A night of cocktails and bartending flair

Participated in by 18 teams from different culinary and hospitality schools in Iloilo City, the 4th Dinagyang Bartending Cup (Tandem Edition) was one night talent and skills both in showmanship and cocktail concoctions. Presented by Great Foods Concepts Inc. and sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions and Pepsi, among others, the 4th installment had pairs of contestants juggling it out on stage and mixing it in in glasses. The Avenue Complex hosted the event gathering hundreds of spectators in and around the Smallville area.

I served as one of the judges of the competition concentrating on how each concoction tasted, so it was an intoxicatingly enjoyable night for me that lasted almost midnight. But as it was the Dinagyang weekend, the fun was just starting that time. I only had sips of the cocktails, two the most then wash it all away with a gulp of water in preparation for the next and next.

I also enjoyed the showmanship of each tandem with mostly juggling acts of bottles whether as individual (while the other mixes) or in tandem performances. Witch each school rooting for their own teams it was a very lively event as cheers and jeers come expectedly from our backs and sides.

Not even the fireworks display during the Luces In the Sky competition from the SM City vicinity distracted the spectators and the tandems as their performances were worth more than the lights and sounds of the actual fireworks.

Some had themes like these ninjas above and as expected I heard the ultimate "ninja song" Kung Fu Fighting in their repertoire. Some played safe with their usual get up but had the "Moves like Jagger" among others. Of course, one can't have it perfect all the time as some dropped bottles and even broke a lot of them.

But one accident created a very big laugh from the spectators as a tandem was juggling, a second of miscommunication sent on those stainless steel cups right on the head of another with one big thud that echoed around the area. Good thing it wasn't those bottles filled with liquor and the likes.

In the end, the St. Therese MTC Colleges tandems went home with the top plum as well as the third place while the pair from WVCST took the second place. But they were all winners as they not only showed grace under pressure, with all those lights, cheers and jeers but they also concocted good cocktails and presented them well. It was also a good ground for them to showcase their learnings as well as their hardwork in making these performances and those colorful and flavorful drinks.

A night of good cocktails and skillful bartending flair at The Avenue Complex as a successful 4th installment of the Dinagyang Bartending Cup came to a close with a promise of a bigger, more entertaining and more intoxicating competition is up on it's wooden (5th) anniversary next year. And it was another experience for me not only as a judge but also as a spectator ... with some hints of intoxication-lol.

Check out more photos on The Avenue Complex Facebook Account.

Unmarked photos in this blogpost are courtesy of Great Foods Concepts Inc.

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A cooking weed called Lupo

Lupo is a weed that is commonly found in ricefields and roadside in provinces. It is most prevalent in Ilonggo cooking compared to others as it is mostly the Ilonggos who can recognize lupo , though maybe called differently in other places. Most commonly used in laswa or monggo dishes to add greens like kamote tops, it also makes a good partner in sinabawan na isda recipes. It has hints of bitterness but don't expect it to be ampalaya-bitter like. It is mostly sold in wet local wet markets by the tumpok .

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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