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Tuesday 22 OcTOber 2019

Make sure to attend the famous Bartender’s Brawl:

Eight bartenders to judge, eight cocktails to enjoy

tionally for Ritz-Carlton Caribbean the island the last couple of years
& Latin-American region in Mexico. and we have no doubt she is go-
There I was with only male bartend- ing to win”, he says with a wink.
ers participating so I felt already a Make sure you are present to hear,
winner in that part. I was nervous as see and taste if Figaroa is right this
all eyes were on me while I battled coming Friday. Hear out the final
within the top four contest.” She winner of the bartender’s brawl
follows trends, watches YouTube 2019 announced by the panel of
videos and is not afraid to experi- judges: Chef Urvin Croes (White
ence. “When Divino approached Modern Cuisine), Ferry Zievinger
me to represent them in the Bar- (General Manager Divi Resorts)
tender’s Brawl I said immediately and Orlin Geerman (Director EPB
yes. So far I did not participate in Culinary Program) and a panel of
a local contest and I look forward influencers (including international
to it.” influencer). Participating suppliers
ORANJESTAD — “I was the only woman competing in the Ritz-Carl- are: Manrique Capriles, Pepia Est,
ton’s international bartenders competition in Mexico and I ended up Having good times ATC – Aruba Trading Co, Tropical
within the top four”, says Emilia Lopez-Henriquez, one of the eight Figaroa is sales representative for Bottling, Divino, la Cava and J&G
competitors in the popular Bartender’s Brawl organized by Renais- Divino and together with Lopez- Trading Co. q
sance Aruba. She will represent Divino Aruba, specialists in premium Henriquez they decided for the
spirits, wines and beers. Patrick Figaroa from Divino: “We are proud cocktail creation that will be pre- More info about eat local can be
to have her represent us.” pared by her during the Bartend- found at https://www.aruba.com/us/
er’s Brawl. “She set up the basics eat-local
Tickets are available online: www.re-
Taste Aruba at his finest as Renaissance Aruba hosts top bartend- and we tasted and evaluated if it narubaevents.com, ticket includes
ers from around the island for the 5th Annual Bartender’s Brawl. This needed changes until we all agree one cocktail from each competitor
evening, Friday October 25th, you will have the opportunity to try all on the perfect mix. Emilia has been and snacks. Event page on fb: www.
cocktails and judge for yourself which is the best. Bartender’s Brawl is one of the greatest bartenders on facebook.com/events/.
part of eat local month- the One Happy Island culinary heritage with
locally inspired dishes & cocktails. Therefore the participating cocktail
should have a local ingredient to be part of the competition. Lopez-
Henriquez is known for her local touch when it comes to her passion
which is the creation of cocktails. “The last cocktail I have created
for the Ritz had the local beer Balashi, the local herb Yerba di Hole
(basil) and Pica di Papaya (spicy sauce) in it.” Lopez-Henriquez works
as a waitress at the restaurant Casa Nonna, The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba.

Making the impossible happen
To her a cocktail is all about making the impossible happen and cre-
ate a surprise. “Essential is the balance of ingredients. Also you need
to have a good look at your audience. At this competition many lo-
cals will attend so we take that into consideration. You need to com-
bine all together and make magic.” It is her passion and hobby to
create cocktails and in 2017 she won her first Ritz-Carlton bartender’s
competition. “This year I won again and I got to participate interna-