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Behind the bar and under bright lights, drinks were furiously shaken, stirred and blended as 15 of the city’s top bartenders masterfully concocted elaborate cocktails at Diagonale club in Jakarta last week. It was the first of three challenges in the prestigious Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year contest.

The first round of the 2012 competition, which took place in Jakarta and at KuDeta bar in Seminyak, Bali, in mid-January, marked the second year that Indonesian bartenders have participated. The eventual winner of the national version of the competition will compete at the global World Class event in Brazil in July.

“In the World Class program, every aspect of the bartending craft is tested by the challenges and the judges. Participants need to be creative, thorough and skilled. It’s a golden age of the craft,” said Alvin Ang, a marketing adviser for the Diageo brands.

The first challenge was to create a “Gentlemen’s Tipple” for men and “Fancy Drinks” for women out of Johnnie Walker whiskey. The second challenge in March will involve cocktails from Ketel One Vodka and Indonesian spices, while the third and final challenge in May will center on drinks made from Tanqueray No. 10 gin. The venues in both Jakarta and Bali for the upcoming challenges have not yet been decided.

Budi Santoso, one of Diagonale’s bartenders, was the first to show his skills to the judges. “I’m a bit nervous,” he admitted. “It’s the first time that I’ve taken part in such a competition.”

Budi presented his new creation, called “The Golden Grass,” a combination of Johnnie Walker Gold, Chinese herbal tea, cloves and chrysanthemum extracts. All contestants had just five minutes to prepare the drinks in front of the jury before serving them and answering questions about what they had just created.

Budi presented his golden-hued drink in a martini glass, garnished with orange peel shaped like a blooming rose. “It’s a drink for the ladies,” he said. “It’s a blend of sweet and aromatic flavors, perfect for a beautiful, long night.”

Loewy bartender Kiki Moka was calm and confident in front of the judges. The winner of last year’s national Diageo Reserve World Class competition served what he called the “New Fashion,” a concoction of Johnnie Walker Gold, Drambuie liqueur and rock sugar.

“I used a technique from the 18th century to make the drink,” Kiki said. “I rubbed the rock sugar on an orange to obtain its oils and flavors.”

The rock sugar, which was then infused into the drink, created a sweet cocktail with an orange aroma.

Kiki poured the heady elixir in an old-fashion or rocks glass, then put an orange-sized ice ball into the drink.

“It’s basically Angostura bitters frozen into an ice ball,” he said. “The ice ball chills the drink. And when it melts, the flavors remain complex and not watery, because the ice was actually made of [spirits].”

Hailing from Makassar in South Sulawesi, Kiki made his pilgrimage to Jakarta in 1997. “I was inspired by Tom Cruise in the movie ‘Cocktail,’ ” he said with a laugh. “I wanted to be like him.”

Kiki started in the less glamorous position of bar boy in Jakarta’s Cafe Batavia, where his main duty was to wash glasses. “But it was my dream to become a bartender,” he said. “And I was willing to go through any hardship to achieve it.”

The management at Cafe Batavia noticed Kiki’s diligence and work ethic behind the bar, and showed him the basics of making cocktails.

“I discovered that being a bartender is not only about juggling bottles and charming the guests, but it’s also about understanding the basics,” he said. “It’s about getting the perfect mixture of flavors and aromas. It takes a lot of intelligence and skill.”

Budiyono, a bar manager at Equinox in Jakarta and a contestant in the World Class competition, agreed with Kiki’s assessment of a good bartender.

“Fine drinks are like fine foods,” he said. “It takes a lot of knowledge, skill and experience to make them.”

Budiyono, who has bartended since 1998, presented a classic Mint Julep for round one of the competition.

“It’s traditionally made of bourbon, mint leaves, sugar and water,” he said. “But, in this competition, I substituted the bourbon with the Johnnie Walker Gold.”

The end result was an emerald-colored concoction served in a tall Palmier glass adorned with mint leaves.

“Bartenders are very important,” said Colin Chia, regional brand manager for Diageo Reserve. “They’re as good as chefs.”

The judges panel, which consisted of an industry executive, a magazine editor and a bar manager, sampled each drink and deliberated. In the end, Kiki and Bertrin Remilando, from Cork & Screw in Jakarta, won the first challenge of the competition.

“I’m very happy to win today’s competition,” Kiki said. “If I can make it to the global final again, I’ll wear a batik shirt and blangkon [Javanese traditional cap] during my gig. I want the jury to remember me as a contestant from Indonesia.”

Each participant will compete again in the second and third challenges of the competition in Jakarta and Bali, with the scores from each round tallied to determine the top finalists who will compete in the national final in Jakarta this June.

The winner of the national event will represent Indonesia in the global final in Rio de Janeiro in July, competing against 10,000 bartenders from 40 countries.

“Indonesia has many talented bartenders,” said Mickey Lee, a judge from South Korea. “And I think it’s time for them to compete with the world’s best.”