Many years ago, Singapore had hardly any cocktail culture to speak of, except for the Singapore Sling created in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at Long Bar, Raffles Hotel.
Today, we have 11 of our homegrown bars in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2019 list, including 3 of the 5 top spots!
To help our bartenders grow towards becoming Bartender 4.0 and thrive in Industry 4.0, e2i has been working with industry partners such as the Association of Bartenders and Sommeliers Singapore (ABSS) to identify the training needs and build a comprehensive roadmap for bartenders and mixologists.
What opportunities did e2i and ABSS create for Bartender 4.0?
In 2019, ABSS and e2i collaborated on a series of workshops and cocktail pairing events to give aspiring mixologists and Bartender 4.0 opportunities to learn from industry experts.

Bartender 4.0 is not about simply making the standard international cocktails well, but also experimenting with different flavours and pairings with food and being able to adapt to changing consumer tastes to craft the best experience possible for the customer.
e2i and ABSS brought in three renowned bartenders from Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore to deep-skill industry professionals with mixologist and cocktail pairing skills, to address skills gaps in the bartending scene.
The workshops also gave industry practitioners a platform to connect with industry experts, facilitating knowledge exchange with Master Mixologists across the Asia region.

Each bartender taught participants in the Master Mixologist workshop several recipes different from the international cocktails, using techniques (e.g. to create foam or carbonation) and unorthodox ingredients (e.g. vinegar, locally-harvested flowers etc).
The bartenders also shared insights on how to become a Bartender 4.0, such as:
- knowing how to make customers feel welcome and at ease
- how to introduce the cocktails as a work of art
- redesigning the bar to be more eco-conscious
- incorporating local products into the cocktail and bar ambience
- exploring and experimenting with different ingredients and techniques not commonly used in bartending
- creating seasonal cocktail themes and menus
Who were the 3 expert bartenders invited to the Bartender 4.0 events?

Recipes by Bartender Samuel Kwok:
1) Earl grey caviar martini
45ml vodka
15ml elderflower syrup
5ml lemon juice
5ml lime juice
20ml Apple juice
Garnish: Earl grey tea caviar & foam
2) Bloody Quinary
45ml vodka
15ml spicy vinegar mix
10ml lemon juice
20ml umami Shaoxing wine
90ml tomato juice
Garnish: celery, dried scallops & shrimp
3) Oolong Tea Collins
45ml vodka
45 oolong tea cordial
Soda water
Garnish: grapefruit peel
4) Tropic Garden
30ml London No.3 gin infused Dilmah chamomile tea
10ml Falernum syrup
Lemon juice
Apple cider reduction
Top up soda water
Garnish: edible chrysanthemum flower


Recipes by Bartender Vijay Mudaliar:
1) Perfume
30ml London No 3 Gin
60ml Dilmah Jasmine Tea
5ml Monin Pandan Syrup
Top up with Perrier
2) Spiced Godfather
30ml Famous Whisky infuse with Dilmah Ceylon Spice Chai
5ml Bols Amaretto
10ml Cranberry Juice
Dark chocolate sauce infused with Vinegar
3) Wilderness
30ml London no 3 Gin
20ml Twining Peach Tea
5ml Fabbri Agave Syrup
Top up with Perrier

Recipes by Bartender Hiroyasu Kayama:
1) Forest Season
50ml London no 3 Gin
10ml Monin Agave Syrup
10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
Senburi
Fresh Sage
30ml Dilmah jasmine green tea
Top up Perrier
Garnish: Botanical of BenFiddich
Glassware: Rock glass
Method: Put herbs and ingredients in a bowl, grind, then shake it with all the wet ingredients
2) Sakura Season
40ml Brugal Extra Dry
20ml Monin Cherry Blossom
1 tsp Bols Kirsch
20ml Chickpea water
10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
20ml Cucumber Juice
Garnish: Cherry Blossom
Method: Shake
Glassware: Japanese glass
3) Herbal Gimlet
40ml London no 3 Gin
10ml Acacia Honey
10ml Fresh Lime Juice
20ml Twining Chamomile Tea
5nos Fresh Mint
Rose Geraniums Essence (spray)
Garnish: Mint leave & mint salt on the rim
Method: grind dry ingredients and add in cocktail shaken with the wet ingredient and shake.
Extending Bartender 4.0 workshops to Institutes of Higher Learning
The three bartenders were also invited to teach 60 students and trade professionals at the L’Fiesta Master Mixologist Workshops and Tea Mocktail Workshop held at Nanyang Polytechnic.

Attendees could choose different workshops to attend (e.g. Master Mixologist, sake, wine, coffee and tea etc) to learn how to be a Bartender 4.0, Wine Specialist 4.0 or Barista 4.0.


Attendees could also network with both local and regional Master Mixologists to adopt best practices and deepen their skill sets.
If you are involved in the bartending industry, e2i would like to invite you to participate in the Bartender 4.0 survey, so as to tailor the best training initiatives for you and your fellow colleagues to become better bartenders and bring your vision of Bartender 4.0 in Singapore to fruition.
To stay updated for Worker 4.0 workshops and initiatives in the F&B industry, contact e2i (Employment & Employability Institute) for more details.
Special thanks to e2i for the workshop invites.
What do you want to tell others? Find me at jules <at> workersofsingapore (dot) com