Surasak Sirithong from The St. Regis Bangkok and Teerawee Piyajiaranai from Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park win competition featuring mixologists from hotels in Thailand and Vietnam with highly innovative and eco-conscious creation.
Bangkok, Thailand: August 23, 2024 – Marriott International has successfully staged the first-ever regional final of its “Sustainable Bartender Championship” in Bangkok, showcasing the creativity, innovation and eco-conscious mindset of the bartenders at its hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific excluding China, while also advancing the group’s ESG values (Environmental, Social, and Governance) to embrace locally-sourced produce and eliminate food waste.
Hosted at W Bangkok on August 7, 2024, in collaboration with Pernod Ricard and KI NO BI Kyoto Dry Gin, the “Sustainable Bartender Championship” final round marked the culmination of several weeks of intense competition, as talented mixologists from across Thailand and Vietnam, crafted fresh and exciting new cocktails which incorporated sustainable practices. Entrants had to create a compelling 30-45 second reel to present their drinks, which were required to champion sustainability, promote local products from their own region, and tell a captivating story.
Following a rigorous selection process, the 10 best entrants were invited to W Bangkok for the regional final. In the stylish surroundings of the hotel’s W Lounge, these highly skilled finalists shook and stirred their cocktails in front of a panel of judges, and showcased the unique ingredients and environmental vision behind their concoction. Creative entries included “Mingle to the Earth”, a low food waste cocktail from Moxy Bangkok Ratchaprasong, made using pineapple cores and banana skins, “One For All” from JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi, which highlighted heirloom tomatoes from Da Lat in a variety of ways,
and the “Rum Shack Mule” from Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach, which repurposed leftover ginger and create ginger cocktail.
“We were truly impressed with the amazing cocktails that were presented. The way our contestants successfully highlighted fresh, local ingredients in sustainable ways that reduced food waste showed what wonderfully talented and visionary associates we have in our bars,” said Brad Edman, Market Vice President Thailand, Cambodia & Myanmar, who was on the judging panel.
A toast to the winners
Surasak Sirithong of The St. Regis Bar from The St. Regis Bangkok and Teerawee Piyajiaranai of Abar Rooftop from Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park emerged regional winners.
Surasak’s winning cocktail, Yum Som O, was designed to replicate the refreshing sensation of a Thai pomelo salad, with local produce like fresh pomelo, kaffir lime leaves, chili and organic honey, served in a traditional Thai bowl. It minimizes food waste by using all parts of the ingredients, including pomelo skin.
Teerawee’s winning cocktail, South Ripple, was highly innovative as it blended used oyster shells from Surat Thani, lime peel and whole tomatoes with local Samui coconut syrup, served in a ceramic cup also made from oyster shells! The winning cocktails will be available for hotel guests and local residents to discover at their creator’s own bar – The St. Regis Bar and ABar Rooftop – from now until September 30, 2024. As regional winners, Surasak and Teerawee will proceed to the Grand Finale to be held in Singapore in October 2024, where the final winner will be crowned Marriott International APEC’s Most Sustainable Bartender 2024.
Setting the standard for sustainable practices in bartending
A recent report into the preferences of affluent travelers in Asia Pacific, published by The Marriott International Luxury Group, revealed that 43% of guests want to see hotel restaurants offering more locally-sourced food products, and a further 35% expect to see effective management of food waste.
“This competition reflects our commitment to responsible operations, in line with the Marriott International’s sustainability and social impact platform, ‘Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction’, and the new ethos of low-impact bartending which is playing a key role in how we manage our restaurants and bars. It also showed the incredible skill and creativity of our associates, who demonstrated their talent and a real passion for sustainability,” added Vincent Van Mechelen, Senior Area Director of Operations, Thailand, Cambodia & Myanmar.
Looking ahead, Marriott Bonvoy will continue pioneering sustainable practices and creatively devising new ways of thinking about local sourcing and waste management, as we strive to build a cleaner, greener and more responsible F&B industry.
To learn more about Marriott Bonvoy’s hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific, please visit www.marriott.com
