After six short (or very long, depending on one’s state of inebriation) days, the 2017 edition of the Singapore Cocktail Festival has come to an end.
Like many good tipples, it had moments both bitter and sweet. Mostly sweet, as it turns out. While we might not remember everything, given the amount of liquid pleasure imbibed, some moments definitely stood out.
We thought that it might be fun taking a parting glance down memory alley.
Something old
Where would we be without the classic cocktails of yesteryear? They’re as simple as they come; no fancy equipment or newfangled techniques.
There weren’t that many on offer, but the White Negroni made by Naren Young that we had at B28 came quite close. Don’t be fooled by its history; though the golden aperitivo is actually a recent invention, the flavours and techniques used cleave close to tradition.
Something new
We love classics so much that we were quite excited that there was a masterclass devoted to them. Well, we got something else entirely when we got down to Smoke and Mirrors for the class.
Imagine our surprise when we found that the daiquiri didn’t contain lime, the negroni didn’t contain campari, and the whisky sour had no egg whites! It’s somewhat akin to being served a steak with no meat in it, sushi with no rice, or perhaps fish and chips…made of tofu.
Well, we certainly had our eyes opened (with shock at first, then wonder following somewhat later) by the use of modern techniques. Pictured above is a rather interesting Vodka Martini, made bone-dry, with dehydrated yogurt, citrus gels and a ladyfinger adding the familiar vermouth, lemon, and olive notes.
An old friend and an odd couple
We’ve been a little neglectful of our first and best friend. It was our love of whisky- scotch whisky in particular- that brought us into the world of spirits and cocktails in the first place. The water of life is a little ornery, however. It does not have gin’s power to bond with other spirits and flavours, nor wine’s ability to lubricate a hearty meal.
Or at least, that’s the common wisdom. At B28, we had a Tullibardine 500 Sherry Finish that paired magnificently with slow-cooked beef short ribs. Sweet flavours of dates, sultanas and honey match great with a juicy chunk of marinated beef.
Around the World
A different water of life. Aquavit is not exactly a common spirit in Singapore, which is actually fairly surprising. A spirit flavoured primarily with caraway, anise and cardamom sounds like it should come from a country located so close to the ancient Spice Islands. Yet, the clear liquor actually hails from Scandinavia! Perhaps they were looking for the warmth.
Naturally, with the liquor being Nordic, a cocktail using it as the base spirit must be made by… a Japanese fellow. Soran Nomura of Fuglen Tokyo made the sour above while guesting at Sugarhall. He used lime juice and aquavit as the key components; and we can’t help but notice that the components are definitely tropical.
We reflected on the strange journey that the drink took to get back to the tropics.
An unexpected journey
Speaking of an unexpected journey, the Savoury Fizz above was made for us by Aki Wang while he was at Anti:dote. We’ve already talked about it before, but we are still thinking about what an interesting drink it was.
The ingredients are unfamiliar to us, to say the least, so we found our imagination filling in the blanks. We drifted off to to a cold faraway seashore (though we know that Taiwan isn’t actually too far).
What did we learn? That it’s definitely possible to travel with our taste buds.
From the sea to the forest
If Aki’s drink took us to the sea, then Hiroyasu Koyama’s drink took us to the forest. The man has a sterling reputation in his native Japan, so we were practically leaping off our seat in excitement to try his Green Forest cocktail.
We had already heard about his painstaking preparation of each drink, but it’s one thing to watch a video, and quite another to see it unfolding before our eyes. We’re still not quite sure whether it would have made any difference to the taste if he had infused the herbs beforehand, but there was something on display that we often forget: drama.
Without using a single word, he commanded our rapt attention. Each movement of his hands- from the pounding, to the shaking, to the garnishing- was precise, graceful, and contained an important mystery: what’s next? A fine example of bartending as theatre.
A whole new world
We’re not the only people traversing the seas. We love meeting new people from far-off lands, especially when they serve drinks. Not only did we get to try all sorts of concoctions using exotic ingredients, we also made some friends. All the better to drink with, next time.
Learning something new
Being such cocktail geeks, we love learning new stuff. Admittedly, we were hoping for a bit more depth at this year’s classes, but we still managed to pick up some new ideas.
At PYXIEMOSS, we learnt more about preparing drinks for a house party- or more accurately – about preparing food to match them. The blue cheese stuffed dates are heavenly.
Team spirit
What’s a cocktail festival without fine spirits? Certainly not one worth going to. Fortunately, that was not the case here. We had a chance to try genever, cachaca, and even the homegrown Paper Lantern gin.
A little eclectic, maybe, but the world has such amazing diversity in its beverages that its a pity to stick to just one.
There’s no place like home
We’re particularly pleased that Team Singapore emerged the victors of the Asia Bar Battle. Singapore’s Next Top Cocktail is the Leo’s Flip, a drink oozes local flavour.
On reflection, it’s more than a little gratifying that these moments happened in Singapore.
We’re a true cocktail capital, and if nothing else, the last six days should stand testament to that.
