Meet Your Bartender: Jairra Poltrias

DrinkManila launched #TipYourBartenderPH as a way to help out our local bartending community during these trying times. Every Friday, for #DMHappyHour, we’re showcasing a bartender who will share a tasty cocktail recipe that viewers can do at home, as well as give them a platform to promote their small business. People can show their love by supporting the featured bartender’s business and directly sending them a tip.

This week’s bartender is Jairra Poltrias. Jairra’s bartending career started in college, when she joined LPU’s (Lyceum of the Philippines University) Flair Bartappers Organization. She joined several school competitions until she was chosen to be part of Whisky Live 2017 Mentorship Program (where she was partnered with Sam Webster) and got to meet bartenders, managers, and brand ambassadors who inspired her to continue her path to becoming a full-fledged bartender.

Jairra has achieved a lot in the few years she’s been in the industry. She joined her first professional competition for Pisco Bauza when she was at her first job at FETE at Blue Leaf Cosmopolitan under Pylon Company. From there, she worked at Edge Bar of Discovery Primea and joined Diageo World Class 2019 where she made it to the Top 15 and won a trip to Taiwan as a Singleton Commercialization winner. She even got to join the Whisky Live 2020 Mentorship Program, this time as a mentor. She moved to Sage Bar at the Makati Shangri-La and joined Bacardi Legacy 2020 and was named one of the top 3 Philippine finalists. This gave her the opportunity to do her first guest shift in Find the Photobooth in Thailand.

Quarantine has not stopped Jairra from honing her skills, joining several online contests like the Bar Smith Summer Mocktail Challenge where she was one of the top 3 Winners, and the Weekly Winner in Spirits Hunters: Bartender Confinement Contest where she got to the top 20 for the final round.

The pandemic has been difficult for Jairra since her job security is gone, but she doesn’t let this get her down. “I don’t have a schedule for work right now,” Jairra shares. “A month into the ECQ, it already sank in that chances are, the bar will not be open to the public which means that I still don’t get to work. So I have to think of something that will make me productive. I’ve learned that we should always be prepared because we don’t know what will happen.”

She thought of starting a small food business to earn money during these trying times and decided to perfect a recipe for croquettes she entered in a cooking competition for nutrition month back in high school and put up Glowquettas.

Glowquettas are healthy croquettes made with ‘go’ and ‘glow’ foods like potato, squash, and malunggay as the base, stuffed with homemade ground pork and quick-melt cheese, and comes with flavorful white dip.

“I decide to make this not just earn money, but to promote a healthy snack jam-packed with nutrients that our body needs,” Jairra says. “And I hope that I can be a vessel to help others.”

She’s already thinking ahead and is securing her future as a business owner. “Since I still don’t have work yet, I decide to push on this so that I can help contribute to the monthly bills we need to pay, to be productive, and also to have an idea of managing it just in case I will be doing it officially,” she explains. “Despite the fact that I’m in a career path in the beverage industry, I can still discover or pursue other skills that can be helpful for myself to be productive and survive in these hard times.”

She advises others who might want to start a business to be bold. “Dont be afraid to start, pursue, or discover new things outside our comfort zone for we don’t know what it might bring to us in the future,” she says. “It’s better to try than not doing at all. And always be thankful, be optimistic, and continue to pray.”

Catch Jairra on #TipYourBartenderPH at 5:00 pm on August 7, Friday, on DrinkManila’s Facebook page. She’ll show us how to make her cocktail entry, Visionary, which pairs well with her Glowquettas.

Show your support by following and ordering from Glowquettas on Facebook and Instagram and tipping Jairra directly through GCash: 09177317847. Follow Jairra on Facebook and Instagram.

Remy Cointreau is giving a bottle of Remy Martin VSOP to the highest tipper for this program. Take a screenshot of your tip to Jairra, and send the pic via DM to DrinkManila and the highest tipper will get the Remy Martin bottle!