Filipino bartender wins global championship tilt
SUBIC, Philippines — Filipino bartender Roniel Lopez was named the grand champion at the recently concluded World Bartending Championship earlier this week in Florida.
The bartender from TGIFridays Philippines was joined on the podium by Chantry Coffman of the United States and Aleksandro Naksi of Greece as the first and second runners-up, respectively, besting competitors from Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Key to Lopez's win were his performances in the Compulsory Round — displaying technical knowledge, recipe accuracy and precision pour mechanics under strict speed and standard guidelines — and the Freestyle Competition where the Filipino executed high-energy flair tending as well as complex bottle flips, throws, and catches.
"My goal was to bring something different and original during the competition," Lopez said ahead of the contest. "I wanted to give the complete package: technical knowledge, accuracy, flair, personality, energy, confidence and compelling showmanship."
Lopez follows a number of Filipinos who've claimed the World Bartending Championship title such as as Eric "El Terrible" Martinez in 2006, Rizza Umlas in 2016 (the first woman to ever do so), and Jholan Peñafiel the following year.
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Background
Lopez discovered bartending in elementary school when it was offered as a subject, immediately enamored by its flairs, flips, spins and throws.
Despite having no complete kit at home, he made use of empty bottles wrapped in tape and other materials he could find.
He joined competitions and learned the fundamentals of traditional bartending and mixing from a a three-month TESDA bartending course.
Since 2023, Lopez has taken part in the annual TGIFriday's Bar Tour, which allowed him to share his own skills and expertise with fellow bartenders and enthusiasts.
Lopez topped Best Corner Bar In Town competition in 2024 after scoring low the year before en route to the 2025 grand prize that set him on his way to Florida.
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