All aboard! Perks of the competition included sightseeing in Amsterdam on the Heineken boat. 

MADDY HARKER 

If you want a well-poured pint, Trout Bar owner Ricky Barbara is your man.

Ricky placed second at the Heineken Global Bartender final in Amsterdam earlier this week, competing against 18 of the world’s best bartenders for the title of Heineken Bartender of 2017.

Ricky won a free trip to Amsterdam to compete in the finals after topping the regional and then national finals earlier this year.

How hard can it be to pour a pint, you may wonder?

A Trout staff member explained the steps to pouring the perfect Heineken: Rinse the glass in the beer grates, pour at a 45 degree angle, rinse the top off the foam at the same angle, make sure the bottom of the foam sits on the shoulder of the stars (on the Heineken-branded glass), and serve on a coaster with the Heineken label facing the customer.

Other factors come into play at a competition level, the employee said, and you could be marked down for things like having your beer nozzle touch the glass.

Heineken employs mystery shoppers to ensure their brews are poured perfectly. It was Ricky’s pour for a mystery shopper that put him into the regional competition that eventually led him to Amsterdam.

The competition was held at the Amsterdam’s Heineken factory, and competitors were also treated to city tours and sightseeing.

Ricky thanked his staff on Facebook for "holding the fort” at Trout Bar while he enjoyed the perks of his free trip.

PHOTO: Supplied