Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Sagamore Spirit Philippines showed support to the local beverage industry by holding its first Philippine Bartender Showdown recently. The rye whiskey brand — originally from Baltimore, Maryland — was supposed to hold its Philippine launch summer of last year but the event was postponed due to the global pandemic. “It’s been especially tough for new players in the market,” shares Ian Palabyab,” sales and marketing consultant for Sagamore Philippines. “As part of our brand heritage, we wanted to not only focus on ourselves but also our own ‘frontliners’, the bartenders!” The rules for the showdown were simple. Interested bartenders had to submit a short video showing their skills by making a creative cocktail using rye whiskey. More than 50 entries were submitted, which were then narrowed down to nine in the semifinals. Those in the top nine were provided with samples of the Sagamore Signature Rye (41.8% ABV), which they can use in their next video entry. Since the event was an online competition, video post engagements were taken into consideration as well. Six bartenders made it to the finals, held on March 19 at What’s Your Poison (WYP) Bar in Makati. The event strictly followed social distancing guidelines. Bartenders Carina Gonzales, Lawrence Gabriel, Ji Agunat, Jairra Poltrias, John Parada, and Auie Benisano had to impress judges Frank Shrope, co-founder of Liquor.PH and Kris Ong of Singlemalt.ph. The finalists were judged based on the following criteria: creativity (25%), presentation (25%), taste (30%), and crowd factor (most likes on the post 20%), with the winner receiving Php 10,000 and Php 5,000 for the first runner up. Winner Lawrence Gabriel and his cocktail, Epiphany Lawrence Gabriel from The Baccarat Room in Solaire Resort and Casino won the competition with his cocktail creation Epiphany (Sagamore Signature Rye, chocolate amaro mix, wasabi-infused rosso vermouth, dark chocolate and sea salt dust). Ji Agunat was named first runner up with his cocktail Wanderlust (Sagamore Rye Whiskey, yuzu sherry syrup, lemon juice, Angostura bitters, sesame oil). After the success of this first local competition, they hope to take it globally in the future. First runner up Ji Agunat and his cocktail, Wanderlust Watch Lawrence’s winning cocktail video here and Ji’s video here. This year, Sagamore is focusing on e-commerce, while also pushing availability in local groceries and liquor shops. There are plans to have consumers get to know Sagamore Spirit more through online events and tastings, so watch out for that. Follow Sagamore Spirit Philippines on Facebook and Instagram for more updates.