During the Manila Cocktail Fest, this rock and roll duo from Employees Only, Bryan Bonifacio and Steve Schneider from Singapore did a guest shift at Versus Barcade, Philippines. They curated amazing cocktails highlighting simple ingredients like agave, lime juice, and chocolate bitters. And there were also crazy ones like tomato water and jalapeño chartreuse which they incorporated in different drinks. But what really impressed us the most was their unique approach to the bar service. Even though the place was packed and busy, serving one drink after another, the guest bartenders still managed to put on a show. They could still carry conversations with multiple guests seated at the bar all while doing flair bartending moves, which is basically a way to entertain guests by manipulating, throwing and catching bar tools. They were also very attentive with accommodating guests’ orders and needs. We got the opportunity to speak with Bryan Bonifacio and he mentioned that the reason behind their impressive service is that Employees Only is a hospitality-inclined cocktail bar, with their core principle focused on offering flawlessly executed cocktails served in a beautiful space without any pretense.
