Rice to the occasion: Kimchi Lai mixes her way to global cocktail glory

The humble rice cooker is a familiar sight in Malaysian kitchens, a basic appliance most of us barely give a second thought to.

But for bartender Kimchi Lai, it became an unlikely source of inspiration, leading her to mix up two prize-winning drinks at an international cocktail-making competition.

The 26-year-old recently emerged champion of the prestigious Giffard West Cup 2026 in France with her rice-inspired cocktails, “Grain Potential” and “You’ll Be All Rice”.

At the finals, competitors had to create two complementary drinks representing “sunrise” and “moonlight”, based on the theme “Sip the Moments”.

“I was looking for inspiration when I spotted a rice cooker in my house. I thought, what do I do from sunrise to moonlight? I eat rice,” Lai told FMT Lifestyle with a laugh.

“I was inspired by a Chinese proverb, ‘the rice has already been cooked’, similar to the Malay proverb ‘nasi sudah menjadi bubur’. So I incorporated those concepts into my drinks.”

Her creations incorporated local flavours: “Grain Potential” includes toasted glutinous rice cordial, while “You’ll Be All Rice” features cardamom rice milk.

The Giffard West Cup is an international cocktail-making competition established in 1997 by French liqueur and syrup producer Giffard. Held every two years, it celebrates bartending creativity, craftsmanship and innovation.

Lai advanced through national and regional rounds in Kuala Lumpur and Manila before reaching the grand finals in Angers, France, where 19 contestants competed. They included finalists from Croatia, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia.

Lai is the second Malaysian to win the international title after David Hans in 2017. Her prize is a trip to Antigua, Guatemala, to experience its coffee and cocktail culture.

“It still feels very surreal. Just making it to France felt very unreal. It was amazing to meet such talented participants from all around the world, and I was impressed by all the drinks they made,” she said.

Her victory is all the more striking considering she has only been bartending full-time for about a year. Previously a translator and interpreter, Lai decided to change careers after finding that many of the jobs she once relied on were being replaced by AI.

She worked part-time at an ice cream bar before a friend introduced her to bartending, setting her on the path to her current career. The Giffard West Cup is the first bartending competition she has entered.

The road to victory, however, was not particularly smooth. In Angers, Lai struggled with the cold weather and an administrative mixup. The night before the competition, she recalled “sobbing in her hotel room”.

Unexpectedly, that may have worked in her favour. By the time she stepped onstage, Lai was so emotionally drained that she felt remarkably calm.

While that composure helped in an arena where many contestants delivered elaborate presentations filled with clever ideas and theatrical touches, “I do not recommend this”, she quipped.

For her own turn, Lai’s mentor advised her to focus on giving a compelling speech, drawing on her previous experience as a performance poet.

Lai emerged champion, ahead of runner-up Ketut Masdana from Indonesia and third-place finisher Liv Rosengren from Spain.

Lai may also have made another kind of history: there is talk that she is the first woman to win the Giffard West Cup since it began in 1997, although Giffard has not officially confirmed this.

Whatever the case, these days, Lai can be found behind the counter at Reka Bar in Kuala Lumpur, where her award-winning cocktails are available upon request.

Asked what advice she has for aspiring bartenders, Lai stressed that while bartending can appear to be a solo pursuit, having a strong support system matters.

“The quality of bartending in Malaysia now is really high. But you need friends, a community, who will support you if you want to go all the way. And you have to love if you want to be loved,” she concluded.

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