Ang flamboyant Davao-based Gay Drinking with Carlos founder na si Carlos Mangcupang ang isa sa special guest shift sa bar takeover sa unang taon ng Opal MNL.
Inimbitahan siya ni Wilfredo “Sev” Sevilla, Jr. at ng business partners nito para sa week-long anniversary celebration ng bar sa sa Poblacion, Makati City.
Dinarayo ito ng mga popular na personalidad at artista dahil sa kanilang de-kalidad na cocktails.
Apat na taon nang bartender si Carlos.
Naging mabilis ang pagsikat niya dahil sa kanyang karakter at husay sa paggawa ng cocktails, gamit ang mga lokal na produkto mula sa Mindanao.
Ilan sa local flavors na gamit niya ay durian, strawberries, langka, at biasong, ang endemic lime na natatagpuan sa Northern Central Mindanao.
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CARLOS MANGCUPANG ON GAY DRINKING WITH CARLOS
Sa panayam kay Carlos ng Cabinet Files at ng ibang mga miyembro ng media, ikinuwento niya ang kasaysayan ng Gay Drinking with Carlos.
“Originally, it started as menu sana for our brunch for our restaurant, so it was supposed to be day drinking.
"And then after few months, parang sabi ko ay day drinking, gay drinking? So why not make it gay drinking? It’s day drinking but make it gay.
"But we ended up not pursuing the brunch menu. We extended our operating hours sa gabi na.”
Ang pagmamahal sa sining ang nag-udyok kay Carlos na tuklasin at pag-aralan ang bartending.
Hindi naman siya nabigo dahil marami ang tumulong sa kanya.
Lahad niya: “I really love art so basically, this is an expression of who I am and what I usually do as a kid.
"I’m used to doing painting, I love music, I play the guitar, the piano. I cook and now I did bartending.
"It’s an expression of the things that I love to do. It’s a whole experience of my experiences. It’s like a translation of my ideas into the drinks in the glass.
"When I found bartending, it was really different. The industry is really cool. A lot of people are really generous with the knowledge that they have.
"Not even once that a single person deprived me of the knowledge that they know."
Signature look na niya ang paglalagay ng eyeshadow makeup, eyelashes, at colorful nails.
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ON RICH FLAVORS OF MINDANAO
Nagsisikap din siya na makilala nang husto ang mga alagad ng sining sa Mindanao.
"Honestly, I think Mindanao is really rich with a lot of things when it comes to history, tradition, culture, food, art, and I don’t think that we have enough spotlight.
"There’s so much flavors in Mindanao and I would want to feature those in my art right now,” ani Carlos.
Gumagawa siya ng sariling paraan upang mawala ang pangamba ng mga tao sa prutas na durian.
"A lot of people are scared of durian. So usually, kapag may shift ako, iba-ibang versions ng drink na ito ang dinadala ko.
"Ang daming takot sa durian kasi nga mabaho, matapang yung lasa.
"And I think as a Davaoeño, I love durian. Parang it is a platform for me to show the world na there’s a lot of things that you can do with durian and eventually make it very drinkable, very easy to drink."
BARTENDING AS A FORM OF ART
Para kay Carlos, form of art ang bartending.
"I think drinking should be fun. It should be light. It should be a venue for artists because I think bartenders are artists and it is their way of expressing their ideas, their emotions, and it should be a fun way of reaching the people from the other side of the bar.
"I just wanted to show that Mindanaoans are capable of. We are so far from the center of all art maybe because the art here in Luzon is very rich.
"A lot of artists are here, but in Mindanao, there are also a lot of artists that I think we should put some spotlight on ‘coz I think Mindanaoans are really creative.”
Hindi lamang si Carlos ang inimbitahan na guest shift sa pagdiriwang ng unang anibersaryo ng Opal MNL.
Dumating din sa Pilipinas ang internationally acclaimed Japanese bartender na si Toru Ariyoshi, 44, para sa anniversary takeover na gagawin niya at magaganap ngayong Sabado ng gabi, Abril 25.
Dalawampu’t limang taon nang bartender si Toru at siya ang head bartender ng Bee’s Knees, ang bar sa Kyoto, Japan na limang taon nang kasali sa listahan ng Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
"Manila is so nice," ang sabi ni Toru na hindi nagdalawang-isip na paunlakan ang imbitasyon para maging international guest shift sa anniversary takeover sa Opal MNL.