Rian Asiddao was supposed to don an apron and churn dishes from the kitchen. But fate—and his school grades—had different plans.
He intended to pursue a career in patisserie after graduating Hotel and Restaurant Management at the The University of Sto.Tomas. But his grades in his culinary courses were pretty low. Surprisingly, the same couldn’t be said about the beverage side as they were surprisingly significantly high. That’s why he decided to give this route a chance and see where it leads him.
“I fell in love with bartending through flairtending and started competing during college. From then on, my passion grew and had the goal in mind to be successful in the beverage world,” he said.
His first foray into professional bar work was at the Atlantis the Palm in Dubai where he toiled as a bar back and server at their opening. He then returned to the country to be part of the maiden team of Salon De Ning at The Peninsula Manila. A few years later, he moved to Long Bar at the Raffles and Fairmont Makati, and joined competitions such as the Diageo World Class.
Two and a half years into his hotel job, he was given the opportunity to be the brand ambassador of Diageo Philippines. He took on the role for 11 years. In the process, he also got to be part of different bars such as The Spirits Library, Flo All Day Drinking, and his very own “babies,” Bar by East and The Jury.
How Real-Life Experiences Shape Asiddao’s Signature Cocktails
Cocktail mixing may have been a part of his course in college but Asiddao admits that majority of the knowledge he gained—and continues to gain—are from his daily experiences behind the bar. “My passion comes from all of the experiences and it just keeps on growing.”
It is also where he draws most of his inspiration from when concocting drinks. “It is more of telling a story though the cocktails, and from that story, we tie the different ingredients up.”
Although he gets to express his creativity by mixing unorthodox flavors, he admits that that the best part in running a bar is meeting people from all walks of life. “I gained so many friends along the way and I continue to meet new friends through the cocktails we make.”
At The Jury, we emphasize the focus on the glassware, where we serve all of our cocktails in a rocks glass (no highballs, no martinis / coupes). The story starts from the glass.
By Day, Offices. By Night, Cocktail Bars.
Though he is affiliated with a handful others, there are two bars that Rian Asiddao is busy operating at the moment.
Bar by East (BBE) is an architectural firm office in the morning that turns into a cocktail bar at night. Home of EASt (Emerging Architect Studios), BBE is a homegrown neighborhood cocktail bar in Marikina. Dubbed as the first cocktail bar of the city, its cocktails are inspired by stories of Marikina and the bar team is also composed of 100% Marikineyos.
The Jury, on the other hand, is a private law conference room in the morning and a cocktail bar at night. It is a lawyer-themed bar with elements of a library. The bar name comes from the first syllables of the founders’ names—his cousin Julia Virtucio and Rian Asiddao. And their signature cocktails have case numbers—some even named after law terminologies.
Bar by East is located at Ground Floor, Lamp Quarters, Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue, Sto. Niño, Marikina City.
The Jury is located at 3rd Floor, 58 Jupiter Street, Makati City.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rian Asiddao is a Filipino bartender, bar owner, and former Diageo Philippines brand ambassador. He is the creative force behind Bar by East in Marikina and The Jury in Makati.
Bar by East is a neighborhood cocktail bar in Marikina that operates inside an architectural office after business hours. Its cocktails are inspired by Marikina’s history and culture.
The Jury is a lawyer-themed cocktail bar in Makati that transforms from a law conference room by day into a cocktail bar at night. Every cocktail is served in a rocks glass and inspired by legal themes.
Bar by East is located at Lamp Quarters on Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue in Marikina, while The Jury is on Jupiter Street in Makati City.
