Well, the Cocktail Festival is happening from the 16th to the 21st of March (next week!), and we’re pretty excited. At the very least, we’re going to be spoilt for choice on top quality drinks and (as much as we hate to use this word) experiences.
This comes with a happy problem, however: there’s so much to do that it’s a little overwhelming to take in all the details at once. Especially now that you’ve just remembered.
Never fear, we’ve come up with a last minute guide for you to minimise your planning time and maximise your playing time.
We’ve divided this guide into sections based on what you’re looking for during the festival – a prioritised list, so to speak.
1. Are you looking to learn something new?
If you’re a cocktail or spirits enthusiast who is looking to expand your knowledge, then you might want to consider looking into the various masterclasses first, given their set timings and limited availability.
There’s at least one going on every afternoon from the 17th to the 20th, which means that you can devote the closing and opening days to soaking in the atmosphere or just enjoying the drinks. In fact, there are enough masterclasses that you might not be able to go for them all- choices, choices.
We took a quick glance at the list of events and these ones looked particularly exciting:
- Bluecoat Gin Masterclass at Cin Cin (Friday, 3-5pm): Stuart Danker brings you through how Bluecoat Gin is produced, how to use it in cocktails, and through a tasting of the gins.
- Eat Drink Love Japanese Flavour at Nutmeg and Clove (Friday, 6-8pm): Award winning Japanese bartenders Ryu Fuji and Tsuyoshi Miyazaki introduce the unique ingredients used in their bars- and rumours abound that the legendary Hidetsugu Ueno might also pop by.
- The Kyrö Distillery Company Gin Workshop at Fat Prince (Saturday, 4-6pm): Mauricio Allende, Kyrö Distillery’s Brand Ambassador will pass on his knowledge of the Northern gin, including an exploration of its different botanicals.
- Easy to Make Whisky Cocktails at Home at The Wall (Sunday, 12- 2pm): Jeremie Tan shares details and techniques of making simple whisky cocktails. Make four whisky cocktails and bring home a set of basic bar tools.
- Rum Brunch and Master Class at Bago at Lime House (Sunday Brunch: 1130am- 3pm, Masterclass 3pm-5pm): Tuck into a Jamaican buffet-style brunch hosted by Global Rum Ambassador, Ian Burrell, or join Campari Ambassdor Daniele Pirotta, as he tells you more about Appleton Estate Rum.
A word of caution: the tickets for some of the masterclasses are likely to sell briskly- so do book ahead of time. Simply go to the website calendar, select the class you wish to attend, and then click “Register Now”.
2. Are you looking to meet guest bartenders?
You might have heard of them, and you might even have wanted to meet them in their native countries, but you had never quite found the time to make the trip.
Well, a slew of acclaimed bartenders from overseas will be here to serve up a storm at your favourite Singaporean bars.
The best place to check out the entire list is here. If we might be so bold as to make some recommendations, though, do meet Hiroyasu Koyama of Bar Benfiddich at his one-night-only appearance at Gibson on 16th March. He is famous for his painstaking rendition of a Campari Cocktail, which he prepares from scratch- down to pounding the ingredients with a pestle and mortar.
For a set of takeovers, look for the Battle of Japan and Battle of Taiwan at Nutmeg and Clove, where the whos who of bartending will grace the establishment for an evening. We heard that their bars home might be shuttered for the week so that they can head over to our littler red dot and serve some exquisite drinks!
Also keep an eye out for Ann Pinsuda (Bamboo Bar at Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental), Aki Wang (Taiwan’s cocktail “Godfather”) and Beckaly Franks (The Pontiac, Hong Kong).
3. Are you looking for a good time at a particular bar?
The most obvious choice would be to go back to your favourite bar- or perhaps one you have heard so much about- and enjoy some drinks.
Some bars will be offering special menus just for cocktail week. Tippling Club will be showcasing their Cosmos menu, which is modelled after a jaunt into the milky way galaxy. We tried a few of their drinks, and they were pretty good.
The Sun exudes heat- almost literally. Made with honey, lemon juice, light rum- and with a dash of Tabasco that gives it a crimson corona and a spicy flavour.
If the sun doesn’t appeal to you, why not think about the Moon? This one has a gorgeous, pock-marked surface not unlike that of La Luna. The drink itself is made from clarified milk, citrus and wine, which has the overall effect of making it taste like the best Yakult in the world. The nuanced milky flavour will remind you of white chocolate, and the whisky adds a vanilla, oak and marmalade flavour.
If you’d like to go a little further, the Cosmos is quite out of this world. It does resemble something like cookies and cream crossed with an Irish coffee, but the overall effect is so pleasantly sinful that I’d suggest going to Tippling Club just for cocktail dessert.
Homegrown bar Nutmeg and Clove will also be offering unique creations with their trademark local twist.
The Singapore Girl is a chrysanthemum, Campari, lychee, citrus and Botanist gin tipple. A delicate floral aroma greets you, with a light sweetness that will draw you in. The flavours also deliver in spades; like layers of a rosebud, the sweet first notes peel off to reveal a sour layer, and then a gentle chrysanthemum bitterness.
For something a little more familiar, then Nutmeg and Clove is also offering the Kopi cocktail. Remy Martin VSOP, Malaccan Coffee Bean-infused Ruby Port, Coconut liqueur and egg yolks make for a Singaporean breakfast in a glass.
If you’d like something a little more fruity, Tess Bar and Kitchen is serving up an Old Saint, among 6 other cocktails, during the festival. Made with cognac and a berry shrub, it’s teeming with sweet-sour flavours of the forest.
Most of the participating bars in the Singapore Cocktail Festival will also be offering discounts on their tipples. With so much on offer, we think that the simplest way to go about it is to search for a bar of your choice, then check out their deals.
If you’d prefer to have some food with your drinks, Cheek by Jowl will pairing up with Operation Dagger to deliver a 4 course dinner, pairing modern Australian dishes with avant garde creations by bar maestro Luke Whearty. Or, if you prefer something Italian, check out Once Upon a Time at Bar Termini by Tippling Club.
If you’re looking for bar recommendations, then (cue shameless plug) you can find them all here. We love Gibson, Sugarhall, The Wall, Tippling Club and Nutmeg and Clove, in no particular order.
If you’re looking for discounts as a good way to get acquainted with a bar, might we suggest the World Collaboration Menu at Gibson, going for $23++ during the festival? Or perhaps the Old Saint at $20+, available at Tess Bar and Kitchen? If you’re a night owl, The Other Room will be offering four drinks at $10 nett per drink and a cocktail and combo at $15 nett from midnight till 4am.
With it being cocktail week, remember to make reservations, especially on guest shift nights, to avoid disappointment. Nothing is as deflating as queuing outside the bar. In the rain. In your best shirt. Alone.
4. Are you out to try something new?
Go on a bar tour or hop. That’s the most efficient way to check out as many new places as possible in the shortest amount of time. Bar tour themed around flavours include “Gin There, Done That”, an all gin round-up, “Whisky Business”, which is all about the malts, and “Far East Movement”, which is all about using Asian flavours in cocktails.
If you’re looking for a more establishment focused tour, then “New Kids On the Block”, which features some of the newest joints in Singapore, or the “Keong Saik Walking Tour”, which explores one of the cocktail oases of Singapore, might be for you.
Each ticket is priced at $98 nett, which is pretty good considering you get 4 drinks and transport to the bars. You can book the tickets online or at the Festival Village itself at least two hours before the start of each tour.
If you’re looking to bar hop on your own, the Ann Siang Hill and Keong Saik Road areas are good bets. Many good bars are within minutes’ walk of each other. The Ann Siang area is particularly abundant; Nutmeg and Clove, Operation Dagger, Tiger’s Milk, The Wall, Crackerjack and Tippling Club are all in the vicinity.
5. Are you looking to party?
The Festival Village will be located on 99 Beach Road (next to Shaw Towers) and will be housed in a former police station. Featuring nine different cocktail rooms, a food street and a music stage, it’s a great place to check out different cocktails and enjoy some interesting sensory treats.
The cocktail rooms include the “Room of Illusion” by Kult, which invites enthusiasts to examine the beauty of single images. In the room of “Dreams”, Monkey Shoulder, Hendrick’s Gin and Reyka Vodka will create different dreamscapes for your sensory pleasure. Other rooms include the Cuts & Booze Room, inspired by the barbershops of yesteryear, the Disco Fitness Room, the Bols Genever Room and Snow Leopard Vodka Room and the Artisanal Spirits Room
If you’re looking for something a bit more action-packed, check out the Asia Bar Battle Room, where bartending teams from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam battle through challenges across categories such as “Need for Speed”, “Mystery Box” and “Flare Off”.
It’s not a party unless you have music, and the Resident DJs of CÉ LA VI will be there to entertain. The lineup includes Brendon P (disco), Ramesh K (eclectic), Joshua P (funk, soul, afro-jazz and breaks) and YA5TH (hip hop and R&B).
The village opens from 16 to 19 March 2017, 4.00pm to 10.00pm on Thursday and Friday, and 12noon to 10.00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Entry to the village is complimentary, and all cocktails will be retailed at $12 nett.
6. All of the above?
Well, then we suggest prioritising 1 and 2, then filling up the rest of your slots with 3, 4 and 5. That way, you get to attend the events, which follow a set schedule, while enjoying drinks at your leisure later.
Whatever you do, we suggest visiting the Festival Village anyway. Not only will you get a good spot of fun, you will also get to access The Singapore’s Next Top Cocktail Room, which will showcase the final four cocktails– Kopi Ol’ Fashioned by Crackerjack, Shiok Collins by Mitzo Restaurant & Bar, Lion City Sour by 28 HongKong Street and Leo’s Flip by Nutmeg & Clove.
You can vote for a cocktail that you think best represents Singapore today by uploading your vote on social media- and every vote counts!
If you’re looking for more information, or wish to register for events, you can do so at the official festival website.
