainability, but locality too. A fair win.
“An excellent display of creativity. From sourcing interesting sustainable and Fairtrade ingredients to the techniques, Serve ware presentations & flavour profiles. Exciting to see some new young talents share their Flor de Caña inspirations.” — Rob Scott, Brand Ambassador of Flor De Caña South East Asia.
Flor De Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge
The Global Finale of the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge will see 20 countries from around the world competing for the grand prize of USD10,000, followed by USD5,000 for second place and USD2,500 for third place. Flor de Caña is one of the first global spirits to be Fair Trade certified and sustainably sourced. It was awarded 2017 “Best Rum Producer of the Year” by the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. Flor de Caña rums are enriched by an active volcano, naturally aged without sugar and distilled 100% with renewable energy.
For our other related articles, see our Cocktail Competitions.
| PHOTOGRAPHY: RAD IMPRESSIONS | WEBSITE: FLOR DE CAÑA |