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China based
bartender Atsushi Suzuki crowned Chivas
Masters 2017 champion.
Following a
challenging five day long final in
Tokyo, Japan, Chivas Regal has announced
that Atsushi Suzuki from the Sober
Company in Shanghai, China, is the 2017
Chivas Masters Global Champion.
Atsushi overcame strong
competition from 14 of the world’s most
skilled bartenders and led the winning
Chivas Masters Collective team to
victory, before being declared the
overall champion.
The fourth Chivas Masters Global Final
required the 15 national winners to
showcase the Chivas Regal values of
brotherhood, collaboration and
generosity. Atsushi impressed the expert
panel of judges by expressing these core
principles as he proved the outstanding
contestant in what was a highly
captivating and memorable final,
culminating in the awards ceremony at
the MIXX Bar & Lounge at the ANA
InterContinental Tokyo.
A Japanese native himself, Atsushi fully
embraced the traditions of Japanese
bartending culture throughout a week of
individual and team challenges, which
included four individual drinks-making
rounds. Atsushi’s winning team drinks
ritual was The Double Talk, which was
made using Chivas Regal 12, and
presented with a focus on Japanese
craftsmanship, kind service and
attention to detail. Inspired by the way
in which great drinks can bring people
together and cross language barriers, he
collaborated with his Mexican and Hong
Kong team-mates, and was mentored by
hospitality industry pioneer and team
sensei Iain Griffiths, to devise a
ritual which ensured the drink was
designed to be shared, and allowed the
drink to be adapted and personalised for
different countries around the world. As
the newly crowned 2017 Chivas Masters
Global Champion, Atsushi has won an
all-access, all-expenses-paid trip to
Tales of The Cocktail 2017 in New
Orleans. The winning Chivas Masters
Collective team led by Atsushi –
comprising Mexico’s Haydée Barron Flores
and Ryan Nightingale from Hong Kong –
walked away with the pinnacle of the
range, Chivas Regal The Icon, presented
in a bespoke decanter with customised
Japanese glassware.
Upon being crowned champion, Atsushi
commented: "Wow. It is such an honour to
receive this – and in my home town too.
I feel like it’s a win for Japan as well
as for China. And of course it’s not
just for me, but for my awesome team of
Haydée and Ryan, and my sensei, Iain.
I’ve found friends for the rest of my
life through the Chivas Masters - and
I’ve learnt how to be a better bartender
too."
Max Warner, Global Brand Ambassador for
Chivas Regal, commented from Tokyo: “The
Chivas Masters Global Final has again
shown the world the wonderful values and
principles that great bartending can
harness. Atsushi fully took the Chivas
Regal spirit of generosity and
collaboration with him into the final,
which was the eventual point of
difference in a very tough field –
alongside, of course, some spectacular
bartending skills.
“Beyond the serve itself, teamwork and
collaboration are just as crucial to the
craft of drinksmaking, and we have
witnessed that here today, and
throughout the entire contest. That is
why we are also delighted to honour the
entire winning Chivas Masters
Collective, who helped lead our champion
to victory and demonstrated that success
really does taste better shared.”
The 2017 Chivas Masters Global Final was
host to a distinguished panel of
internationally acclaimed judges: Iain
Griffiths, hospitality industry pioneer
and co-founder of Mr Lyan Ltd; Micah
Melton, beverage director at the Alinea
Group and renowned ‘ice chef’; Chris
Lowder, ‘New York’s Rising Star
Bartender’ in 2015; Dré Masso,
ex-director of bars for the Potato Head
Group in Bali, Jakarta, Singapore and
Hong Kong; and Rogerio Igarashi Vaz,
owner of Tokyo’s Tram & Trench. Each not
only scored the finalists, but also
shared their insights and expertise
through a series of inspirational
masterclasses over the course of the
week.
The evening also saw the first ever
Chivas Masters Global Champion, Masa
Urushido, honoured as a Grand Master, in
his native Japan.
Atsushi Suzuki’s winning drinks ritual,
THE DOUBLE TALK:
- 40ml Chivas
Regal 12
- 20ml Campari
- 20ml Bianco
Vermouth
Method: Garnish
with Matcha Tea Salt – or customised to
your country Stir and serve over block
ice in a rocks glass, with a side serve
for sharing.
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