Portrait: Best Barkeeper Talent 2020

Benjamin Hetze awarded as best Barkeeper young talent

The "Jungtee" as the final stage of the application, brings the Barkeeper the winning title as Best Barkeeper Talent 2020. What the 23-year-old from Dresden should never be without in Zurich's Onyx Bar: Pourer and Jigger, challenge, sustainability and teamwork.
Always full of verve; Benjamin Hetze is Best Barkeeper Talent 2020.

Benjamin Hetze currently has to do without travelling, especially to distant countries, in combination with culinary experiences. As a hiking enthusiast, however, the Dresden native does not miss out on his leisure time in Switzerland.

The route app takes him to Interlaken or to Mount Pilatus near Lucerne, and once a year he even goes on an alpine hiking tour with an overnight stay in mountain huts. "Wonderful," says the occasional amateur tennis player, who comes to work by bike at the Onyx Bar in the Park Hyatt in Zurich.

Best Barkeeper Talent 2020

Benjamin Hetze won the 2020 SWISS BAR AWARD in the category "Best Barkeeper Talent". This category is awarded annually to the greatest up-and-coming talent on the Swiss bar scene. Further information at www.swissbarawards.ch

Fun in the five-star hotel industry

After four years in the Four Seasons Bar in Munich's Hotel Kempinski, the trained hotel manager has now been creating in bars in the five-star hotel industry for a total of six years. "It's a lot of fun right now," he says.

Under the aegis of bar manager Hercules Tsibis, the charming young talent can develop freely and creatively, as some of the signature drinks on the bar menu prove. "Hercules is an inspiration for me," says Hetze, who is happy about the chef de bar and the good cooperation in the team. "Without them, nothing would work.

Ongoing consultation, communication and understanding for each other and the respective situation are immensely important". After all, every evening develops in a very individual way. A rush of guests, a diverse and international audience mixed with regulars or many drinks paired with special requests can develop into a real challenge.

"But that's what I live for, and in a good team it's a real pleasure," says the passionate Barkeeper, who has already convinced celebrities like Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves and Pink with his liquid craftsmanship.

Lives for his job as Barkeeper - Benjamin Hetze

Sustainability is a major concern

Throwing away fruit that has been rinsed off? That is out of the question for Benjamin Hetze. They are pressed or transferred to the kitchen for further processing. A sustainable and conscious approach to all products is a major concern for the Best Barkeeper talent.

"In our bar, we pay a lot of attention to that, and that is also my personal attitude," he emphasises. Apart from that, he says, you always have to keep prices in mind, and especially now in pandemic times, you can't lose sight of the costs in a bar with an exclusive offer.

For the required units of measure, he likes to have a pourer and jigger at hand. "Many classic cocktails even call for them," he says, and these bar tools also enable precise and economical handling of spirits.

"Competitions are important. Not only to win, but to compete, to find out where you stand and to exchange ideas with colleagues".

Benjamin Hetze, Best Barkeeper Talent 2020

Hetze can imagine exploiting his creativity in the bar trade in his own small bar. But it's still "much too early" for that. Ambitiously, he prefers to delve deeper into the subject or compete in competitions such as Bacardi Legacy, Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix or The Botanist Foraged Cocktail Competition.

Incentive for the future

"Competitions are important. Not just to win, but to compete, to find out where you stand at the moment and to exchange ideas with colleagues," says the 23-year-old whisky fan with a great interest in wine, which he would like to develop even further in sommelier courses.

He is delighted to receive the award as confirmation and praise for his career to date and as an incentive for the future.

At Park Hyatt, too, the joy about this award is prevalent: "It makes us very proud and happy to be at the forefront again with a young talent. For Benjamin, who has been in our team for a long time, even more so. Especially in such a critical time, successes like this are enormously important".

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