PARCHED | SINGAPORE COCKTAIL FESTIVAL 2018

The Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF) is upon us again, with new concepts, new bars and a new fresh central location.

There are two key dates to remember:

May 4-6: Festival Village, Empress Lawn.

May 4-13: Other events around the city.

Happening at the Festival Village, Empress Lawn

Open from 4 to 6 May 2018, this year’s Festival Village is right at the core of the Civic District. There’s an Artisanal Spirits Tasting Room, Festival Workshops, Asia Bar Battle Presented by City Nomads, Bar Tours, Food Street and music by renown Singapore jocks.

Festival Village tickets are currently on sale, and are priced from $28 for a 1-day pass, including an exclusive 3-piece SGCF cocktail shaker set (valued at $50). For more ticketing information, go to www.singaporecocktailfestival.com for the latest updates.

Festival Village bar pop-ups.

Singapore: Astor Bar, Bob’s Bar, Caffé B, Caffe Fernet, Cin Cin, Elixir Bar, Kult Kafe, Loof, Nutmeg & Clove, Propeller Bar, Smoke & Mirrors, Tess Bar & Kitchen, and The Wall.

Global: Catch award-winning bartenders Bob Louison from Pussyfoot Saloon (Seoul, South Korea), Brian Lu from Woo Taipei (Taipei, Taiwan), Elliot Ball from The Cocktail Trading Co. (London, United Kingdom), James Estes from Skullduggery (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Jamie He from Janes + Hooch (Beijing, China), Jamie Rhind from The Bamboo Bar (Bangkok, Thailand), Jericson Co and David Ong from The Curator (Makati, Philippines), Paul Chan from Dr. Fern’s Gin Parlour (Hong Kong), Raka Ambarawan from The Night Rooster (Bali, Indonesia), Sam Egerton from Merivale (Sydney, Australia). Some highlights:

Mitzo Bar & Restaurant

SGCF Mitzo

Check out Head Bartender Azlam Kadir’s coupla cocktails at the pop-up and the hotel bar. The four cocktails have Mitzo’s contemporary take on Cantonese cuisine – created exclusively for this year’s festival. Three of the cocktails, Garden of Eden, Oriental Dews and Shiso Mojito will be available at the Empress Lawn at $12 each.

The fourth drink, Camillo Island (above) will be available at Mitzo Bar, Grand Park Orchard throughout the festival. As the official hotel for the festival, you can get Festival tickets under the hotel’s Cocktail Festival Room package, available on Grand Park Orchard Hotel’s website.

RedTail Bar by Zouk Singapore

SGCF REDTAIL

The RedTail pop-up will feature three cocktails that conveys the bar’s aesthetics – refreshing drinks with Asian flavours. All $12 nett.

The Gardener: (Above) A whisky based east-meets-west mix with Chinese herbs including red dates and wolfberries. Topped with honey and tea foam, the drink presents an easy bittersweet and floral profile for sips.

Sour Summer: Derived from Zouk’s beloved Sour Plum Shot, the Sour Summer is a delightful fizzy take of the club signature splashed with soda and finished with kaffir lime leaves for a subtle citrusy whiff.

Pandan Cooler: Just as its name suggests, this one’s a refresher perfect for outdoor lounging with a concoction that features pandan infused gin, coconut liqueur, coconut water, fresh squeezes of lime and black walnut bitters.

*All patrons will be entitled to a raffle draw for every order of three drinks with prizes including RedTail Bar mascot, Xiao Hong plushies, Zouk merchandise and a chance to nab a pair of tickets for Israeli Psy Trance duo, Vini Vici’s upcoming gig on 11 May.

Artisanal Spirits Tasting Room

BLACK tomato gin

Features handcrafted small-batch spirits for festival goers to sample as well as get the chance meet the makers. Guests will be invited to taste unique, handcrafted spirits including Black Cow Vodka, the world’s only Pure Milk Vodka made entirely from the milk of grass-grazed cows; as well as Mekhong, The Spirit of Thailand, which is created through a secret production process that has been passed down for generations, using raw ingredients that exude a true Thai essence.

Highlight: Black Tomato Gin (above) is the world’s first ever gin made from tomatoes. Originating from small fishing village in the Netherlands, this distinctive gin is made by master distiller Meindert Kampen from a secret blend of botanicals grown in Dutch soil made from organic tomatoes, these tomatoes are macerated followed by the liquid being distilled in a copper pot. The gin has a clear nose of tomato and a nice, full, soft and round pallet. Black Tomato Gin balances sweet and savoury – a unique gin that complements every assortment.

$19 nett for four tasting shots (15 ml).

Happening Around The City

From 4 to 13 May 2018, festival-goers can also enjoy deals happening across the best cocktail bars and restaurants in Singapore. From discounted cocktails to special cocktail and food pairing menus, attendees can purchase a Cocktail Passport to enjoy these special offerings.

The Cocktail Passport is available for purchase at $15 nett from the Festival Village. Festival Village ticket holders will receive the Cocktail Passport for free. For the latest updates on events happening around the city, go to www.singaporecocktailfestival.com.

Bar Tours

Explore the Little Red Dot’s best bars on 9 and 12 May 2018 with the festival’s Bar Tours which will take cocktail enthusiasts on a pit-stop of four bars all on one exciting night. With a line-up of world-class bar stops from Caffe Fernet, Monte Carlo Boys, Nutmeg & Clove, Potato Head Keong Saik, Smoke & Mirrors and The Horse’s Mouth among others, this memorable experience allows drink lovers to get up close and personal with the bartenders and their festival featured cocktails.

Each bar tour ticket is priced at $98 per night, inclusive of a cocktail at each venue across four pit stops. Tour schedules and pre-booking will be available at www.singaporecocktailfestival.com from 12 April 2018.

Amrith

amrith SGCF

Bar takeover at one of our 2018 faves, Amrith.

7th May – Henry from Loewy Jakarta.
8th May – Nam Hai from Press Club & Cong from Mad Botanist, Hanoi.

Click here for more deets.

[ How Amrith is Making Cocktails That Are Fit For The Gods ]

Butcher Boy

Butcher Boy will be holding the inaugural Hendrick’s Gin Cocktail Masterclass headed by award winning bartend, Knut Randhem. Learn how to make four Hendrick’s Gin Cocktails in this fun and interactive workshop.

9th + 11th May
Time: 5pm – 6.30pm
Address: 31 Keong Saik

All participants will get an exclusive Butcher Boy x Hendrick’s Mixologist Starter Kit. Drop an email to reserve@butcherboy.com.sg for enquires. Places are limited.

Marcello

Marcello_Interior 2

May 5

Five of Italy’s most celebrated bartenders, including the notable Salvatore ‘The Maestro’ Calabrese*, will take to the Marcello bar to host an evening of flamboyant Italian charm and world class mixology:

• 3-5pm: Aperitivo Education session, introducing guests to the classic Italian tradition of aperitivo and the intricacies involved in the creation process

• 6pm onwards: five global talents will helm the Marcello bar, with each of them mixing a unique cocktail available for purchase for one night only

*Salvatore ‘The Maestro’ Calabrese famously created one of the world’s most expensive cocktails using some of the oldest bottles around such as a 1788 Clos de Griffier Vieux Cognac, Dubb orange curaçao from the late 1860’s and a 1770 Kummel Liquer, which was priced at £5,500.

May 7

An evening hosted by Benjamin Cavagna, the Bar Manager of 1930 Milano who is an expert in prohibition-style drinking. For one night only, Benjamin will add a classic Milanese touch to Marcello’s Cocktail Week programming.

• 5-7pm: Masterclass focusing on Italian Digestivi, making use of Marcello’s extensive collection of Amari to educate guests

• 9pm onwards: Guest bartender shift during which time Benjamin will shake and stir a selection of craft cocktails inspired by his hometown

Throughout the rest of the week, Marcello will be serving $10++ spritz cocktails served with Italian aged parmesan and smoked black olives during ‘Aperitivo Hour’, which takes place from 7-9pm, Monday – Saturday.

[ Read Our Interview With Marcello’s Head Bartender Palmira Bertuca Here ]

Origin Bar

Discover the unique Norwegian flavours brought by world-renowned bar HIMKOK, the 20th Best Bar in the World. Matching Origin’s love of local inspiration, HIMKOK, located in Oslo, has a strong focus on regional produce and Nordic flavours. The two bars are now coming together to showcase their unique cocktails with a not to be missed guest shifts at Origin Bar.

You can see the masters at work on the 9th and 10th of May for their guest shifts from 7pm till late. (Masterclass not available).

[ Read The Origin Story of Origin Bar Here ]

Once more – the dates:

May 4-6. Festival Village, Empress Lawn, 10 Empress Place, Singapore 179555.

May 4-13, all other events around the city.

For masterclasses, events, tickets, and all festival info, go to SGCF.