Pinoy bartender tops world tilt

Let’s drink to this!

Filipino bartender Frederic "Eric" Martinez’s winning personality and superb bartending skills shone at the World Bartender Championships in Las Vegas, winning for him the title "Greatest Bartender of the World."

Martinez, 26, flipped, spun, threw, balanced and caught bottles while making cocktails, wowing everyone in the competition.

He bested seven other champions from T.G.I Friday’s restaurant outlets all over the world to become the "Greatest Bartender in the World," in a competition held last March 4 in Las Vegas.

The World Bartender Championships posted in its website Saturday that Martinez, who works in T.G.I Friday’s branch in Glorietta, 3, Ayala Mall in Makati City, is the newest bartending champion.

Martinez, who hails from Caloocan City, was very honored to win the competition. "Winning is an added incentive for me. The fact that I’m competing with the best bartenders means I’m one of the best. My relationship with the Lord is also strengthened," Eric said in the website’s profile of the champions. He prefers to drink beer but loves to mix Bahama Mama with what he calls "suave moves" while Black Eyed Peas’ "Pump It" is playing in the background. After the competition at The Palms in Las Vegas, Martinez had his name added to this distinguished list of past winners when he was declared the "World’s Greatest Bartender."

Apart from the title, Martinez also received a cash prize, bragging rights and a propeller engraved with his name to take home and hang above the bars in all 855 Friday’s locations worldwide in 58 countries. The eight finalists emerged from a field of 8,000 of the World’s Greatest Bartenders.

Brian Zachau, a two-time US champion, placed second to Martinez and declared the "Greatest Bartender in the United States" for the third time. Zachau, 29, is from Minneapolis, Minnesota and a four-time US West Division champion. Taiwan’s Nick Wu, the Asia- Pacific champion, finished third. Jessica Perrine, 28, of Towson, Maryland, the only woman contender, was named new US Central Division champion. Kristian Mihailin, from New Fairfield, Virginia, was the US Southeast Division champion. Gabor Sztancsik, 33, from New Jersey was named US Northeast Division champion for the second time. Eventon Barbieri, 24, from Sau Paolo, Brazil, is the new champion from Latin America. Olivind Haughland, 24, from Bergen, Norway is the new Europe champion.

Eight new champions emerged from a field of 8,000 of T.G.I. Friday’s larger-than-life bartenders from across its 855 branches in 58 countries. In its website, the World Bartender Championship said the competition started in the late ‘80s as a challenge between bartenders and has grown into a full representation of the Friday’s brand, one of the most recognized brands in the world.