Bangkok Bartender Wins Marriott International’s 2026 Rising Stars Competition

Saencharusuchit Phichitchai of The St. Regis Bangkok takes the top prize in Singapore with The G.O.A.T, a cocktail combining Thai inspiration, local ingredients and an anti-waste approach

Bangkok’s bar scene has another regional title to add to its growing list of accolades.

Saencharusuchit Phichitchai, Bar Supervisor at The St. Regis Bangkok, has been named winner of Marriott International’s 2026 Rising Stars Sustainable Bartender competition, beating emerging bartending talent from across Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC).

The Grand Finals, held in Singapore, brought together 12 bartenders who had qualified through competitions in their respective markets. More than 220 entries were submitted across the region this year, with over 15,000 serves of the competing cocktails sold during the competition.

Now in its third edition, Rising Stars is Marriott International’s annual competition for emerging bartenders, organized in partnership with Pernod Ricard. Contestants are challenged to create cocktails that reflect their destinations while considering local ingredients, sourcing, preparation and waste reduction.

Saencharusuchit took the top prize ahead of Kaito Watabe of The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon in Japan, who was named first runner-up, and Deni Alan Hartono of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali in Indonesia, who placed second runner-up.

Thailand Takes the Top Prize

Saencharusuchit’s winning cocktail, The G.O.A.T, looks to Thai ingredients while taking an anti-waste approach to cocktail making.

The drink combines Código 1530 Tequila Blanco fat-washed with goat cheese, homemade jalapeño liqueur and pomegranate fig leaf soda. Surplus ingredients are repurposed as part of the preparation, reducing waste while adding new flavors and textures to the finished cocktail.

For Saencharusuchit, bartending is as much about storytelling and interaction as what ends up in the glass.

“Bartending is a profession and an art,” he said. “As bartenders we have the privilege of making personal connections with our guests by sharing our creations with them. Every pour tells a story of place and purpose.”

His win puts a Bangkok bartender at the top of a regional competition that increasingly reflects a wider shift in contemporary cocktail culture, where local identity and more responsible use of ingredients are becoming part of the creative process rather than separate considerations.

Japan Finds Balance in Nowhere Larder

First runner-up Kaito Watabe, Bartender at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon, presented Nowhere Larder, a Monkey 47-based cocktail incorporating Japanese ingredients.

The drink focuses on balance and subtlety, alongside conscious sourcing and minimal waste. Rather than treating sustainability as a single technique, Watabe's cocktail approaches it through ingredient selection, preparation and a more considered use of resources.

“Success in bartending is not just about making great drinks, but about creating memorable moments for every guest,” Watabe said.

Bali Looks to the Sea

Deni Alan Hartono, Mixologist at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali, took second runner-up with Segara Alchemy, a cocktail inspired by the sea and built around ingredients that might otherwise be discarded.

Smoked fish oil-washed Absolut Elyx provides its savory, oceanic character, paired with carrot and cucumber acar brine, kaffir lime saline and island tonic.

The use of kitchen by-products demonstrates how closer collaboration between bar and kitchen can turn surplus ingredients into useful components of a cocktail rather than waste. “Grateful for the opportunity, humbled by the journey, and inspired by the people around me,” Hartono said of the experience.

A New Generation Behind the Bar

Across the three winning drinks, sustainability is expressed through different techniques, from repurposing surplus ingredients to conscious sourcing and using kitchen by-products.

It also points to a broader approach to modern mixology in Asia Pacific, where bartenders are increasingly looking closer to home for ingredients and inspiration while reconsidering how ingredients are sourced, prepared and discarded.

“The Rising Stars competition brings together the diverse flavors, stories and talent of APEC while giving our bartenders a platform to challenge convention and elevate the guest experience,” said Petr Raba, Vice President Food & Beverage, Marriott International, APEC.

For Bangkok, Saencharusuchit’s win is also a reminder that the city’s cocktail culture is being shaped not only by established bar names, but by a new generation of bartenders developing their own approach to local flavor, technique and more resource-conscious drinking.

[PHOTO: Courtesy of Marriott]