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HAPPY NIU YEAR!
04 Feb 2021 By Ben Chin
Kick Off An Ox-cellent New Year With These Uniquely Festive Treats, From Whiskies To CNY Cocktails To Booze-Free Spirits – There’s Something For Everyone!
Glenfiddich Chinese New Year 2021 Special Editions
Available with the Glenfiddich Reserva Rum Cask 21 Year Old as well as the 12, 15 and 18 Year Old Malt Whisky variants, the vibrant and colourful limited edition gift box is the work of burgeoning Chinese illustrator Rlon Wang. It’s not dissimilar to the 2020 edition, also designed by Wang, but the new pack (which includes 2 whisky tumblers) is even brighter and more festive. Cleverly, the Scotch maker has refrained from year-specific animal art – no rat last year, no ox this year (though one can make a very tenuous argument about the stag being a distant European cousin?) – so the bottles remain giftable every Lunar New Year.
Glenfiddich has also stepped up their personalisation game with an Augmented Reality experience available with every bottle. You can now customise your very own personal message to loved ones via GlenfiddichAR.com – it’ll look something like this.
The beautiful Chinese New Year gift packs are available on the William Grant & Sons LazMall flagship, The 1887 Bar via GrabFood, 1855 The Bottle Shop etc.
Junior The Pocket Bar x Rémy Martin’s Chinese New Year Pop-up
Raise a glass to the Year of Ox as Junior rotates into a red room of fantastic beasts, festive tipples and other CNY goodies. The limited-run pop-up is receiving guests from now til 27 Feb, serving up highlights like Rolling for Prosperity ($25++), a pineapple tart in cocktail form with Rémy Martin VSOP, pineapple, spiced brown butter rum and lemon, served with an actual pineapple tart on the side and, if you’re feeling indulgently splurgy, the Year of the Ox ($88++) – 2 pours of Rémy Martin XO served with braised oxtail tarts.
We also really enjoyed the New Year-inspired bar bites, especially the updated Abacus Seeds, charmingly referred to as Asian yam gnocchi on the menu. Served with baby scallops, shitake mushrooms, 63 degree egg, dried shrimp & scallop powder (S$18), it’s a comfortingly familiar yet elegant dish you can pair with cocktails.
Or take the party home, if you prefer, with their CNY Cocktail Party Pack, featuring 5 of their festive cocktails, available for takeaway or delivery. Make reservations or order here.
Carlsberg ‘Celebrate Prosperity, Cheers Together’ Limited Edition Red & Gold Danish Pilsner
Apparently, it’s no ordinary ox, but the Year of the Golden Ox, so Carlsberg has emblazoned their new cans with a, well, golden ox to “symbolise resilience and persistence as we welcome a better year ahead.”
“We have also specially crafted a series of exciting activities and promotions to help fans of Probably the Best Beer in the World celebrate better beer moments, and bask in the merriment of the season to welcome an OXpicious 2021,” said Mr Olivier Dubost, Managing Director of Carlsberg Singapore, referring to the chance to win up to $500,000 when you buy Carlsberg at at major hyper and supermarkets, convenience stores and online via all major e-retailers, and participating coffee shops and hawker centres islandwide. For more info on their ongoing Lunar New Year promotions, check here.
Kyushu Spirits’ Asakura Premium
For something a little different, why not a koji whisky from Japan? Asakura Premium is Kyushu Spirits’ inaugural product, distilled from 100% local Japanese barley (mugi) and matured in oak sherry casks. It’s combined with traditional koji fermentation to give it a distinctively smooth taste and texture.
As you can see, the whisky is a lovely deep gold and the bottle itself is elegant and masculine, a lovely addition to any home bar. On the nose, you get honey, vanilla and coconut from the oak cask, combined with a hint of soft white florals. On the palate, notes of honey work with hints of buttery brown sugar and cinnamon with a touch of yuzu zest.
Lyre’s Non-alcoholic Spirits
For those of you who’re extending your Dry January to February, Lyre’s award-winning range might just be the way to go. In celebration of Chinese New Year, as well as the launch of their new e-commerce platform (https://lyres.asia/) in Singapore, the first market in Asia to offer an online direct-to-consumer option, Lyre is offering a complimentary bottle when you buy any four 700 ml bottles.
What’s more, customers can use the promo code LUNAR from 5 to 8 February 2021 to enjoy the promotion and receive a 15-minutes one-on-one mixology class with Lyre’s Brand Ambassador. And, customers will receive 10% off their first purchase and free shipping in Singapore for all orders above $110!
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