VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s number one bartender Le Thanh Tung, 25, is hoping to inspire the next generation by lecturing at the Tourism School in HCMC and bartending clubs.

Le Thanh Tung, Vietnam’s number one bartender.

The professional bartender is trying to pass on his gifts of making the best cocktails in the country to others.

He has come a long way from his days as a poor student from Nha Trang who had to work as a motorcycle-keeper to become the only Vietnamese bartender at a competition as he competed with representatives of over 50 countries on the Azamara Club Cruise liner in late July. The liner took him and other bartenders around the world, including stops in southern France and the Spanish city of Barcelona.

The trip offered him a huge lesson. According to Tuong, bartending is still a new career in Vietnam compared with developed nations.

“The cruise really made a strong impression on me as I got to meet a lot of my mixology idols. I was awestruck meeting them in real life,” Tung said.

Tung insists the key to being a top bartender is having good English skills to search for information, exchange with various customers to introduce each cocktail and receive feedback. He adds that a career bartender should know drinks recipes, serving techniques, alcohol contents, correct gas mixes, and licensing laws and the ability to have cordial relations with regular customers.

Source: SGT