"When I compare Hong Kong’s bar scene to some other major cities, to be honest, it’s actually very, very good and competitive," says Jay Khan, the founder of three-time Asia's Best Bar winner COA, and the natural poster child for the quality of the city's bar community. But how competitive, exactly?
That's what Hong Kong's first cocktail competition reality show, Master Mixologist, set out to find out. Debuting on June 10 on ViuTV, the first season brings together Khan, Quinary founder Antonio Lai and wine and spirits critic Cecilia Wong as the judging panel who, over 10 episodes, select the inaugural winner from a starting pool of 32 bartending hopefuls.
In a sense, it's a continuation of what Lai and Khan have already been recognised for—nurturing talent at their respective bars for years but on a grander scale, and with plenty of blood, sweat and tears caught on camera for your nightly enjoyment. Ahead of the show's run, I spoke to the trio about all the drama we can look forward to, what they learnt from filming the show, and why Hong Kong needs this programme now more than ever.
See also: Quinary founder Antonio Lai and mixologist Samuel Kwok to open The Opposites this July
Watch the trailer here:
Why did you say yes to becoming a judge?
Jay Khan: Because this is something that's not been done in Hong Kong, and when I heard about the format of the competition, I thought instantly that this actually could be something that can benefit the Hong Kong bar scene, especially the aspiring bartenders to raise the bar, raise the standards. Overall I think it was something Hong Kong needed for a long time and it was perfect for the contestants as they've learned a lot throughout the journey and experience.
Cecilia Wong: I had a TV program with ViuTV called Chit Chat Drink, and when we finished that program we were talking about what to do next. Later on, I had meetings with the ViuTV team and we talked about the possibility of doing a cocktail competition. So I sincerely invited Jay and Antonio because they were on my TV show before, and I think they are the icons of the Hong Kong bar scene. So I asked these two bros [of mine] if they could give a helping hand and join me to look for the next master mixologist.
Last year, Netflix came out with a show called Drink Masters. Is it kind of coincidental or was Master Mixologist inspired by that as well?
CW: It's an inspiration, of course, but we didn’t just copy and paste it into Hong Kong. When we had meetings with ViuTV, we also talked about MasterChef which has been around for so many years.
Antonio Lai: For every single challenge, we tried not to copy them and to have something slightly different. We have a reveal where eliminated contestants can come back again with the speed challenge. There's a couple of them that got kicked out by the second round and the third round, and because we actually believe that their scores were pretty close, we tried to bring them back with a speed challenge.
CW: Because ViuTV has had popular reality shows like King Maker (全民造星), they’re already experts in using this format. They already have their way in how to structure the show, how many contestants to recruit, and how many to eliminate for the next round. Some challenges would have to be completed as a group, not individually.
AL: Sometimes it happens that when you're very good but the one next to you makes a small mistake, it changes the whole equation.
So you’re trying to find the Keung To of mixology.
CW: Yeah! But it's about the whole process: if people who enjoy drinks, cocktails or even wine lovers follow the show, not only will the champion be the most iconic, but maybe they'll find some of the contestants very charming and they will go to their bars to try the cocktails as well.
All 32 contestants on the first night of shooting (Photo courtesy of Cecilia Wong)
Is the Hong Kong market ready for a TV show like this? Because if you look at the wider population in Hong Kong, not everyone is into cocktails. It's still kind of a niche thing.
JK: There’s only one way to find out to be honest; when the show is live we'll see how it's being responded to.
CW: Of course, we have lots of cocktail lovers in Hong Kong, but it's quite niche in a way compared to wine lovers, in terms of the total number. Of course we have a lot of very outstanding and award-winning cocktail bars, but we have a lot of standard bars in Hong Kong as well. So some people may go to bars but are not aware that we have such high-quality artisanal cocktails. But I think thanks to Asia's 50 Best Bars, this has helped a lot.
Are there any particularly exciting challenges that people can look forward to watching?
AL: To encourage them to use different equipment [laughs]. To just push them to walk away from their comfort zone. That's the challenge for us.
CW: Obviously, they were very stressed. One of the first days of production, I was the one that went back to ViuTV at 3pm. And then the next day when I called an Uber home, it was already 6am.
JK: There’s a lot of emotions, a lot of tears and a little bit of yelling.
CW: Before the contestants came in front of us for judging, they still had to do one round in front of the camera because they needed close-up shots individually, so each episode would total 24 hours of shooting.
AL: Every time when there was a 10-minute break to reset the equipment for the new challenges, people were just sleeping. It was very intense and tiring for them.
Related: Jay Khan is a man on a mission
One of the featured cocktails on the show, a Bloody Mary variation inspired by hotpot (Photo courtesy of Cecilia Wong)
How did you judge the cocktails during the competition? How did you balance flair and showmanship with how good the cocktails taste?
JK: All three of us have our own specialties, strengths and weaknesses. Cecilia would give her perspective on how a regular person would perceive a cocktail; the important aspect of the cocktail was not just the flavour, but also how the cocktail looks, because that's the first thing you see. Whereas for Antonio, showmanship and technique is very important because that's what he specialises in. For me, it was more about the layers and the flavour of the drink, so we all had our own take on whether a cocktail is perfect or not. And we would do a lot of discussion behind the scenes, whether the drink is up to par basically.
What was one new thing you learned from filming the show that you apply to your own bar moving forward?
JK: It doesn't matter how much more experience we have as a judge. At the end of the day, there are so many things we learn when we watch the contestant; there are so many things they do that I didn't know before. It’s give and take. Most of the contestants really blew us away with their creativity. That’s something that we feel like we can learn from. Just like when you're running a bar, you’re not necessarily the only one teaching your staff. You can also learn from them.
AL: I learnt to have better communication not only with the contestants but also with my team to ensure everything goes well. When the contestants did a team challenge, I could see how their communication might not be enough.
JK: To excel in a competition like this, you really need to have a very strong foundation. If you don't know how to balance a cocktail, about cocktail templates and basic techniques, it's really hard for you to join a competition at this level. In the show, people who had more technical knowledge and experience would gain an advantage over people who don't.
CW: We did have contestants who were not professionals, and all three of us were sometimes surprised by them as their cocktails were also outstanding and interesting.
JK: In the past, people would ask me how I learn more about something. The only way to know more is to try as much wine as you can. A lot of the people on the show might not be bartenders, but they actually go out and drink a lot so they really understand how a cocktail should taste, how to balance it and how to make it more intriguing and surprising.
CW: I don't have a bar but my feeling after shooting all the episodes is I'm very moved because I would never have thought that the contestants would be that passionate. On the show you have to do so much preparation with not enough time—it's all very stressful and intensive and they have to squeeze all their creativity. You could see by their passion that they really gave 200 percent. I really think that the Hong Kong bar scene has a very good future because they are all very passionate and doing a great job.
See also: Inside Lips Cocktails & Theatre, mixology meets magic shows and live music
The set of 'Master Mixologist' (Photo courtesy of Cecilia Wong)
What was one thing that you didn't expect to happen on this show that surprised you?
JK: The dedication towards the competition. A lot of the contestants were actually emotionally involved and it was something I was expecting. When they joined the show, it was not just about the competition; they also bonded with each other, which I think was pretty cool.
CW: They helped each other a lot. We had some rounds that were a group competition. Because they built a friendship or team spirit from that, they would help each other out even though they had to compete individually afterwards.
What was the toughest part of the filming process?
CW: In some of the rounds, they wouldn’t know what the next topic was until the very last minute.
JK: The time available for the contestant to come up with an idea, which is why the foundation is very important because when you have a solid foundation and basic technique, you don't really need to spend a lot of time to come up with an idea, versus the people who don't have that experience.
What tips can you share for contestants who hope to open their own bar after the show?
AL: Practice, practice, practice!
JK: Something I always tell aspiring bartenders who want to open a bar is to first find your niche. I think that's very important. Don't just do something that's already out there because it's a very competitive market these days. You have to do something that's a little bit outside of the ordinary to be able to stand out, so I think it's important to find that niche and then practise and make sure to develop a skill and brand for themselves towards that niche before they actually open a place. A lot of people open a bar for the sake of opening a bar, way before they’re even recognised within the industry, and sometimes they're not even ready for it.
CW: It’s all about the concept. It needs to be interesting enough to make me want to come and try for the first time, and if it tastes good then I will definitely come back again and again.
Don't miss: The future of cocktails is fine-drinking: How Zest, Seoul is forging new definitions of sustainability
From left: hosts Florica Lin and Alton Yue, and judges Antonio Lai, Cecilia Wong and Jay Khan on the cruise ship that the final episodes of the show were filmed on (Photo courtesy of Cecilia Wong)
What advice do you have for people who want to join next year’s competition?
JK: If I was planning to join, the first thing I'd do is to actually sit down with the previous contestants and ask them about their experiences before I do anything else. I would even go to the judges and talk to them about how it's like to be in this competition and prepare myself before I go into it.
AL: I would read a lot of different books, not just books about cocktails but also cookbooks. Nowadays, presentation is very important—your drinks need to taste good but also look good. There's no point in having a nice-looking drink that tastes like sh*t.
CW: From the audition through to the competition, I could see that some of the contestants were camera-shy. If you are very passionate and want to join the next competition, try to film yourself more, like how to present the cocktail. When you're at your bar, you’re at ease because that's your place, but on set there are so many cameras and lights and you won't have all the equipment ready, plus it's stressful.
What are your thoughts on the future of Hong Kong bartending now that you've finished filming the show?
AL: More bars will open now [laughs]. I mean, I’m opening one as well, but I believe that more people will be into this industry. At least they have some insight into how it is.
JK: With or without the show, I think the Hong Kong bar scene has been gradually improving and growing day by day. Sometimes we just don't give enough appreciation and value to our own city. Hopefully the show will inspire a lot of the younger generation and new bartenders to step up and hopefully join the bar industry and show their skills.
CW: I'm very optimistic too because I saw a lot of very talented and very passionate mixologists in the competition, so I'm very sure that they will shine and there will be more and more great cocktails and great bars in Hong Kong.
Master Mixologist will be aired on ViuTV next Monday (June 10) at 9:30pm and will run for 10 episodes, airing Monday to Friday for two weeks.
NOW READ
These are China’s best wines, according to a new awards programme
Burmese entrepreneur Ivan Pun launches Weizza gin as a tribute to Myanmar’s natural heritage
The bartenders and distilleries pushing Phnom Penh’s drinks scene forward
留言 0