Searching for the perfect mix

Bartender Zhang Chi stands behind a bar counter and pours rum and other ingredients into a shaker. After mixing the cocktail, he begins working on another drink.

"I don't like a nine-to-five job, sitting in an office every day. This job offers me freedom and the motivation to be creative," says Zhang, 27, who works at Fennel Lounge in Shanghai. He has been a bartender for about three years.

Zhang joined the recent China final of Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition. His cocktail - "Three days in Thailand" - is made using the pungent Tom Yum Kung soup and Bacardi rum. It's the third time he has participated in the competition.

"You can use anything edible in your creations, and can learn from many people such as pastry chefs," he says.

Zhang often dines at restaurants to learn more about cooking and find new ingredients that can be incorporated into his cocktails.

He says it takes time to find suitable ingredients and figure out how to combine them with spirits or liqueurs. Inspirations often come from life. For example, he creates unique cocktails based on his favorite movie character. He used to be a bar waiter at a hotel, making coffee, soft drinks and tea. He decided to give bartending a try after his wife and mother-in-law visited a bar and raved about the cocktail making process and how the bartenders were like gentlemen.

Zhang learned how to make cocktails from a Japanese master. At first, he had to wash glasses for several months before the master taught how to make simple cocktails.

The master was very strict, Zhang says, and required all the basics such as stirring and shaking be done in the same way. Zhang wanted to add his personality to the drinks, so after six months he stopped studying under the master and began visiting different bars to learn for himself.

"One should think carefully before entering the industry. It's not that you're like a celebrity, and many fans would gather around you for drinks. You have to spend more time on preparation, making an inventory and cleaning the bar counter," Zhang says.

"Some bartenders have no time to date because our working hours are unlike those of most professions." Zhang works 8 to 12 hours every day, and starts his shift around 4 pm. His shift ends when all of the guests leave.

Thanks to the development of the cocktail culture in big cities in recent years, Chinese bartenders are trying to follow global trends and are learning quickly. According to Zhang, some foreign bartenders use molecular gastronomy and advanced technology, such as vaporizing the alcohol or removing the liquid's color in a centrifugal machine. Some are now concentrating on how to make perfect classic cocktails.

Bartender Chen Shibei, 26, says the culture only began developing in Shanghai a few years ago but has progressed very fast. Many bars specializing in cocktails are opening, and some bartenders are adopting the popular skills used abroad to make cocktails.

Chen, who is from Taiwan, moved to Shanghai around a year ago. Taiwan has a much longer cocktail history and well-known bars, but Shanghai is changing rapidly, she says.

Bartender Xie Jun, 33, says in the early years, he had to improve his English and use English websites to find information about cocktails because Chinese sites didn't have much information on the subject. But that's changing because of the growth in the domestic cocktail culture.

"Bartenders are having more opportunities to join competitions and trainings, and receiving more job offers. Bartenders should spend more time brushing up their skills," says Xie, who finished in the top three at the Global Finals of Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition in 2014.

xulin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/24/2015 page25)