Pinay talent reigned supreme at the world bartending stage when Jholan Peñafiel was adjudged 2017 Grand Champion in the recent TGIFriday's World Bartender Championship held in Dallas, Texas.
The TGIFriday's Philippines bartender earned the judges’ admiration in the Compulsory Round, an intense competition that tested the skills of the contestants when it came to mastery of recipes, speed, and accuracy of pouring drinks down to the last drop. Meanwhile, in the Freestyle Competition, Peñafiel expertly mixed and served drinks while tossing, juggling, flipping, and catching bottles mid-air.
Peñafiel bested other competitors from the USA, Latin America, United Kingdom, and Europe.
First runner-up honors went to Michael Ressureccion of Pennsylvania, USA, while Russell Ward of Sheffield, UK was named 2nd runner-up.
Peñafiel is the second Filipina bartender to win the world championship, following Rizza Umlas who won the title in 2015 also in Dallas, Texas.