T.G.I.Friday’s 'Shake, Rattle and Pour' Bartending Championship

Sir Raminad “Hang Time” Ong defended his crown as bartending champion at the recently concluded 14th annual ‘Shake, Rattle and Pour’ Bartending Championship held at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Raminad or Ram of T.G.I.Friday’s Malate also competed in the Compulsory Round, which included the technicalities of pouring and speed. He got the perfect scores on both the Drink and the Bar Knowledge tests. He likewise impressed the judges and wowed the crowd as he showed off his bottle-flipping and drink-tossing skills with never-before-seen tricks, flair and techniques.

Ram was adjuged T.G.I.Friday’s bartending champion for two consecutive years. He bested nine other bartenders including Ralph Emerson “Ace of Asia” Daganio (of T.G.I.Friday’s Mall of Asia), his closest rival, who lorded it over in the Speed Round and in the Routine Pour Test. Ralph also came on top in the Multiple Pour Test (a spot he shared with Ruel “Superstar” Ramos of T.G.I.Friday’s Trinoma) and in the Flair Test (tying up with Flora “Dragon Lady” Jaravata of T.G.I.Friday’s Glorietta). But in the end, it was Ram’s smooth and suave bar skills that gave him the winning edge. Daganio was named first-runner up.

As last year’s champion, Ram made it as First-Runner Up at the Asian Bartending tilt held in Taiwan. This year, he will once again represent T.G.I.Friday’s Philippines at the Asian Bartendeing tilt in Beijing, China in October and hopefully grab the crown this time. If he will outdo and outshine all of T.G.I.Friday’s bartenders in Asia, he will then compete in the prestigious and most-coveted World Bartending Competition set in the U.S.