CAMPARI & Alchemy Thailand hosted the bartender cocktail competition at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok Hotel. The winner Dheeradon “Gotji” Dissara, General Manager - Ray Cocktail and Bite, Thailand representative will compete in Campari Red Hands Asia 2024 in Milan Italy in November 2024.
Bangkok, THAILAND the icon born out of red passion, Campari - the flagship brand of its namesake group and core of the beloved Negroni - brings back its search for the next Campari Red Hands Asia Champion with Campari Red Hands Asia 2024 after a 5-year hiatus. The competition series is set to pit the top 539 bartenders from 13 countries in Asia for the prestigious title of Campari Red Hands Asia Champion to enter the Grand Final Round in Milan, Italy, in November this year.
From left: Thanamon Suthon - Campari Group Brand Ambassador Thailand, Supawit Muttarattana, Symphony Loo - Campari Group Regional On-Premises Manager,
Dheeradon “Gotji” Dissara, the Winner of Campari Red Hands Thailand, Arno Schonfelder - General Manager – Alchemy Thailand, Carla Porter and Michele Montauti
Campari Red Hands Thailand 2024 was held at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Bangkok on Monday 19th August 2024 under the theme Cocktail & Senses for the next Campari cocktail for Negroni Family Tree. The much-anticipated final round included nine finalists, out of total 109 participants from all over Thailand, namely Piyapat Polnai (Bar Scofflaws, Bangkok), Thanat Tangroungsin (Bar Us, Bangkok), Nattapach Kaewpeacharawanich (Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok), Julie Nguyen (Opium Bar, Bangkok), Pongskorn Ruangjun (Overgrown Lounge & Cocktail Bar, Phuket), Noppasate Hirunwathit (Rabbit Hole, Bangkok), Dheeradon Dissara (Ray Cocktail and Bite), Maipimol Suepayak (Rouge Affair Bar Bangkok) and Siriwan Sinpan (The O.S.S. Bar, Bangkok) competing in front of the judging panel, led by Symphony Loo, Campari Group Regional On-Premises Manager & Thanamon Suthon, Campari Group Brand Ambassador – Thailand.
Dheeradon “Gotji” Dissara
General Manager, Ray Cocktail and Bite
The Hat Yai-born, Bangkok-bred mixologist entered the bar industry is probably the most unexpected way. While doing his day job as a graphic designer, Got entered a cocktail competition just for fun and ended up winning, prompting him to contemplate his alternative career choice. He later chose to pursue a career as a bartender and spent a few years crafting his skills in a Thai restaurant before taking the current role at a cocktail bar. His passion for cocktail making lies in its on-your-feet, hands-on nature that allows him to create tangible, enjoyable products by hand and entertain his patrons with his complex yet easy to understand cocktails inspired by fashion, film, food and other trends that are interconnected and influencing each other. Besides looking to challenge himself in competitions, Got also likes to contribute to the scene by training young generation bartenders to create a better future for Thailand’s beverage industry.
Nattapach “Mook” Kaewpeacharawanich
Bartender, Dry Wave Cocktail Studio
Back when Mook was a student in hotel and tourism management, a short tenure at a rooftop bar made her find her passion for cocktails, mixology and everything related. It was the unique skill sets, the hard work and the overall charm of bartending that instantly captivated her and prompted her to apply for a job at Vesper, one of Bangkok’s most respected cocktail bars. From having zero bartending basic skills, Mook gradually went from a wide-eyed junior bartender to a confident, knowledgeable bar staff in just a few months. And when one of her mentors, Palm Supawit, branched out to launch his own establishment, she followed him to further cement her skills in making balanced, sweet and sour drinks that she likes the most. While Mook is not experimenting on the use of Vermouth Bianco, her most favorite spirit to use, and brainstorming with her team, she also honed her skills in bar management, hoping to one day contribute to the Bangkok bar scene with her executive skills.
Pongskorn “Tus” RuangjunBeverage
Manager and Mixologist, Overgrown Lounge & Cocktail Bar
Tus is a Samui-born, Phuket-based bartender of 10-plus years of experience that has been with the pre-opening team of Overgrown Lounge & Cocktail Bar at La Green Hotel & Residence since day one. He explained his journey in the industry as “slow but steady” as he wanted to make sure that he was always on the right track to be a respected and relevant talent in the scene. After graduation in hotel and tourism management in Bangkok, he went north to Chiang Mai to kick off his career before a short stint back in his home turf in Samui and then on to Phuket, where he remains now as head of beverage management. For Tus, a bartender is not just there to make drinks, but also to cater to the ever-changing, vastly diverse tastes and needs of the customers. His passion for the job lies in the endless opportunity to learn, to create and to connect with people within the industry as well as beyond. While he’s continuing to gain inspiration and motivation by challenging himself with series of bartender competitions, Tus is also planning to launch his own unique speakeasy bar soon. Keep an eye out for his new space.
Maipimol “Mai” Suepayak
Bartender, Rouge Affair Bar Bangkok
When Mai, an advertiser by trade, got tired of her office job and started to look for a career change, it was only natural for her to turn to her personal passion: cocktails. Already a bar frequenter and a cocktail enthusiast, Mai decided to give bartending job a go and took a one-month bartending course to cover the basics. Upon completion, a friend in the scene suggested her auditioning for the role of bartender at the then-newly opened Rouge Affair. Mai got the job, no doubt, and fast forward two years she’s now behind the bar crafting tasty drinks for patrons. A spirit forward girl at heart (her favorite cocktail is Negroni, no less), Mai’s cocktail style tends to play around with variety of spirits, diversifying their flavors to create subtle and complex drinks that highlight the essence of each label. Mai’s happiness from the job comes from the opportunity to create, to connect with people and to craft a personal drink to her patron and create a unique, unforgettable experience, making the world and its people a little happier every night, one drink at a time.
SIRIWAN “PLOY” SINPAN
Bar Manager, The O.S.S. Bar
Ploy found her passion for bartending by accident. While studying hotel management, she somehow ended up training at The Sukhothai Hotel and immediately fell in love with the craft. Once she got her degree, the first thing she did was apply for a bartending job at the hotel’s The Zuk Bar and fully honed her skills. Soon enough, Ploy was ready to set out to explore and gain more experiences in the bustling Bangkok cocktail scene. Her next stint was at Vesper as assistant bar manager before landing in her current role as bar manager about a year ago.
Ploy seeks inspiration from around her: from her colleagues, her customers, the various spirits and ingredients and the history of classic cocktails. For Ploy, bartending is not just about mixing drinks, it’s about the daily challenge that a bartender has to encounter. Every day in her life as a bartender is different. Even making the same drink is different on a different day.
Julie NguyenHead
Bartender, Opium Bar
Hails from Hanoi, Vietnam, Julie started off in the scene as a server in a cocktail bar in her home city, and at the time had not ever tried cocktails or knew what those drinks were. As she moved up to floor manager, she had the chance to try on some bartending work which slowly and gradually made her fall in love with the job. As she learned on the job, she became more in tune with her creative side and at the same time started to enjoy the social aspect that comes with the job. Not long after that she entered a bartender competition, competing against her own bar manager at the time. She came second, but also got a job offer from the Italian bar manager who was about to move to Bangkok. Julie took the offer two years ago and is still enjoying every minute working in Bangkok’s thriving cocktail scene where she gets to meet cocktail lovers from all over the world on a daily basis. A simple, wholesome girl at heart, Julie likes to elevate simple, everyday ingredients into something special, like her vermouth infused with toasted rice that she uses in various signature drinks. Her most favorite cocktail is Negroni.
NOPPASATE “DEPP” HIRUNWATHIT
Group Beverage Manager, Watermelon Group
Unlike most bartenders that started off in hospitality school or as bar-backs, Depp had zero knowledge of bartending when he decided to shift from making coffee to mixing cocktails. He learned to be bartender on the job at Hyde & Seek, making the transition from a barista/smoothie maker to bar-back and finally a bartender in just two years. After his stints at some of Bangkok’s top cocktail venues such as Lady Brett (now closed), Revolucion Cocktail (formerly at Sathon soi 12), and head bartender at Rabbit Hole Bangkok, Depp stepped up to management level at Watermelon Group, overseeing beverage program across its diverse portfolio of bars and restaurants. When he’s off the management duty to man the bar, you are likely to be greeted first with his warm, welcoming attitude first and then treated to unforgettable signature drinks that often leave patrons wanting for more. During the course of 15 years in the industry, Depp also entered many bartending competitions. Among his long list of accolades is the winner of Wild Turkey Behind the Barrel Thailand Competition 2019.
Piyapat “Spike” Pholnai
Bartender, Bar Scofflaws
Hails from Nonthaburi, this young and aspiring bartender with only a few years of experience under his belt, found his passion for cocktails and bartending at his friend’s wedding. Spike looked on in awe at the barmen’s crisp and smart uniform, charming demeanor and sharp skills to produce high quality drinks. So, after earning a degree in hotel and tourism management, it became clear that he wanted to pursue a career in the cocktail industry. He landed the first job in the scene at Japanese Highball Bar 1923 where he spent almost a year building on his basic bartending skills, before taking his current position to perfect his spirit forward cocktail style.
If not sipping on an Americano, his most favorite drink, in a bar, Spike is always on the hunt for new experiences and ways to enhance his presentation skills with bartender competitions in Thailand and beyond.
Thanat “Guide” Tangroungsin
Bartender, Bar Us
Bangkok-born Guide had always wanted to have a career in hospitality, but it was the allure and the excitement of bartender competitions that confirmed his true passion in the art of mixology. To win a competition, any competition, he had to become a bartender first to enter, he thought. So, he began collection first-hand experiences in an Italian restaurant, leaning everything he could get his hands on about cocktails, wines and even coffee until he was confident enough to work in a full-scale cocktail bar. As he delves deeper into the trade as bartender at Bar Us, he falls in love even more with the creativity that surrounds the job and the fast-paced, social environment that inspires him. When he’s not training for a competition, Guide often goes to dessert shops and cafes to draw inspiration from unusual flavor matchings between sweet nibbles and non-alcoholic beverages – from cheesecake to matcha, honey and coconut water – to create his own visually vibrant and eye-catching cocktails.
ABOUT CAMPARI
Campari is a contemporary and charismatic classic. The secret recipe, which has remained unchanged, originated in Novara in 1860 and is the base for some of the most famous cocktails around the world, Campari is an alcoholic spirit obtained from the infusion of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water. With its vibrant red colour, intense aroma and inspiring flavour, Campari has always been a symbol of intrigue and pleasure, which unfurls itself into a captivating drinking experience. These are the values that have made the Campari brand famous throughout the world as an icon of passionate Italian style and excellence.
ABOUT NEGRONI
It was around the year 1919 in Florence when Count Camillo Negroni contemplated ordering an Americano cocktail but decided it was time for a change. He requested it with a touch of gin instead of soda, inspired by his last trip to London and its prevalent gin scene. The bartender was pleased to honour Count Camillo Negroni’s request and added an orange garnish rather than the lemon wedge of the Americano to signify the new drink he had created. In Florence, the Count’s ‘usual’ became known as Count Negroni’s Americano, or the “Americano with a touch of gin”, but whatever it was referred to as back then, the Negroni was born.
The Negroni is now one of the most famous contemporary classic cocktails. Anywhere you go in the world, you will find a mixologist who can make you the iconic Negroni. The original recipe, the perfectly balanced combination of equal parts of Campari, Red Vermouth and London Dry gin, is almost a century old and continues to be enjoyed today. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) lists Campari as an official ingredient of the Negroni, and thus, there is no Negroni without Campari! For more information visit www.campari.com
Enjoy Campari Responsibly
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