Bartending is more than mixing drinks, it’s a craft. Every year, bartenders from across the country put their skills to the test at the Ultimate Bartender Championship by Monkey Shoulder. The 8th edition of the event recently took place at One Golf, Hyderabad, bringing together some of the finest talents in the industry.
CE spoke to host and judge Pankaj Balachandran, who has been associated with the championship since its inception. “This is an annual affair and has been running for eight years now. I was fortunate to be part of the first four editions, and this year I returned as a judge and referee. This time, we’ve seen the highest number of enrollments. The championship is happening across eight cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Gurgaon, Goa, and Bengaluru. We’ve already completed Delhi and Kolkata, and now we’re here in Hyderabad before heading to Bengaluru. Each week, we cover two cities. Hyderabad had about 45–50 participants who went through multiple rounds of testing,” Pankaj explains.
Unlike conventional competitions, he says this isn’t about creating fancy cocktails; bartenders are tested on their knowledge of spirits, pouring precision, service skills, and overall expertise. After four initial rounds, the top six move on to the speed round, where they must make six drinks in the shortest time possible. From Hyderabad, two winners advance to the national finals.
One of those winners is Raj Kumar, who has been working toward this moment for years. “Monkey Shoulder was my first-ever competition when I began bartending seven years ago. I had always aspired to be part of this championship. Two years ago, I participated but couldn’t make it through. This time, I practiced hard and finally secured my win in Hyderabad,” shares Raj.
Raj walked us through the five rounds of the championship, “The first round was about service where we had to serve the drinks to the right guests. It was in our practice as we did it in our bar as well. There were 6 to 7 guests who ordered at the same time and we had to serve them. Next round was noisy which was a blind challenge and we had to find out about six drinks. This also comes through practice. Then we had pouring where we had to measure the exact amount of what goes into the drink and then we had a quiz where we had the whole history of bartending. The final round was the speed round where we had to make six drinks within three minutes which was the most challenging round for me as I did not prepare for it and still I made it,” he says.
Reflecting on his win, Raj adds, “My competitors were strong, some had been competing here for three to four years. Beating them was challenging, but I made it through. Bartending requires years of preparation and constant learning. It’s hectic, but if you master the craft and keep practising, you can succeed in championships like this. Practice really is the key.”