DENPASAR, Bali — Four bottles of Bali arak made their way from the island to Las Vegas this month, where they were auctioned for a combined US$400 during an international charity event supporting cancer survivors.

The bottles were brought by Balinese bartenders Gede Rico Hardiana Widnyana and I Wayan Eka Darmawan, who used the occasion to introduce the traditional spirit to an international audience at Circus Circus Hotel.

Each 750-millilitre bottle fetched an average of around US$100 during the Charity F@!& Cancer Flair for a Cause event on October 7. Rico said the opportunity was about more than the auction value.

“We want to show that local Balinese products have the potential to gain attention on the international stage,” he said. “More than that, we are proud that the proceeds could be donated to a charitable cause.”

Rico is a hospitality student at Triatma Mulya University and a competitive flair bartender, a style of bartending that combines drink-making with performance using bottles and bar equipment.

Just days before the charity event, he finished second at The TDuB World Championship – Grand Finals 2026 in Las Vegas, held on October 4 and 5.

For Rico and Eka, bringing arak to the United States was also a way to present a traditional Balinese product in a different setting — alongside bartenders and performers from around the world.

Arak has long been part of Balinese social and ceremonial life. In Indonesia, it was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage in 2022, while its production and distribution in Bali are regulated under provincial rules introduced in 2020.

The Las Vegas appearance gave the spirit a very different stage: not a village ceremony or local bar, but an international charity event where its sale also contributed to a social cause.

For Rico, that combination of culture, craft and charity made the moment especially meaningful.