(VOVworld) - In hot summer days, how cheery to indulge in joyful Latin American music while enjoying a glass of a chilled cocktail made by skilful bartenders right here in Hanoi. Bartending as a profession entered Vietnam 10 years ago and is now in vogue among the youngsters.

About 20 young and middle-aged people gathered in front of the European style Spoor bar in Hanoi. Hundreds of bottles of wine and syrup of all colors and sizes are neatly placed on a wooden shelf with lights flickering to the music.

A successfull glass of cocktail should offer a taste of chill on the lips, sweet in the throat, and is eye-catching (Photo: langvietonline.vn)

All guests at the bar seemed to stop talking to see 31-year-old Vuong Dinh Dinh demonstrating a tasty cocktail mix. Looking elegant in a white shirt with a bow and groomed hair, Dinh poured the rum wine into a stainless steel shaker from a 1-meter height, added some ice, and shook the bottle rhythmically creating crackling sounds. He suddenly set fire to the top of the four blue wine bottles and showed off a juggling display that made everyone who watched excited. In just a few minutes, 3-storey cocktails decorated with staring red cherries were being placed in front of the guests. The mixture offered a taste of chill on the lips, sweet in the throat, and was eye-catching. But to be able to do it professionally like today, Dinh had to work very hard to survive. He shares with VOV: “for bartenders, you can learn from your friends and particularly your guests who come from different countries and bring along diverse cultures. I still remember when a guest ordered me a Mozito, I was a bit surprised because I only knew it in theory. I tried to make the mixture. When the guest drank it, he said it was not Mozito. Luckily he was also working in a bar so he guided me in right way to make. It’s an unforgettable memory”.

After I met Dinh, I became very curious and wanted to know how to become a professional bartender. 

I dropped by Interbeso, a prestigious training center for young bartenders in Hanoi. Trainees are practicing under the guidance of Nguyen The Hung who has won several prizes for bartending inside and outside the country. There are 15 trainees aged 18 to 25. What amazes me is that half of them are female. Hoang Thu Trang, one of the class members, is passionately practicing the juggling. She says she “learnt successfully in the first lesson how to pick ice and shake the bottle so I thought the other movements would not be so challenging to me. When I saw the teacher guiding us on how to shake, then cast it over the shoulder, and catch it behind the back skillfully and simply, I was anxious to do it immediately. But I continuously failed. I’m in favor of Hung’s teaching – flipping the drink and breaking are the premises of success.”

Bartending requires more than mere skillfulness in complicated juggling techniques, according to Hung. He notes that “a professional bartender should be creative in mixing the drinks instead of simply following available recipes. If the work is always produced in the same way, a machine can do it better than a human. An expert bartender should spend a lot of time each day trying different kinds of wines and drinks, then deciding which types can be mixed with each other to produce the perfect taste”.    

Bartender Nguyen The Hung has won several prizes   (Photo: interbeso.vn)

Bartending is a job requiring creativeness, adroitness, an understanding of wines and culinary culture, and the ability to inspire guests with colorful cocktails. It is in vogue among the youngsters as they have chance to show off their passion via their skillful movements, like real artists performing on the stage.

Duc Quy