A six-year absence can addle the memory but with the return of WORLD CLASS Singapore, the bartending competition brought with it a pleasant surprise. This year's winner is Tryson Quek from Side Door, who also happened to be the husband of WORLD CLASS' last winner, Bannie Kang (then the head bartender of Anti:dote), back in 2019. With this newly-minted title, Quek will represent Singapore at the WORLD CLASS Global Finals in Toronto.
Placing second and third were KOMA's Marco Maiorano and Night Hawk's Samuel Pang. While, Ooi Foo Giap from Last Word was named WORLD CLASS Singapore 2025 Bartender’s Bartender and SUSHISAMBA Singapore's Daniel Fong and Josh Goh took the WORLD CLASS Cocktail Festival Experience of 2025 title.
Held at Baia on 16 June, the finals challenged the bartenders with two rounds. The first is “Drink to the Future”. Here, competitors are asked to concoct a cocktail of tomorrow (Quek presented Possibilities, a Zacapa XO base cocktail with kumquat foam). For the second task, called “The Showdown”, the finalists are placed in a live service scenario and have five minutes to create five classic cocktails with five Diageo spirits—a Johnnie Walker Blue Label, a Don Julio 1942, a Zacapa XO, a Singleton 15YO, and a Tanqueray No. TEN.
Along with the execution, Quek’s "inventive approach, precision under pressure, and emotional storytelling" that led to winning WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year 2025 Singapore.
"Being part of WORLD CLASS Singapore 2025 is both an honour and a milestone," Quek says. "It’s an opportunity to grow, connect with passionate peers, and represent the evolving bar scene in Singapore on a global stage. There's also [the] main purpose [of continuing] my wife legacy. Creation is about weaving flavour and story into everything, giving each thing a purpose of its own."
Quek may have the same WORLD CLASS national title as his wife but the latter also went on to win the global title in 2019. Can Quek do the same? We wish him the very best as he prepares to represent Singapore at the WORLD CLASS Global Finals in September.
