[Cover Story] Meet The Women Redefining Malaysian Bartending

Chang Yue Shuen, Maria Escobia, and Rachel Hor represent a new era of bartending; one where empathy, leadership, and creativity, are every bit as important as technical skill.

A decade ago, a bartender’s worth was often measured by speed, technique, and how flawlessly they could execute a Negroni under pressure. Today, the job description is considerably longer. Modern bartenders are expected to juggle hospitality, creativity, leadership, education, social intelligence, and business acumen, often within the span of a single shift. They play hosts, are storytellers and problem-solvers, all while managing the bar. The cocktail is only one part of the performance.

When Diageo’s World Class Malaysia made a comeback this year after nearly a decade away, it returned to a beverage landscape that barely resembled the one it left behind. Cocktail bars have become more ambitious. Guests are more informed, expectations are higher, and perhaps most noticeably, the people behind the bar have changed too. The numbers tell part of the story. When Amanda Wan won the competition in 2010, she made history as the first woman to represent Malaysia at the global finals in Athens. It was a milestone that felt bigger than a single victory. Then, in 2014, Leow Yinying took the title too, raising hopes that more women would follow.

However, the years that followed told a far different story. Progress seemed to stall, and the winners’ circle became an all-male affair. By 2016, all four finalists at World Class Malaysia were men. For more than a decade after Yinying’s win, no woman stood at the top again.

Fast forward to 2026, and the finals looked very different. Six women stood among the finalists, with Chang Yue Shuen, Assistant Manager of Coley, ultimately snatching up the national title and securing her place at the World Class Global Finals in Edinburgh, Scotland from 18–23 October.

But this is not a simple story about women entering what was once considered a male-dominated profession. It is about a profession that no longer looks the way it once did.

Technical skills still matter, but today’s bartenders are expected to educate guests, read the room, and occasionally play therapist when someone has had a very difficult day. The best ones understand people as well as they understand spirits.

Perhaps that explains why women are thriving. Shuen, along with two finalists Maria Escobia, Bar Manager and Head Bartender of Penrose KL, and Rachel Hor, Bar Manager of Three X Co, arrived behind the bar from remarkably different backgrounds. One came from coffee, one from dance and pageantry, and one from the world of psychology.

Yet they possess qualities that are increasingly valuable in modern hospitality: curiosity, adaptability, empathy, communication, and an ability to connect with people. In other words, skills that can’t be measured in ounces.

Coffee was Shuen’s first love

For Shuen, cocktails were never part of the original plan. “Coffee was my first love,” she says. Growing up, coffee was already part of daily life thanks to her mother, whose fondness for three-in-one coffee sparked Shuen’s early curiosity about flavour and beverages. That curiosity followed her all the way to Singapore, where an internship unexpectedly altered the course of her career

“I was given the opportunity to work behind the bar,” she recalls. “And I realised bartending offered the same things I loved about coffee—precision, creativity, and craftsmanship.” What began as an opportunity quickly became an obsession. Shuen immersed herself in learning, observing, and refining her craft, and eventually crossing paths with global bartending champion Bannie Kang, who became an important mentor to her. Yet for all the technical skills she acquired, it wasn’t cocktails that convinced her to stay. It was people.

“What makes me stay is the connection,” she says. “You meet people from different cultures, hear different stories, and have conversations you wouldn’t otherwise have. Every day is different.

Moving to another country also taught her lessons that continue to shape her approach behind the bar. Adapting to new environments and communication styles, and understanding different personalities became part of everyday life. Those experiences reinforced something she believes many people still misunderstand about bartending.

“People think it’s just making drinks,” she says. “But behind the bar you’re managing expectations, reading people, solving problems, and making sure guests feel extremely comfortable.”

Winning the competition may be the biggest achievement of her career so far, but Shuen views the title as part of a larger journey rather than a final destination.

“Winning isn’t just about the title,” she says. “It’s about every experience along the way and every person who supported me throughout the journey.”

More importantly, she hopes the victory helps shine a light on the talent emerging from Malaysia’s growing bartending community. “Malaysia has so many talented bartenders,” she points out. “Competitions like this can push us to improve and motivate the next generation when they see someone from Malaysia competing on the global stage.”

For Maria, a bar is just choreography with cocktails

If Shuen found bartending through coffee, Maria Escobia arrived via an entirely different path. Before stepping behind a bar, she spent years on stage.

A graduate of ASWARA, Maria trained extensively in multiple dance disciplines before she performed professionally with a dance company. Later, she ventured into freelance work, appearing in music videos, concerts, commercials, and productions alongside some of the country’s biggest names, including Dato’ Sri Hajah Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin. She also spent time in the pageant world, finishing as first runner-up at Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur 2017 and later as a Top 18 finalist in The Next Miss Universe Malaysia 2018.

At first glance, none of this seems particularly relevant to bartending. Maria disagrees. “When I looked at how a bar operates, it reminded me of choreography,” she says.

Watch a busy cocktail bar during service and the comparison begins to make sense. Orders arrive. Drinks are prepared. Guests are greeted. Conversations unfold. Staff move around one another in carefully coordinated patterns. It all happens simultaneously, yet somehow remains controlled, like a well-rehearsed dance.

“Taking orders, introducing the menu, making drinks, serving guests—there’s a sequence to everything,” she says. “There’s a rhythm and flow to it.”

Years spent performing in front of audiences also gave Maria an advantage that bartenders spend years developing. She can read a room. She understands body language. She knows when to engage and when to step back. Today, she totally believes that communication remains the profession’s most important skill.

“Guests are much more interested in what they’re drinking now,” she says. “They’re asking questions. They want to understand flavours, ingredients, and techniques.”

This means that bartenders increasingly need to become educators as well as service professionals. Equally important is leadership. Since moving into management, Maria realised that bartending extends far beyond the drinks themselves.

“You need to know how to explain things clearly, especially when you’re teaching someone or guiding a team,” she says.

And contrary to popular belief, the work begins long before the first guest arrives. At Penrose KL, preparations often start hours before opening. Ingredients are prepared, cocktails are batched, stations are organised, service plans are reviewed, and staff training takes place. “People think bartenders come in, make drinks, and go home,” Maria says with a laugh. “They don’t see everything that happens beforehand,” she adds.

The psychology of hospitality for Rachel Hor

Rachel Hor’s route into bartending might be the least conventional of all. Long before she was shaking cocktails, she wanted to become a clinical psychologist. “Psychology fascinated me,” she says.

After completing her studies, she travelled to Georgia in the United States for an internship before pursuing a master’s degree. Then bartending happened almost by accident. A bartender called in absent and Rachel was asked to step in. There was no formal training programme waiting for her. No mentor guiding her through the process. Just a collection of delicious recipes.

“I followed the recipes and started making drinks,” she recalls. One of the first cocktails she ever made was a Southern Peach. “I don’t actually enjoy drinking spirits on their own,” she admits. “But I found it fascinating how different ingredients could come together and become something new.”

What started as a temporary assignment eventually became a career. Interestingly, Rachel doesn’t see psychology and bartending as separate worlds. If anything, she believes they’re remarkably similar. “Psychology taught me how to listen,” she says. “It taught me how to understand people beyond their words.”

That ability has become one of her greatest strengths behind the bar. Some guests want company and conversation while others want privacy. Some arrive celebrating while others simply need a quiet moment at the end of a difficult day. The challenge then lies in recognising the difference.

“In psychology, you’re trying to understand people’s thoughts and behaviour,” she says. “Behind the bar, it’s very similar. My job is to make people feel heard, seen, cared for, and valued.”

The same approach extends to leadership. Rachel often draws on those skills when mentoring her younger team members and helping them grow professionally.

“A bar is a living study of human behaviour,” she says. For her, the most important skill any bartender can possess isn’t technical ability alone, but the care and affection they have for their guests.

“You can teach someone how to make a cocktail,” she says. “You can’t teach someone to genuinely care about people.” The second one is curiosity. “Without curiosity, you stop learning,” she says.

More than just drinks

Ask most people what bartenders do and the answers tend to be predictable: make drinks, work late, and entertain guests. But the reality is far more complicated.

Managing stock and designing menus are only part of the job. Today’s bartenders are expected to oversee operations, mentor staff, understand flavour science, and uphold service standards under pressure—all before making a single cocktail. The work has evolved from technical craft into a discipline centred as much on people as it is on drinks.

“Everyone can learn to make a good cocktail,” says Shuen. “But if you can connect with people and leave a lasting impression, they’ll remember you.”

Rachel agrees. “A good bartender can make a perfect martini,” she says. “A great bartender makes a guest feel seen.” That distinction increasingly defines hospitality today. Guests may not remember the drink, but they rarely forget how someone made them feel.

Why more women are thriving

As bartending becomes more people-centric, many qualities traditionally overlooked are becoming increasingly valuable such as empathy, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

Qualities all three women returned to during their conversations. For Shuen, it’s about connection. For Rachel, it’s care. For Maria, it’s communication.

Together, they paint a picture of a profession that rewards far more than precision. And perhaps that helps explain why more women are thriving today than before.

“A long time ago, bartending was very much a male-dominated industry,” says Shuen. “But things are changing.”

Rachel has witnessed the shift firsthand. “It’s good to see more women chasing things they might not have dared to pursue before,” she says. At the same time, she is realistic about the work that remains. “It takes time to change perceptions.” Even so, the progress is undeniable.

Having six female finalists at a bartending competition would have been difficult to imagine a decade ago. Today, it feels entirely natural, expected even. Malaysian bartending has never been more ambitious. Guests are far more knowledgeable, bars are more creative, standards are higher, and local talent is increasingly earning international recognition.

For Rachel, competitions provide something invaluable: visibility. “I believe that Malaysia is ready to shine as a destination for world-class hospitality,” she shares. Maria hopes the competition inspires others to step forward. “There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes,” she says. “The important thing is to try.”

At the centre of it all stands Shuen, preparing to represent Malaysia at the World Class Global Finals in Scotland later this year. Yet, even after lifting the national trophy, her focus remains firmly on the people who helped her get there. “It’s a reminder that every experience and every person who supported me along the way matters,” she says.

Which perhaps says a lot about where bartending is headed. The future of the profession won’t be defined solely by better cocktails, more elaborated techniques, or complex menus. It will be defined by people.

Malaysian bartending has evolved into a profession that rewards curiosity as much as craftsmanship, empathy as much as expertise, and connection as much as creativity. What sits behind this change is a subtle but significant cultural shift. These women are not the exceptions to that evolution. They are among those leading it, setting the benchmark behind the bar.

Creative Director & Fashion Styling: Andrea Wong
Photography: Aaron Lee
Photography Assistant: Abhar
Senior Graphic Designer: Shye Ayob
Hair and make-up: Joey Yap; Nicole Ng

Coley; Three X Co, Penrose KL