Summertime often brings back memories of beloved local treats—conjuring images of carefree days spent sipping cold drinks through plastic straws and cups sold at a neighborhood stand. Four of the Philippines’ top bartenders delved into their deepest and fondest memories to create whimsy Filipino-themed cocktails for the recent launch of Diageo Reserve World Class 2016 – feeding into the nostalgia with spiked spins on classic Manila favorites that are just as strong as they are sweet.
On its fourth year in the Philippines, the 2016 Diageo Reserve World Class competition ushers in Manila’s Golden Age of Cocktails. Hinged on Filipino classics, past winners Kenneth Bandivas (2015), Yoma Rivera (2014), and AK Roxas (2013), along with Diageo Reserve Brand Ambassador Rian Asiddao, looked to some of their favorite local treats to create masterfully curated cocktails.
ABOUT DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS
Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS is transforming fine drinking experiences and cocktail culture around the world and in the home. The industry’s largest, most credible investment in the luxury on trade, it discovers the next generation of bartending talent who set the latest mixology trends and brings these to the best bars worldwide.
At the core of World Class is an expansive global training program that invests in the skill of the bartender and provides an international platform to discover and showcase the best talent from preeminent bartenders all over the world, culminating in an annual luxury landmark week where the Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year is announced. Launched in 2009, over 15,000 bartenders have been inspired and educated in the craft of mixology using the finest spirits in the Diageo Reserve collection. A partnership and collaboration with gurus, media, partners, and owners, Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS is widely recognized as a mark of sophistication and distinction of international fine drinking culture by bartenders and customers alike.
As an extension of the Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS training programme, in 2011, Diageo launched the Diageo Bar Academy in Asia Pacific, the region’s largest bartending course accredited by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), which has trained 10,000 bartenders to date.
