Thrown into an international mix of bartenders in Italy, Suwan "Tom" Seelee showed his pure class. Now, customers call him 'World Champion'

Smiles and complaints from customers are like lessons to a bartender, says Suwan "Tom" Seelee, a top bartender at the Conrad Bangkok Hotel.

"The cocktail mixes I serve aren't always perfect. But feedback from customers pushes me to improve," he says.

Despite never having been to "bar school", Tom, 28, recently returned from Italy as the Bartending World Champion, having won the prestigious Bacardi-Martini Grand Prix 2008.

But the road to the top has been a long one. Tom started out as a glass washer before moving on to drinks waiter. Now he rules the bar at a five-star hotel.

"I got my first cocktail book from a customer. It's been my first and only teacher," he says.

With the book open beside him, he practised for hours every day and began to create his own style of cocktails. Simply juggling bottles wasn't enough.

"Being a bartender is being a good entertainer; a listener with a friendly personality and pleasant manners. And there are rules to follow, like any other career," he says.

Tom believes anyone can make it as a high-flying bartender - you don't have to be tall, good-looking or speak good English.

"First, just ask yourself if you really want to be a bartender. It's not like other careers. Some people might not like the work or appreciate it. It's hard to fly high, but not that hard.

"Bartending comes from a foreign culture. But I never once thought that I'd lose to foreigners. I'm proud of my career and I'm always ready to learn new things."

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Winning shots

>> Before representing Thailand in Italy, Tom won a dozen awards in different national competitions over three years.

>> He took many weeks to create his latest cocktail, called Greenpeace. It won first prize in the Bacardi-Martini Grand Prix 2008.