Karel Mayer, winner of MGD Contest 2001, talks with us about his career: learn more...

Karel Mayer, who in the past has been vice-Champion of the World, won the 2001 edition of MGD contest with his cocktail Viva Marietta; he has been a bartender for many years, is co-funder of CBA.

Mr. Mayer please tell us how you became a bartender? Did you attend special training, or even a vocational school for bartending?
Well, I got trained as professional waiter in the Imperial Interhotel in Ostrava. I went through all the seats of learning, from the "potboy" up to the centre manager. But I got to bartending after some time. I got also trained under the direction of Mr. Bohumil Pavlícek and Mr. Jaroslav Vašek. Under their guidance I became bartender of the year several times. I took part in many professional competitions in our country and also abroad. I represented my country on six world championships in a row.

Did you work in bars or clubs that were somehow important for your future career?
I worked in nightclubs and cocktail lounges as well; in the ´80-ies I was the co-founder of the Shaker-club, which was later transformed to CBA (Czech Bartender Association). In years 1995-1997 I was the vice-president of CBA. I also gained some experience at Expo in Seville, in Vienna and in Berlin. I'm still the president of the Barman section Ostrava and Junior Shaker-club Ostrava.

In your opinion: what are the most important attributes of a successful bartender?
Very, very important is his/her performance and professional look. As for his/her style: you have to recognize the appropriateness of a particular situation. Sometimes you can capture the audience with modern free-style, but on the other hand, not every opportunity is convenient for a show like this. Anyway every bartender should show his/her very professional and perfect work because the customer watches him preparing the drink…

What is your favourite drink (in case you have one)?
Yes, I have my favourite drink. It is Martini Dry, because this drink takes almost no time to prepare.