Let’s bring you up to speed with what’s been happening in the food and beverage world the past month or so, especially for those on the lookout for a riveting cocktail competition program, meats for days, or new drinks for the holiday season.
Learn, compete, and raise the global bar
The goal of any educational program of course is to impart knowledge and sustain progress but this year’s revamped Patrón Perfectionists competition seeks to change the face of the bartending and cocktail industry. Called Academia Patrón Perfectionists Education Program, it not only aims to improve the technical skills of participants but also looks to empower and dig deep into their inspirations and culture to develop a carefully crafted cocktail.
But first, you’ll need to take on the entry challenge aptly called Hometown Hero. Last year, Filipino champion Lawrence Gabriel swept the competition with The Galleon cocktail that is inspired by “the Spanish trading ships that sailed the Manila-Acapulco route.”
In similar fashion, aspirants are required to create a cocktail that blends Patrón Silver tequila using a prescribed list of ingredients from their own culture. Once that’s lit the inspirational fires, they move on to the education stage, which comprise three virtual sessions and workshops, before 10 bartenders are selected to compete in the national finals in November and December.
The winners of the national finals as well as a wild card will then be called to the bar (so to speak) to duke out with every tool and equipment in their arsenal at Hacienda Patrón in Mexico in March 2023 to determine the victorious global cocktail creator.
Talk about revamping a competition in high spirits.—Eric Nicole Salta
Sip the season at The Library Cafe
The Library Cafe—nestled inside the iconic structure of the Ramon Magsaysay Building—gives you another reason to visit. Barista Baron Dizon has released a new lineup of festive holiday drinks that are sure to remind you of “kiddie parties” and the warm comforts of the yuletide season.
Think warm drinks spiked with espresso, sprinkled with crushed shortbread cookies, and topped with torched marshmallows. The Affogato Supreme is a decadent glass with two scoops of Vanilla ice cream and a shot of espresso, crushed cashews, and a slice of coffee brownie. These are definitely not just for the bookish type.—Jar Concengco
Meat your match at One World Butchers
Specialty meats and house-made sausages are the order of the day at the newly opened One World Butchers. The deli-slash-restaurant is PYC Foods’ latest foray into the dining scene, after the success of the likes of One World Kitchen, Pardon My French, and Le Petit Cafe Fleur.
All of the deli’s meat products are made fresh, in-house, and with the intention of utilizing everything from snout to tail. They boast an open kitchen with a grand asador at its center, where diners (nicknamed meatheads) can observe the creation of their meals—akin to dinner and a show.
Every sausage and dish they served are seasoned and cooked with precision, yielding deliciously smoky, flame-touched meals that are more than worthy to be shared. Some of the standouts from the grand opening were the kielbasa, sisig sausage, and the cabanossi.
Helmed by executive chef Miguel Gianan, One World Butchers is a deftly crafted love letter to all things meat—and to all those who partake.—Andrei Yuvallos