World-class bartenders

AFTER hours of intensive training and rigorous challenges over a six-month period, Chong Yi Shawn, bar manager at specialty Hoofed Kuala Lumpur, took top spot at Malaysia’s National Finals of Diageo Reserve World Class, held at the Conrad Centennial on June 13.

Chong will represent Malaysia in the prestigious global finals in New Delhi, India, from July 10 to 14, where he will join 31 fellow bartenders as they learn from leading cocktail legends such as Dale DeGroff, Peter Dorelli, Salvatore Calabrese and Gary Regan. The finalists will also face six cocktail challenges as they vie for the title of Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year 2011.