What does it mean to collaborate?
Without delving into politics (which is surely better after a round of one’s favourite tipple), I believe the answer is bringing people from different countries and backgrounds together to make greater than the sum of its parts. Some truly fascinating creations have been made in recent years thanks to a world that is becoming increasingly borderless.
A whole new world
You might rightly ask what this has to do with drinks and bars, which is after all the domain of this blog. One should first consider that cocktail making, by its very nature, tends to be international. The classic Negroni, for example, consists of a British spirit, an Italian aperitif and a fortified wine that might have originated in China (though the provenance nowadays is usually Italian or French)- and you might very well be drinking it in Singapore. And we have not even begun to consider local twists on the classic!
Cocktails, like almost everything else, benefit from international collaboration.
Gibson‘s new World Collaboration Menu showcases the international nature of our favourite cold drinks. Described by owner Indra as the first-of-its-kind, it features five unique cocktails developed by fifteen master craftspeople across various industries and countries. Bartenders, chefs, brewers and even a tattoo artist came together over a period of 3 months to create these new libations. We take a look.
The Gibson
The top of the menu features a riff on Gibson’s namesake.Despite its western origins, this drink has a distinctive Japanese flavour to it. Perhaps it’s because its creators are Michito Kaneko, Bartender of the Year at Diageo Reserve World Class Global Final 2015, and two-time Singapore winner Aki Eguchi.
The subtlest, but largest change is that of the choice of ingredients. A traditional Gibson is simply a martini served with a picked onion. Here, Tanqueray Ten is used as the base, but the vermouth is made of sake! Umenoyado Brewery was commissioned to produce an exclusive batch of the vermouth, which blends traditional botanicals like wormwood, Japanese ingredients like wasabi, Hinoki oak, and yuzu, and Southeast Asian flavours of pineapple. In addition to the traditional onion, pickled ginger prepared in a special brine by sushi master Ashino Takumi is also served as part of the drink.
The drink is as light as expected, with a strong gin forward palate complemented by a spicy, savoury finish that brings out the pineapple in the vermouth (if one partakes of the ginger last). It’s a classic, and the addition of the ginger gives it uniqueness and heft.
Sling it Black
Diageo Reserve World Class Singapore 2016 winner Boo Jing Heng, and Thailand 2014 winner Neung Ronnaporn have come back with a Ketel One vodka based cocktail. One could never tell just by looking at it, though; the cocktail has an inky onyx colour, and is served with coconut shavings rimming the glass. The result brings to mind a sort of Southeast Asian Guinness.
Judging by its looks, however, is a mistake. The flavour is quite unlike that of an Irish Stout, and cleaves closer to home. The familiar fragrances of jasmine and coconut are tasted first, then gradually deepen into the dominant flavour of aromatic and spicy Thai tea. The drink is also “thrown”, instead of shaken or stirred. This allows aeration of the contents, but allows the cocktail to retains a smoother texture than a typical shaken cocktail. Perhaps it’s also a coincidence that shaking resembles the “tarik” motion made by local coffeeshop tea brewers, but it does bring home to the front of the mind.
I rather liked it, though its heft and sweetness do get heavy on the tongue after a while. A drink to enjoy, but in moderation, to be sure.
Beachside Boardwalk
Singapore shares its maritime heritage with a few other reasons nations. David Rios, World Class 2013 Bartender of the Year, and Rhyse Borland of Sugarhall worked with Spanish Restaurant Mugaritz (No,7 in 2016’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants) to bring the beach into the bar. One was sceptical at first, but this proved to be the proverbial pearl in the oyster.
Quite unusually, the cocktail was served as a granita, which was made by freezing watermelon, orgeat, Tio Pepe Sherry and Don Julio Blanco Tequila, then shattering the ice into a million tiny shards. The result resembles a gentle bed of pink sand. The theme is taken further with a side serving of edible brown “sand” (which one strongly suspects to be finely ground biscuits) and a sea salt spray.
Few cocktails achieve more than being a tasty drink, but this cocktail actually manages to conjure a sense of displacement; in drinking this, one is seemingly transported to a balmy beach. It is not merely the presentation alone that triggers yearnings for the seaside, but also the flavours and textures. The savoury tang of the sherry immediately reminds one of the sea, and complements the herbal, citrusy tequila. The refreshing watermelon flavours spark memories of enjoying a refreshing drink on some distant shore. However, it is the granita and edible sand that were the true strokes of genius- the sense of touch, so often neglected, is engaged playfully through grainy textures.
Truly great. This is what an experiential drink should be.
Quick Draw
Fermented banana wine, Ron Zacapa 23 rum and Tasmanian sea salt, garnished with deep fried banana heart. The classic combination of banana and rum tastes fine, but the result here one is a little disappointed. Other than the garnish, this seems a little old hat; compared with the rest of the menu, this thus seems almost too simple and “safe”. It is by no means a poor drink, but one was hoping for more out of this sweet-savoury cocktail.
Journey of the West
Jerrold Khoo and American-born Chinese Yao Lu’s cocktail is a complex take on an Old Fashioned, but that in a way that’s not immediately obvious. Served in a glass bottle, you’ll have to pour it over ice yourself. One could easily assume that it was a simple, mass produced product.
One would be wrong.
Where the typical Old Fashioned has but three ingredients, this has more than double that. Bulleit Bourbon was infused with Japanese houjicha-tea, cherry, vanilla, whisky barrel aged bitter and Guinness reduction. Master Carpenter Tim Chan of Bird’s Eye Studio carves spirals of French oak and ex-Japanese whisky American oak barrels. which are infused in the mixture. Finally, the whole lot is bottled; the bottle labels are designed specifically for the drink by tattoo artist Feroze McLeod.
What an incredible attention to detail!
This arduous process imparts layers of complexity which keeps one thoroughly engaged.A flavour of orange arrives first, then hints of banana, vanilla, spice,then oak, culminating in a bitter finish. A lovely medley of flavours.
Don’t you dare close your eyes
Collaborating with artisans and bar luminaries across the world might not be a new concept, but it is beautifully executed here with both skill and scale. Flavours both foreign and familiar are combined beautifully and add a great deal of novelty. The standout, of course, is the Beachside Boardwalk- which one highly recommends. The drinks will be on the menu permanently, which one s extremely pleased about. Here’s to hoping that Gibson continues on this shining path.
Gibson
Level Two, 20 Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore 089834
