Sergio Reina holds his cocktail as if he were holding an achievement that he still can’t believe, surrounded by the iconic red and white bottles of Moutai, the Chinese distillate that marked its debut at the I National Mystery Rum-Moutai Championship, held this week in Mallorca within the LXX National Cocktail Congress, where it won second place in Spain.
Sergio came to cocktails from the simplest curiosity. Years ago, he watched other bartenders work and something in that world of aromas and flavors captured him: the precision of the hands, the creativity of the craft, the freedom to mix ingredients without losing balance. That initial fascination led him to train, to enter competitions and, little by little, to discover that he had a talent for improvising where others needed recipes.
Its recent trajectory is also the story of constant escalation. Finalist in Waiter of the Year, awarded in Valladolid with a classic digestive, regional champion of Castilla y León in Ávila and, now, second classified in the I National Mystery Ron-Moutai Championship, the modality where participants receive a surprise box with between 10 and 13 unknown products. From there they must choose just a few ingredients and build, in real time and with the minutes counted, a coherent, balanced cocktail worthy of a competition.
Sergio achieved it with solvency: he created a cocktail that stood out for its aroma, its balance in the mouth and an impeccable presentation. That combination led him to become the second best in Spain in his modality. The cocktail, which does not yet have a name, will now travel to China, where its recipe will be evaluated by the company that owns the spirit. The liquor with which it competed, Moutai, is an intense Chinese aperitif that is traditionally served to whet the appetite. The winner defines it as a strong, dry drink, with deep nuances. However, Sergio managed to tame it with an almost secret recipe that provides a tropical and refreshing touch. Where others only perceive power, he managed to make each note fit in balance: a harmonious, brave and perfectly calibrated cocktail, worthy of a winner. “Creating a cocktail without having tried it before is one of the biggest challenges,” he says on the other end of the phone, with a voice that betrays pride and emotion. He cannot yet reveal the full recipe, for now it remains almost a secret, but he reveals two of its main ingredients: banana and grapefruit.
The championship brought together participants from all over Spain, each of them previously classified in the regional competitions of their respective autonomous communities. Not everyone reaches this phase: to be there you must have passed a demanding preliminary, where only the best obtain their pass to the national team. In this edition, Castilla y León was represented by two bartenders, one from Salamanca and Sergio Reina, on behalf of Segovia, who brought to the island not only their technique, but the pride of an entire community. Sergio repeats over and over again that he represents Segovia. «I am Colombian, but Segovia is where my daughter was born. “I am from Segovia at heart,” he says without leaving any room for doubt. In his voice there is also a demand: that it be known that in Segovia there is cocktails, that there is talent and that there is much left to promote.
It’s unusual for someone who doesn’t currently work behind a bar to make it this far. He is currently a salesperson for a multinational coffee company, but his vocation does not rest: he has a business where he provides cocktail service at events and collaborates with restaurants. Little by little he has created his personal brand that bears his name and prestige. He dreams of taking a masterclass to the Segovia Hospitality School, after the championship he wants to knock on the doors of the City Hall to find out if it can become a reality.
Sergio arrives today in Segovia, returning from Mallorca with the sea still in his eyes and a prize in his suitcase. As soon as he hits dry land he already thinks about what’s coming: on Monday, he says, he will start training for next year’s regional, practice makes perfect and he doesn’t want to waste a single day.
This time he returns differently, he not only carries bottles and measures: he brings with him national recognition, a recipe that will travel to China and the certainty that, from Segovia, cocktails capable of crossing continents can also be born.
