Asia Bar Culture Nov 2012 by Asia Pac Hospitality Media Sdn Bhd

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS www.aphmedia.com

cuL T URE

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 Asia’s Bi-monthly Mixology Magazine INAUGURAL ISSUE

ASIA’S MOST EXPENSIVE COCKTAIL

The Jewel of Pangaea

created by award-winning mixologist Ethan Leslie Leong

Raspberry Walk-in ISSN: 2289-2133

PP17765/05/2013 (032520)

RM10 (Malaysia) S$6 (Singapore) AUD$6 (Australia)

by Bombay Sapphire

IN THIS ISSUE...

Preparing for cocktail competitons by Kazuhiro Chii (Chief Bartender, Waku Ghin, Marina Bay Sands Singapore) • Tales of THE Cocktail with Avery Glasser (Founder of Bittermens) • Melbourne City “Drinks” Tour with Michael Chen (Operator of Golden Monkey, Melbourne) • Featured Mixiologists Singapore : Gan Kwok Yee (Owner, Jigger & Pony) Malaysia: Ben Ng (Founder of Fluid Alchemy), Karl Too (Tate), Shawn Chong (Independent Mixologist) drink responsibly

cuL T URE

2 CONTENTS

cuL T URE 8

ABC CREATIONS

COVER STORY

8 The Jewel of Pangaea

Asia's most expensive cocktail, The Jewel of Pangaea. The extravagant cocktail is concocted using some of the most expensive ingredients in the world.

12 Ethan Leslie Leong

Featured Master Mixologist

cuL T URE

3 CONTENTS

FEATURES

14 Raspberry Walk-In (Bombay Sapphire) 26 ABC City Tour

Australia (Melbourne) by Michael Chen

29 ABC City Tour

Malaysia (Klang Valley) by S.J. Zheng

FEATURES

Food pairing: “Flaming Hokkaido Scallops”

48 Tales of the Cocktail

The 10th anniversary and beyond. Avery Glasser, the Founder of Bittermens, talks about Tales of the Cocktail.

UP THE RANK

ABC CREATIONS

Snapshot

Regulars

56 The Bacardi Singapore Cocktail Search

6 Editor's Note

ABC Creations

In the news

18 "Oktoberfest" by GAB 44 “Raise your glass”: The Australian Bar

38 Jack Rose

by Gan Kwok Yee (Singapore)

Awards recognises the best in the Aussie bar scene

39 Rum and Roses

46 "Sydney Bar Week Wraps Up!" 34 Up the rank

by Ben Ng (Malaysia)

40 Benne Angos

Preparing for cocktail competitions by Kazuhiro Chii

by Karl Too (Malaysia)

41 Johnnie Nut Crusta

by Shawn Chong (Malaysia) Any suggestions or tip-offs for Asia Bar Culture? Drop us an email at: kit@drinkstrademedia.com info@aphmedia.com

THEME

52 Beer by Kevin Foo and Edwin Koh cuL T URE

4 CONTRIBUTORS

cuL T URE

SJ Zheng

Kazuhiro Chii

“ABC City Tour:

“Up the Rank: Preparing for

Malaysia (Klang Valley)”

Cocktail Competitions”

Pg 29

Pg 34

Gan Kwok Yee

Ben Ng

Karl Too

Shawn Chong

“ABC Creations:

Jack Rose”

Rum and Roses”

Benne Angos”

Johnnie Nut Crusta”

Pg 38

Pg 39

Pg 40

Pg 41

Avery Glasser

Edwin Koh

Kevin Foo

Yann Loh

“Tales of the Cocktail”

“Beer”

Author of Asia Bar Culture

Pg 48

Pg 52

Creations #01 and Asia Bar Tales

cuL T URE

THE TEAM Corporate Asia Pac Hospitality Media Sdn Bhd www.aphmedia.com info@aphmedia.com Editorial Senior Editor Janet Tay Contributing Editor Kit Writers SJ Zheng, Alex, Wong Contributors Michael Chen, Kazuhiro Chii, Shawn Choong, Ben Ng, Karl Too, Gan Kwok Yee, Avery Glasser, Edwin and Kevin Foo, Yann Loh Photographer Drinks trade media Designer Tatiana E. Laban Publisher Penerbit Wawasan Nusa (M) Sdn Bhd (866817-P) Wisma Wawasan, 19-2 Jalan Pjs 8/12 Dataran Mentari, Bandar Sunway 46150 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 603-5630 1802 Fax: 603-5630 1803 Email: info@pwn.com.my Website: www.pwn.com.my Printer Intan Spektra Sdn Bhd 12 Jalan Vivekananda, 50470 Kuala Lumpur

All right reserved by ASIA BAR CULTURE and its publisher. While every care has been taken, the publisher, writes, adn editors will not be held liable for errors, inaccuracies or commissions. Unsolicited material is submitted at senderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s risk. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of copyright owner. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this magazine via the internet or any other means without the permission of publisher is illegal by law.

cuL T URE

6 EDITOR’S NOTE

Says the Editor...

elcome to the inaugural issue of Asia Bar Culture, a bi-monthly mixology magazine that seeks to introduce the bar industry in Asia to the world. We focus on the art of mixology and the people who champion them with utmost passion, as well as bringing you news on the latest happenings in the bartending scene, be it the opening of a new bar or an awards ceremony. You can also find unique, mindblowing recipes concocted by innovative mixologists and be inspired to try them out yourself!

WHO’S ON THE COVER?

Cover Ethan Leslie Leong Location Maison Ikoku Singapore Watch GC

Asia Bar Culture is an industry-based magazine that thrives on raising the standards and pushing the boundaries of hospitality venues in Asia. We provide informative content to industry professionals and also introduce the professionals behind the scenes. The magazine also highlights industry movers and shakers, upcoming trends and various roles played by other complementary industries such as building and construction, music and entertainment, equipment and so forth. We will also feature related industry news happening around the globe and act as a platform for the exchange and sharing of knowledge. We want to promote outstanding alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages alike to the public, as well as hospitality and events to raise awareness about the responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages. To start the ball rolling, our cover story in this issue features The Jewel of Pangaea, Asia’s most expensive cocktail, made with some of the most expensive ingredients in the world and created by award-winning Master Mixologist, Ethan Leslie Leong. We guide you to the best watering holes in Melbourne and the Klang Valley, some of which are undiscovered gems with locations so nondescript, you may just walk past these best-kept-secrets without noticing! Kazuhiro Chii, Chief Bartender at the Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, gives sound advice on how to prepare for cocktail competitions while Avery Glasser, the Founder of Bittermens, talks about the 10th anniversary of the Tales of the Cocktail, the world’s largest event for craft bartenders. Kevin Foo and Edwin Koh provide insights into the world of craft beer and micro-brewing, enlightening those of us who may not realize that there is a much larger variety of this refreshing yellow beverage beyond the usual commercial brands. There is also news about The Australian Bar Awards event that recognizes the best in the Aussie bar scene and coverage on Oktoberfest celebrations by Guinness Anchor Berhad in the Klang Valley, and featured cocktail recipes such as Jack Rose, Rum and Roses, Benne Angos, Johnie Nut Crusta, infused with the enthusiasm of creative mixologists, apparent in the presentation and uniqueness of flavour of these cocktails. We hope you will find our inaugural of Asia Bar Culture fascinating as it is the first of many more exciting issues to come. If you have any comments or suggestions on what you would like to see in this magazine, please write to us at info@aphmedia.com – we would love to hear from you. Cheers!

Janet Tay

Photography by Drinks Trade Media

cuL T URE

A TOA ST

TO POPPI N G THE COR K TO SUR PR I SI N G THE PA LATE TO I N DULGI N G THE FI VE SEN SES TO SAVOURING EVERY SIP

T O C E L E B R AT I N G E XC E P T I O N A L TA S T E W I T H T H O S E W H O M AT T E R M O S T

8 COVER STORY

Jewel The

of Pangaea

Luxury club Pangaea and luxury jeweller Mouawad unveiled Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most expensive cocktail, The Jewel of Pangaea. the extravagant cocktail is concocted using some of the most expensive ingredients in the world. The drink is made using a gold-flecked Richard Hennessy cognac, a smoke-infused raw sugar cube with Jerry Bitters, topped with 1985 vintage Krug champagne and lastly garnished with a Mouawad Triple X 1-carat diamond attached to a chain

he Jewel of Pangaea is created by award-winning mixologist Ethan Leslie Leong and is a play on a classic champagne cocktail, using only the most premium ingredients:

Richard Hennessy cognac. In 1765, Richard Hennessy laid the foundations of a priceless collection made up of more than 100 of his most exceptional eaux de vie, some of which date from the early 19th century. The finesse of the finished cognac is a testament to years spent slowly maturing in oak barrels. It is from this collection that Hennessy has created the gold-flake infused Richard Hennessy cognac, as homage to its founder. Balanced and complex, the rich bouquet slowly releases a succession of aromas that have built up over the years: vanilla, spices, pepper and delicately fragrant flowers. Ethan specially infuses gold flakes into the Richard Hennessy cognac to create the luxurious cocktail. A Smoked Raw Sugar Cube. Before serving this drink at Pangaea, the sugar cubes are carefully smoke infused with a mixture of apple wood, hickory wood, and lemon wood.

cuL T URE

10 COVER STORY

Mouawad Triple X 1-carat Diamond Triple X means triple excellent. This means the diamond received the highest possible grading for its cut, polish and symmetry from its certificate-issuing laboratory. Colour and clarity comes from nature but cut, polish and symmetry exemplifies art of gem cutting, of mankind’s quest for perfection. Cut A diamond’s cut determines how effectively the stone can refract light back to the viewer’s eye. A well-cut diamond will appear very brilliant and fiery, while more poorly cut stones can appear dark and lifeless, regardless of colour or clarity. The cut of the diamond is largely determined by its proportions of its crown and pavilion. As light strikes a diamond’s surface, it will either reflect off the table of a polished stone or enter the diamond. The light that enters the diamond and reflects from within is considered a diamond’s brilliance. Excellent cut diamonds give total internal reflection which means 100% of the light entering is reflected back to the eye, making the diamond sparkle with a fire from within. Smoke Infused Bitters. Jerry Thomas bitters (named after the most famous bartender of the 19th century) are chosen here and through smoke infusing bring out a deeper, richer bitterness. 1985 Vintage Krug (750ml bottle). The server tops off the cocktail with this and leaves the remainder of the bottle for the guest to toast with after the cocktail is served. This divine, one-of-a-kind tipple is presented in a vessel of equal calibre: a stunning silver and crystal champagne flute with a certificate of authenticity presented to the buyer. Perhaps the height of nocturnal decadence, drinking cocktails with diamonds is surely reserved for the few with means but the notion is itself something that will capture the imagination of plenty and The Jewel of Pangaea will soon give new meaning to the phrase “on the rocks”.

Symmetry Symmetry is the relationship of each facet to the next. Symmetry manages the light play via the diamonds’ refractive properties. Poor symmetry can cause the light that enters the stone from any plane to bleed out. This will affect the cut grade of the diamond. Polish Polish refers the finishing of the diamond. Poorly polished diamonds have blemishes on the surface which tarnish its beauty. Excellent polish gives the diamond scintillation, the flashes of light glittering from the surface of the diamond. Thus, the triple X stands for perfection in terms of the work put into the diamond. There is no way a rough diamond can compare with a cut diamond in terms of its fire and sparkle. A triple X diamond is the best of the cut diamonds, thoroughly fulfilling the potential of the gem. No fluorescence Fluorescence is a natural phenomenon in which some diamonds will glow in the presence of UV light. Fluorescence tends to have a negative effect on the appearance of white diamond, giving it a slight to severe haziness in regular light. Thus it has a negative impact on the price of colourless diamonds. cuL T URE

cuL T URE

12 COVER STORY

Master mixologist

than Leslie Leong, 36, started his career in cooking from the Chinese kitchen to the Western restaurant as Chef in 1992 and switched to the bar scene at ABR Holdings Ltd, moving from bartender to bar supervisor in 1996. Since then, he has been focused on the F&B industry and has established over 20 years of experience. As a newbie in the industry, the passionate Ethan represented Singapore in international competitions, such as the “International Flair Competition 1997” in Birmingham, U.K, in which he was ranked 13th across the world. In 1998, Ethan was voted “Bartender of the Year 1998”, In addition, he also won the Singapore Champions and Best Newcomer in the “Europa Bar Team Challenge 2”. He was invited to perform a flair show at the Grand Opening of “Saltimbanco– Cirque Du Soleil” in 2000 during his stay with China Jump Singapore. Always striving to improve and upgrade himself, Ethan graduated from SHATEC with a certificate in bar management in 2001 and was a bar manager in The Liquid Room, Operations Manager in Club Centro 360 and General Manager in Club Happy, during the period of 2002-2006. With his sure-fire passion and extensive knowledge in wine, spirits, food and cigars, Ethan played a business consultancy role to Lifebrandz’s range of F&B establishments, bars and clubs, such as Ministry Of Sound, Hed Kandi, Fashion TV, Buddha Bar, Bice, Aurum and Clinic The Club. More recently, Ethan is also the former co-founder and director of Drink Culture and Bar Stories. Beside a directing role in Maison Ikkoku, Ethan also hosts a Master Mixology Class with City Nomads every month and he is one of the judges for the Bombay Sapphire World’s Most Imaginative Bartender Challenge 2012. In August 2012, he successfully completed the performance of “The First Flying Cocktails in the world” in I-Fly Singapore, the world largest indoor skydiving and hosted the bespoke cocktails press conference for a Singapore TV station.

ETHAN LESLIE LEONG

Director of Bar / Master Mixologist, MAISON IKKOKU

In September 2012, Ethan got invited to conceptualize the entire cocktail list for the Spider Room and created “The Most Expensive Cocktails of Asia” for Pangaea Singapore, located in Marina Bay Sands Singapore. Ethan is also a spokesperson for Gc Watches “Smart Luxury”. Keeping true to his life motto of “Move ahead, you only live once”, Ethan has climbed his way up to becoming a respected mixologist today. Ethan’s gregarious disposition has made him a favourite with the media and he has been featured in several publications, including The Straits Times, Business Times, TODAY, My Paper, Singapore Tatler, Prestige, Appetite, Epicure, Surface Asia, Time Out Singapore, Men’s Folio, WOW, Time Out Singapore, Yahoo Singapore, I.S Magazine, CNNgo, JPlus, XinMSN, U-Weekly, I-Weekly, L’Officiel, Expat Living, August Man, Designare Homme, ALEXIS and many more. During his free time, the single and eligible Ethan works out at the gym, jogs and plays beach volley ball. cuL T URE

Keeping true to his life motto of “Move ahead, you only live once.”

cuL T URE

14 COCKTAIL ABC

Raspberry Walk-In Looking for THE perfect drink with food? Well, you can stop searching. Here is the Raspberry Walk-In. The simple 8 steps to a good cocktail

step

12 &

step

RASPBERRY WALK-IN raspberries raspberry liquor freshly pressed lemon juice sugar Bombay sapphire 1. Put 4 pieces of raspberries in mixing glass 2. Mix them with 1 bar spoon of custard sugar (sweet sour) 3. Flame for 10 seconds (caramalize the raspberry) 4. Muddle into a jam mix 5. Add 15ml of lemon juice 6. Add 15ml of raspberry liquor 7. Add 45ml of Bombay sapphire 8. Shake & strain

cuL T URE

step

cuL T URE

Flaming Hokkaido Scallops ($48) Oven-baked Hokkaido Scallops, Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Thyme, Mixology Secret Sauce, FlambĂŠ with Special Spirits Pairing with

Raspberry Walk-in Bombay Sapphire, Raspberry, Bitters, Lemon

Organic Bombay Mary Cherry Tomatoes, Bombay Sapphire, Lime, Thyme, Worcester sauce, Tabasco, Sea Salt, Celery Salt, Himalaya Pink Salt, Black Pepper. cuL T URE

2011 Best Pilsner

www.hawthornbrewing.com.au cuL T URE

The fifth year annual Oktoberfest festival in malaysia by Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB), the leading beer and stout company in Malaysia cuL T URE

the Munich Oktoberfest. Such high praises for the beer means that you should not miss out on this great opportunity to experience the world’s finest Oktoberfest beer at the selected outlets during our Oktoberfest celebrations,” said Yap Swee Leng, Marketing Director of GAB. With so much love in the air, GAB is pulling all stops to ensure that their fans’ affections will be well reciprocated. Apart from attractive beer promotions, beer lovers will also be treated to a limited-edition 1L Ceramic Mug, the quintessential Oktoberfest staple when they purchase 1L of Tiger Beer.

The FIRST GAB’s

OKTOBERFEST CELEBRATION KICKS OFF!

Fun and laughter filled the air during the GAB’s Oktoberfest Celebration

UALA LUMPUR, 5 OCTOBER 2012 – Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB), the leading beer and stout company in Malaysia, returned into its fifth year of running the annual Oktoberfest Oktoberfest festival in Malaysia with a bigger selection of iconic beers such as its official Munich Oktoberfest beer, Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier, as well as plenty of fun-filled and exciting parties, special promotions and events throughout this October. Beer lovers were treated to a night of fun-packed activities with German-infused food, and a vast selection of beers such as the award-winning Tiger, Guinness, Heineken, Anchor, Kilkenny, Strongbow and Paulaner at the GAB Oktoberfest Celebration party at The Clover Pub, Solaris Mont Kiara. The gorgeous GAB’s Oktoberfest brand ambassadors were also seen taking photos with the patrons while holding the quirky Oktoberfest placards. Exciting activities such as beer stein holding competition, beer stein race and live band kept the crowd highly entertained throughout the night. Patrons were seen enjoying themselves on a Friday night while toasting loudly in German, “Prost!” Winners of the games got to walk away with the limited-edition Oktoberfest merchandises such as the Oktoberfest hats and T-shirts. “To complete your Oktoberfest experience, we are proud to offer one of the most iconic beers for Oktoberfest, the Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier which many beer enthusiasts have claimed to have successfully bottled the “beer-tent” atmosphere of

Consumers across Malaysia can experience the month long Oktoberfest celebration through:

Promotions: At selected Bars and Clubs: Take home a limited edition GAB’s Oktoberfest 1L Ceramic Mug with each 1L Tiger beer purchase. At selected Supermarkets: Consumers who purchase their beers from retail outlets such as Cold Storage, Mercato, Village Grocer and Jaya Grocer will enjoy store discount. Refreshment outlets (i.e., coffee shops and Chinese restaurants): For every purchase of any three big bottle of Tiger, Guinness or Anchor, consumers will get a discount of RM3. Consumers can also enjoy the flexibility to pair any of the three bottles between the three provided selections, to suit each individual’s preference. To add more excitement, GAB is introducing a Facebook activity called the Biermeister, where beer lovers can hunt for more rewards. Log on to GAB’s Oktoberfest Facebook page www. facebook.com/OktoberfestMY from 17 September – 31 October daily. “Prost” to your love for beer. cuL T URE

BEER-Y FINE

PAULANER

GAB PUTS A SPIN TO FOOD AND BEER PAIRING

OKTOBERFEST BIER:

UALA LUMPUR, 2 October 2012 – If you think beer and fine Chinese dining don’t go handin-hand, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. This Oktoberfest, Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB), the leading beer and stout company in Malaysia, is celebrating the versatility of its stellar iconic range of beers by collaborating with Prince Hotel and Residence Kuala Lumpur’s signature Chinese restaurant, Tai Zi Heen in coming up with a three-course beer pairing promotion to celebrate “For The Love of Beer” from 1-31 October.

THE ICONIC OKTOBERFEST BEER RETURNS TO GAB’S OKTOBERFEST CELEBRATIONS

uala Lumpur, 1 October 2012 – If you’re waiting for a chance to celebrate your love for your favourite brew on a mammoth scale, have no fear as Oktoberfest is coming to your neck of the woods again! Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB) has planned a range of promotions and celebrations to make the world’s largest beer festival worthy of its global phenomenon status. Apart from its stellar iconic offering of Tiger, Guinness, Heineken, Anchor, Strongbow, Kilkenny and Paulaner, GAB is also going to complete your Deutschland experience by bringing the Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier, also known as the Original Munich Oktoberfest beer, to Malaysia. Beer enthusiasts across the world have claimed that this bright, golden yellow coloured with rich malty aroma, full-bodied beer, brewed specifically for the Munich Oktoberfest since the earliest celebrations has successfully “bottled the beertent atmosphere” of the festival. Such praises for the beer means that beer lovers in Malaysia should not miss out on this great opportunity to experience the world’s finest Oktoberfest beer at the selected outlets offering it during GAB’s Oktoberfest celebrations. So if you’re wondering how you can top your tipple experience this Oktoberfest, taking place between 17th September and 31st October, just check out www.facebook.com/OktoberfestMY. While you’re at it, why don’t you also purchase a litre of Tiger beer, for you’ll be treated to your very own GAB Oktoberfest 1L Ceramic Mug, a 2012 limited edition, no less. “Prost” to your love for beer! cuL T URE

PAIRING!

THIS OKTOBERFEST AT TAI ZI HEEN, PRINCE HOTEL

To give a sneak preview of what diners can expect when they order the special menu at Tai Zi Heen, a selected group of media and bloggers was given the opportunity to pair Tiger, Guinness, Strongbow and Paulaner with a six-course special dishes prepared by Chef Michael Wong, Ta Zi Heen’s Chinese Head Chef. Each dish was designed to be paired with a particular beer to bring out the unique taste profile of the different GAB beers as well as enhancing the taste of the food, giving diners a unique gastronomic experience that cannot be replicated by other drinks. According to Keith Nair, the Guinness Anchor Berhad’s Beer Ambassador, “Tiger, Guinness, Strongbow and Paulaner are uniquely different taste profiles, being a lager, stout, cider and wheat beer respectively. While drinkers can already tell the differences when they savour the beers, the unique flavours of the beers truly come alive when they are paired with the right type of dish. It’s not as simple as just pairing it with food, it also has to take into account how the dish is prepared and cooked. This beer pairing menu with Tai Zi Heen is a great opportunity for diners and beer enthusiasts to sample GAB’s unique range of beers with decadent dishes.” Tai Zi Heen’s “For The Love of Beer” threecourse beer menu is available throughout GAB’s Oktoberfest Celebrations from 1-31 October at RM150++ per person. Each dish will be paired with Tiger, Guinness, Strongbow and Paulaner and each diner can take home a special limited edition GAB’s Oktoberfest 1L ceramic mug. Apart from the special promotion at Tai Zi Heen, this year, GAB has planned a range of promotions and celebrations to make the world’s largest beer festival worthy of its global phenomenon status. Apart from its stellar iconic offering of Tiger, Guinness, Heineken, Anchor, Strongbow, Kilkenny and Paulaner, GAB is also going to complete beer lovers’ Oktoberfest experience by bringing Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier, the Original Munich Oktoberfest beer to Malaysia. To further make beer lovers’ happy hours happier, GAB has planned an extensive beer promotions campaign at all consumers’ touch points including pubs and bars, coffee shops, restaurants and retail outlets. No Oktoberfest is complete without the iconic beer stein or mug and this year, GAB’s Oktoberfest will feature a limited-edition 1L Ceramic Mug – a piece that beer lovers will be able to take home with every purchase of 1L of Tiger Beer.

With so much love in the air, GAB is pulling out all the stops to ensure that their fans’ affections will be well reciprocated. Apart from attractive beer promotions, beer lovers will also be treated to a limited-edition 1L Ceramic Mug, the quintessential Oktoberfest staple when they purchase 1L of Tiger Beer.

Clockwise: (Dessert) Purple sweet potato garnish with mango ice cream accompanied with lotus paste Chinese pancake—paired with Strongbow; (Soup) Hot and sour seafood with unagiparmesan stick—paired with Strongbow; (Main course #3) Kong Poh style chicken with dried chilies and cashew nuts in yam ring —paired with Tiger

cuL T URE

BEER FANS GOT THEIR LOVE MEASURED AT GAB’s OKTOBERFEST

UALA LUMPUR, 19 September 2012 – Two hundred beer lovers got together today to celebrate the launch of GAB’s Oktoberfest. At the party, the leading beer and stout company gave beer enthusiasts the rare chance to unite and shout out their love for their favourite GAB brews. To mark the occasion, GAB even created the country’s first BEER LOVE METER so that beer fans can see how much their love is worth. Needless to say, the crowd that gathered at the newly opened The Social at Publika faired extraordinarily well, scoring top marks on the BEER LOVE METER, sending the meter into confetti worthy overdrive. In the crowd of screaming fans was GAB’s Marketing Director, Yap Swee Leng, whose passion for the company’s iconic brews was also heard. When asked how the idea of a Beer Love Meter came about, Swee Leng explained, “We know how much our fans love our brews, but we thought it would be a great

way to celebrate Oktoberfest by putting that love to the test. As you can see, our beer fans cannot be truer as they scored full marks on the BEER LOVE METER. The activities and promotions that we have planned for this GAB Oktoberfest is really our way of thanking our fans for being so loyal and passionate about our brands.” Apart from its stellar portfolio of Tiger, Guinness, Heineken, Anchor, Strongbow, Kilkenny and Paulaner, GAB will pay homage to the world’s most well-known beer celebration by bringing in the original Oktoberfest beer from Munich, Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier. “To complete your Oktoberfest experience, we are proud to offer one of the most iconic beers for Oktoberfest, the Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier which many beer enthusiasts have claimed to have successfully bottled the “beer-tent” atmosphere of the Munich Oktoberfest. Such high praises for the beer means that you should not miss out on this great opportunity cuL T URE

Clockwise: A lucky guest receives a six-pack GUINNESS after winning the Beer Holding challenge; Beer lovers treated to a night of great fun at the GAB’s Oktoberfest launch at The Social, Publika; All fun and laughter at the GAB’s Oktoberfest launch at The Social, Publika; Shooting confetti in the air to launch the GAB’s Oktoberfest

to experience the world’s finest Oktoberfest beer at the selected outlets offering it during our Oktoberfest celebrations,” she added. To further make beer lovers’ happy hours happier, GAB has planned an extensive beer promotions campaign at all consumers’ touch points including pubs and bars, coffee shops, restaurants and retail outlets. No Oktoberfest is complete without the iconic beer stein or mug and this year, GAB’s Oktoberfest will feature a limited-edition 1L Ceramic Mug – a piece that beer lovers will be able to take home with every purchase of 1L of Tiger Beer. With so much love in the air, GAB is pulling all stops to ensure that their fans’ affections will be well reciprocated. Apart from attractive beer promotions, beer lovers will also be treated to a limited-edition 1L Ceramic Mug, the quintessential Oktoberfest staple when they purchase 1L of Tiger Beer.

cuL T URE

GAB Spreads

Oktoberfest Cheer

to Beer Lovers

Revellers celebrated Oktoberfest with great food, brews and a huge dash of German cheer at THE Royal Selangor Club

uala Lumpur, 12 October 2012 – Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB), the leading beer and stout company, brought great brews and even greater cheer to beer lovers as they celebrated the world’s most well-known beer festival at the Royal Selangor Club, Dataran Merdeka. Beer lovers were treated to a night of funpacked activities with German food and a vast selection of beers such as the award-winning Tiger, Guinness, Heineken, Anchor, Kilkenny, Strongbow and Paulaner at the GAB Oktoberfest Celebration party here. The gorgeous GAB’s Oktoberfest brand ambassadors were also seen taking photos with the patrons with the quirky Oktoberfest placards. Exciting activities such as beer stein holding competition, beer stein race and live band kept the

crowd highly entertained throughout the night. Patrons were seen enjoying themselves on a Friday night while toasting loudly in German, “Prost!” Winners of the games got to walk away with the limited-edition Oktoberfest merchandises such as the Oktoberfest hats and T-shirts. “To complete your Oktoberfest experience, we are proud to offer one of the most iconic beers for Oktoberfest, the Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier which many beer enthusiasts have claimed to have successfully bottled the “beer-tent” atmosphere of the Munich Oktoberfest. Such high praise for the beer means that you should not miss out on this great opportunity to experience the world’s finest Oktoberfest beer at the selected outlets offering it during our Oktoberfest celebrations,” said Yap Swee Leng, Marketing Director of GAB. cuL T URE

The gorgeous Oktoberfest brand ambassadors

Patrons at the GAB’s Oktoberfest party at the Royal Selangor Club are entertained by the amazing live band’s performance

“The atmosphere here is simply amazing! This is my first time celebrating the Oktoberfest festival in Malaysia, and I’m really excited to be part of this German festival,” said Allan Siah, one of the patrons at the GAB’s Oktoberfest party. “I’m having so much fun and definitely enjoying every minute of it with my friends!” he added. To further make beer lovers’ happy hours happier, GAB has planned extensive beer promotions campaign at all consumers’ touch points including pubs and bars, coffee shops, restaurants and retail

outlets. No Oktoberfest is complete without the iconic beer stein or mug and this year, GAB’s Oktoberfest will feature a limited-edition 1L Ceramic Mug — a piece that beer lovers will be able to take home with every purchase of 1L of Tiger Beer. With so much love in the air, GAB is pulling all stops to ensure that their fans’ affections will be well reciprocated. Apart from attractive beer promotions, beer lovers will also be treated to a limited-edition 1L Ceramic Mug, the quintessential Oktoberfest staple when they purchase 1L of Tiger Beer. a.bc

About Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB) GAB produces, markets and distributes: • Asia’s fastest growing beer TIGER • The world’s No. 1 stout GUINNESS • The world’s No. 1 international premium beer HEINEKEN • The all-time favourite quality local brew ANCHOR SMOOTH and its strong beer variant ANCHOR STRONG • The premium, undisputed “Cream of Beers” KILKENNY • The real shandy ANGLIA • The wholesome, premium quality non-

alcoholic MALTA • The world’s best selling cider STRONGBOW • The no. 1 German wheat beer PAULANER; and • The original Mexican beer SOL Listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia, GAB evolved from the merger between Guinness Malaysia Bhd and Malayan Breweries (Malaya) Sdn Bhd. The company’s principal shareholder is GAPL Pte Ltd based in Singapore. GAPL Pte Ltd is a joint venture between Diageo PLC and Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd. Guinness Anchor Marketing Sdn Bhd is a 100% owned subsidiary of GAB.

cuL T URE

26 Robot Bar

ABC city tour:Australia

City Tours Melbourne

ichael Chen, Part Owner/ Operator Golden Monkey, Melbourne Melbourne has long been considered the cultural hub of Australia, with great food, drink, theatre, sports, and music. When it comes to the bar scene, leave your pretentions at home; it’s all about real people, real flavours and a real appreciation for the art and craft on offer. Melbournians know their stuff, so our bartenders take what they do very seriously. Very, very seriously. If you’re looking to find somewhere to have a drink in Melbourne, half the experience is simply locating the hidden bar, in some back alley, with no sign, more often than not up or down a flight of stairs. Bring a local with you, otherwise you’ll have no chance finding any of them! You’ll notice some very interesting uses of space along the way. We thought we’d help you discover some of our favourite hard-to-find venues in Melbourne. Of course we consider our own Golden Monkey one of the iconic hidden Melbourne bars, but we’ll tell you about that another day.

Just remember to hit us up whenever you'’re in our hometown and we’'ll give you the real city tour! Robot – in Bligh Place off Flinders Lane, this venue is one of Melbourne’s original small laneway bars. Its clean design makes you feel like you have walked into a bar in the heart of Tokyo. Paying homage to the Japanese toys we grew up loving, you’ll find various Transformers around the room as well as Astroboy and other well-known robots. Robot has been around for over a decade and has been the anchor around which Bligh Place has prospered into a strong community of little eateries. Grab a seat at one of the swivel stools at the bar or head upstairs and play Space Invaders on the retro arcade game table. Every Tuesday night anime is shown on a huge three-metre screen. Robot has a great range of Japanese beers, whiskeys and sake that go down well with a bowl of seaweed chips. Ask head bartender and part-owner Yoshi for his famous Expresso Martinis, which are as good as they come. Murmur – At the end of a dark, dead-end alley, with no sign at the door and up a flight a stairs, Murmur is the perfect place to exemplify Melbourne. Old and warm, cuL T URE

27 ABC city tour:Australia

whiskies on offer. It’s a small bar, cramming in no more than 30 or 40 people at any one time, but the small size of the bar creates a humble community atmosphere of whisky drinkers, family and friends. Run by the friendly Brooke and Jules, they’ll happily walk you through the intricacies and spectrum of flavours on offer, and advise whether the drop you’ve chosen is better neat, with a dash of water or a single ice cube. Get Jules to pick out a cigar for you and sit on the back porch.

comfortable and familiar, the place is decked out in dark wood and candles everywhere provide the place with a most inviting ambience. Murmur is run by brothers Andy and Matt Emans, who between them have over 40 years experience in running bars from both a front and back of house perspective. Murmur is suppose to make you feel like you’re home, like it’s your place, “sort of like when you wear your favourite trainers your partner won’t let you wear out or that holey pair of jeans that you refuse to throw out,” Andy once told me. Great wines, great beers, great cocktails, over 250 great dark spirits and great personalities at the bar. But beware, the brothers are hustlers when it comes to CHOR-DAI-DEE !

Section 8 Container Bar – Situated outdoors on an old 10vehicle carpark lot in Tattersalls Lane, Section 8 is one of the best examples of a great use of space in the city. A restored shipping container acts as the bar, stacked cargo pallets are used as seating, and a wire fence encompasses the whole spot. The wall of an adjacent building features various pieces of graffiti art and gives the whole venue a real New York feel. Having said that, it really is as Melbourne as you can get. A perfect mix of hipsters, students, corporates and boofheads congregate around the upright heaters in winter and bounce their heads to the mad hip hop and funk tunes. This bar is totally outside, but when you’re within the confines of the wire fence, you really lose perspective and feel like you’re in a cosy indoor venue. Go with a group of friends and grab a long neck each.

Chez Regine – Although technically not in a hidden alley as it sits on Russel St., it is so unassuming that you would easily walk past it without noticing. Chez Regine is the whisky lover’s dream, with over 400 Scottish single malt

The Croft Institute – arguably the most hidden of them all. So you’re in Chinatown. You see a dark alley between two restaurants, cluttered with rubbish bins. You meander through the alley as it turns left behind the restaurants

cuL T URE

28 ABC city tour:Australia

e.d.v

and past more bins, then turn right down towards the lonely dead-end, with graffiti surrounding you on all sides. There’s a little door: welcome to The Croft Institute. Decked out like a school science laboratory complete with benches, beakers and Bunsen burners, this place is as cool as it gets. The toilets on the first floor have an eerie “derelict hospital” feel about them, but they all fit the theme. Get a special cocktail in a syringe or one of their many beers. But you also have to check out upstairs, which is designed as a school gym complete with a basketball hoop, gymnastic rings and ladders on the walls, and even bleachers to sit on. The bar appears to have grass growing on it, and with the DJ dropping phat beats, the vibe is pretty mad. Best to check it out on a busy night.

y Raspberr

.d.v

Haze @ e

Versa il

les Ex

perien

ce @

e.d.v cuL T URE

E.D.V – The sister bar to Eau De Vie in Sydney (which previously won The World’s Best New Bar at Tales Of The Cocktail in New Orleans). Again, if you don’t know this bar exists, you’ll never ever find it. In Malthouse Lane off Flinders Lane and behind a heavy door, E.D.V is an intimate speakeasy with a strong emphasis on creative mixology. Both classic and signature cocktails are wonderful here and fire, liquid nitrogen, flavoured smoke and alcoholic jellies are commonplace ingredients. Make sure you order the “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” if you’re a Family Guy fan! a.bc

The Best Places To Have Beer In the Klang Valley

he Malaysian beer scene has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade. Instead of just commercial lagers and brews, there is now a myriad of different imported beers, stouts, ales and craft brews available around the Klang Valley. But while it is relatively easy to get a pint of beer anywhere around town, there are certain places where the beer is that much better than the rest. Here, we’ve chosen four of the best places to go for beer in the Klang Valley. We’ve selected these outlets because we reckon they are the ones that take the most pride in their beers, and therefore, will never disappoint true beer lovers. We’ve also compiled this list based on the unique qualities of each outlet. One may have more beers than the rest, while the other might focus more on commercial beers, but what is certain with these four outlets is that if you truly love your beer, these are the places you should go.

THE GUINNESS MAESTROS

Sid’s Pubs Website: Sidspubs.com

When in Malaysia, drink Guinness. Believe it or not, the Guinness Draught in Malaysia is actually really, really good; so good in fact, that the local brewery that brews it, Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB), has been the recipient of the League of Excellence award for brewing the best Guinness outside of Ireland for the past four years! While it is relatively easy to get a glass of Guinness around here, the best place to get a pint of the black stuff is probably in any one of the four Sid’s Pubs around the Klang Valley, namely in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, Bangsar South, Bukit Tunku or Damansara Heights. Why? Because Sid’s Pubs serves arguably the best pint of Guinness Draught around — the bartenders here always seem to manage to pour you a pint that has the perfect amount of head, and it almost always looks to good to drink! Other beers available on tap here are mostly GAB brands such as Tiger and Heineken lagers, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, Strongbow cider, Paulaner German wheat beer and of course, cuL T URE

30 EVENTS

Guinness; but if you fancy something else, you could also opt for a bottle of English ale from Fuller’s (London Pride, ESB or 1845), or even a bottle of Magner’s cider. With the range of beers here, as well as an ambience and atmosphere that evokes the quintessential English neighbourhood pub (many of the pub’s customers are regulars), it is hard to go wrong with a Sid’s Pub. And if you’re lucky, you might even meet Geoffrey Siddle, or “Sid” himself. Just look for a really jolly bearded man with glasses, and if you’re not sure, compare him with the pub’s logo!

Must try beer: The Guinness Draught, of course. There are very few places that serve it as well as they do in Sid’s, chilled perfectly with a perfect head of foam that preludes that velvety, rich, malty, and ultimately refreshing flavour.

cuL T URE

31 EVENTS

THE PURVEYORS OF VARIETY

Brussels Beer Café

Website: brusselsbeercafe.com

Less than a decade ago, you could probably count the number of beers in the Malaysian market with two hands, and even then, almost 90% of those beers would be lagers, with the rest being stout. Then Brussels Beer Café came along in 2005 and pretty much changed the entire Malaysian beer drinking scene with a then unknown Belgian cloudy-looking witbier called Hoegaarden, which was served in a flowerpot-like glass. Since then, the Malaysian beer scene has seen a massive change, with more and more imported brands coming into the market, and Brussels has been at the forefront of this revolution, with seven branches so far, six in the Klang Valley and one in Penang.

Despite its name, Brussels Beer Café does not sell exclusively Belgian beers alone (though their overall ambience, theme and menu is modelled after that of a Belgian bistro), and this is where their strength lies – in the sheer variety of global brands available on their beer list. Impressively, their taps feature almost the entire portfolio of Carlsberg Malaysia (one of the two major breweries in Malaysia, the other being GAB), which includes popular French beer Kronenbourg (1664 lager and Blanc), Japanese lager Asahi Dry, German wheat beers Franziskaner, Erdinger and Konig Ludwig, and of course, Carlsberg. Also not to be left out are Belgian brews such as Stella Artois lager, abbey ales Leffe and Grimbergen (the Blonde is excellent), and of course, Hoegaarden. They also have an impressive array of bottled beers from Belgium, Germany, Australia, America… the list goes on. While many of the beers available at Brussels Beer Café are of the more commercial sort, the variety and diversity of the beer list is what makes this place worth a visit.

Must try beer:

We’d suggest the Hoegaarden for nostalgia’s sake, but for a different sort of experience, check out the Pauwel Kwak, brewed by Bosteels Brewery of Belgium. Served in a unique-looking traditional Kwak yardstick, the 8% ABV beer is a Belgian strong ale that smells of slightly yeasty bread, fruits and caramel; while on the palate, it is full-bodied with a great harmonious balance of malt, hops, yeast, sweet fruits, raisins. It is an excellent brew for those who want a little bit more flavour and oomph in their beers.

cuL T URE

32 EVENTS

THE BEST-KEPT SECRET

Brux-Ale Belgian Bistro 4 Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2287-2628 Belgium is renowned for brewing some of the best beers in the world, and for a taste of the variety available in that little country, check out Brux-Ale

Must try beer:

Floreffe Prima Melior (8.5% ABV).

An abbey ale that used to be brewed by the monks of the Floreffe abbey, this is without a doubt the best beer available at Brux-Ale. Medium bodied and surprisingly easy to drink, the beer has a wonderful scent of malt and burnt coffee, and tastes like caramel mocha mixed with honey, dried fruits and nuts. The other Floreffe ales available here are also good, but for sheer complexity and richness, the Prima Melior takes the cake.

THE CRAFT CRUSADERS

Taps Beer Bar

One Residency, 1 Jalan Nagasari, Off Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2110 1560. Website: www.tapsbeerbar.my. Are you ready for a craft beer revolution? Are you ready to enter the colourful and flavourful world of craft beer? Are you ready for some Old Engine Oil, a Hardcore IPA or a Skull Splitter? Then hop on over to Taps Beer Bar, where they serve more than 60 different types of craft beers from all over the world! Taps may be relatively new (they opened their doors a little over a year ago), but their unwavering resolve in serving only craft beers (which are basically uniquely flavoured beers brewed by small independent microbreweries) has gained them a reputation for being the place to go if you want to really explore and educate yourself on beers. If the success of their recently held inaugural “Better Beer Festival” is any indication, it seems that Malaysians are also growing more discerning and are more than willing to experiment with different sorts of beers as well. The bar has an impressive 14 taps, all serving different craft beers on draught, and when one beer runs out, a different beer would take its place. This is in addition to the remarkable number of bottled beers also available here, ranging from India Pale Ales,

Belgian Bistro, one of the best kept secret drinking places in KL. Although it does look more like a restaurant than a pub, rest assured that there are some great beers here. Brux-Ale usually has an average of about 24-26 different Belgian beers on the menu, though the lineup may vary based on available stock. Sure, it may not be as impressive as what they have in the bars in Belgium, but hey, considering how hard it is to get good (non-commercial) Belgian beers in Malaysia, Brux-Ale is practically a heaven sent. The brews available here include witbiers, pilsners, ales, fruit beers, seasonal ales, and the best of all, two full ranges of great Belgian abbey ales, Floreffe and St. Martin; and just like they do in Belgium, each beer is served in a glass that is unique to the brand. stouts, lagers, porters, wheat beers and even ciders. As such, you can be sure there will always be a new beer to try every time you visit the place. If you have trouble deciding what to drink, you can also opt for a tasting paddle consisting of three different beers on tap, or ask the friendly staff to recommend a brew. Among the brands available here are Scottish trailblazers BrewDog (their Hardcore IPA is one of the best IPAs we’ve tried), enigmatic Danish brewers Mikkeller (check out their Dim Sum Beer!), the highly experimental Norwegian brewer Nøgne Ø (if you ever see one of their beers on tap, try it!), the recently added Hitachino Nest from Japan, and more from Thornbridge, Harviestoun, and Orkney (all from Scotland), Meantime (England), Rogue (US), and Mountain Goat, Kooinda and Bridge Road Brewers (Australia), amongst others. Oh, and if you see a Kiasu Stout by Singaporean craft brewers Jungle Beer, be sure to check it out too. It’s excellent!

Must try beer:

We’d like to say that almost every beer in Taps’ menu is a must-try, but if you could only have ONE beer, try the Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 by Scottish brewers Harviestoun, which an exceptionally delicious dark ale matured in whisky casks formerly used to mature Highland Park single malt Scotch. Containing a powerful 8% ABV, the ale has a brilliant smokey, chocolate and roasted malt aroma, and flavour-wise, it reminds one of dark chocolate brownies baked with roasted nuts and coffee. It’s an exceptional beer, and we suggest you drink one on the spot, and take one to go. a.bc cuL T URE

NOW AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES NATIONWIDE

Featuring talented bartenders from Malaysia, Singapore & Australia...

pwn cuL T URE

34 EVENTS

Preparing for cocktail competions

By Kazuhiro Chii

ocktail competitions have a long and rich history dating at least as far back as the early 20th century in Europe as the key hub during the Prohibition of Alcohol era in the United States from 1920 to 1933. Prohibition Era America which forced the American cocktail culture to go underground, rather counter intuitively contributed to the formation of the Golden Age of cocktails in Europe. Cocktails were in vogue in Europe starting from the early 1920s as America languished in the Prohibition. During the Prohibition era, many artistic and creative American bartenders moved to Europe and brought the American style of cocktail making to European cities. Both American and European bartenders benefited from this exchange and competed to greater heights in the art of cocktail making. This also stirred a cocktail revolution in Europe and brought to life the Golden Age of cocktail with the emergence of more exciting and challenging cocktail competitions and establishments of bartenders association. Cocktail competitions are generally organized and hosted by various bartenders associations as well the spirits producers. It is important to note the following while preparing to enter cocktail competitions.

Naming the cocktail The cocktail name is crucial to its sale-ability, and points will be awarded with this in mind. Thus, the participants should explore drink names that are impressive yet catchy and memorable. In competitions organized by a spirits producer, the name should reflect and relate to the specific concepts and preferably associate with the sponsored product. Taste & Colour Every contestant should determine the compatibility with the spirit base with other ingredients that are permitted in the competition. Equally important, is to consider the colour of the base spirit or create a totally different colour from mixers and others. Points are usually awarded for bold ideas that create unexpected colour.

Understand the rules of competition Every cocktail competition is different. All submitted cocktail recipes remain the properties of the organizer; this is usually for cocktail competitions organized by spirits producers. Participants are assessed according to their ability to interpret the concept of the cocktail competition, and come up with a concoction that will appeal to the consumers and accentuate the sponsored spirit. cuL T URE

Kazuhiro Chii Profile

Kazu has called Singapore home since 2005. His career in bartending and bar management spans over 17 years starting in Yokohama, Japan. Throughout his career he has entered numerous local, regional and international cocktail competitions. He is currently the bartender for Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

cuL T URE

Garnishes Garnishing is another significant part of the ritual of cocktail making. A delicious cocktail comes alive when presented with an appropriate and fabulous garnish. Thus garnishes are very essential in nailing a cocktail recipe’s intended flavour profile. Contestants should note and adhere to the guidelines on the garnishes and preparations. At all cost, avoid using banned items as a penalty is applicable to such infringement. Glassware The correct glassware is just as important as the alcohol that goes into it. With other key criteria mentioned above, choosing the glassware for the cocktail is critical. Presentation is very important when presenting the cocktail and it can make or break the imbibe experience. Entry Forms Participants will have to submit their recipes on the official entry forms for the competition supplied by the competition organizers. The applicants should clearly,

accurately and concisely specify the required details in the entry form including the recipe for their respective original creation, intent, preparations and instructions as well as the ingredients. No change/revision can be made to the recipes and entries submitted. Contestants competing in the finals will not be judged on their bartending skills and technical qualities, presentation, aroma, taste and overall presentation of their drinks alone. The finals will also include a presentation and charm component. Competitors are allocated a specific amount of time for the final routine in the competition. During this routine, the contestants will have to display their “qualities” and “attributes” such as their poise, charm, charisma and elegance as well as ability to communicate and distinguish oneself from other contestants while focusing on concocting and presenting the winning cocktail which has met the objectives of the competition and encapsulated the respective participant’s talents, skills, beliefs and effort. a.bc

cuL T URE

pwn cuL T URE

38 ABC Creations

Jack Rose

45ml Calvados (apple brandy) 15ml freshly squeezed lime juice 10ml simple sugar syrup 1 tsp homemade grenadine syrup* Method: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake hard. Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve straight up

* Homemade grenadine syrup 1 cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice

Glass: Martini Glass

cup of sugar Method: Simmer freshly squeezed pomegranate juice in a saucepan until reduced by half. Add sugar and dissolve, let cool and bottle.

Garnish: None

gan kwok yee Owner/General Manager of Jigger & Pony SINGAPORE

Kwok Yee started her journey through an inspiration of small bar in Shibuya, Tokyo â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ISHINOHANA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that helped her realize the true spirit of cocktails plus the luxury of a job that takes her around the world. As a result, she has become an enthusiast and curator of spirits. Why? The discovery is always ever enchanting. Each spirit is like a novel with a wealth of history and story to it, each classic cocktail like a character telling a part of the story. We all love a good story, especially when it brings back a fond memory of our childhood. That is what cocktails have brought back for a lot of us including herself, a reminder of the good old times. What is there not to love? Kwok Yee loves to whip up a drink or two for friends at her home. Relying on classic techniques and foundations, her cocktails are simple to make with ingredients you can easily find at the local liquor stores.

cuL T URE

39 ABC Creations

Ben Ng

Founder/Trainer of Fluid Alchemy KUALA LUMPUR/MALAYSIA

Ben’s journey into the realm of drinks started when he took up a bartending job in an Irish pub back in his hometown Penang nearly a decade ago. Two weeks into the job, he decided to take up bartending professionally and make it into a career. He has worked in many different venues from luxury hotels to nightclubs, restaurants and cocktail bars and was also exposed to different operations and the art of mixology. Ben founded Fluid Alchemy, a training company that specialises in developing the skills of bartenders and F&B operators across Malaysia and various parts of Asia. Throughout the years, he also had the opportunity to work with established drinks companies such as Hennessy, Boiron, Glenmorangie, Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB), PepsiCo Asia, Sagatiba, Patron, Joseph Cartron and Gruppo Campari to develop several training programmes. In 2012, his effort and time are now concentrated on developing Fluid Alchemy’s newly built bartending school and its range of training programmes and workshops.

rum

and Roses 40ml Matusalem Platino Rum 20ml Joseph Cartron Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne 15ml lemon juice (freshly squeezed) 1 teaspoon Rosee Farms Hibiscus Jam Old Jamaica Ginger Beer Method: Add all ingredients except ginger beer in a boston glass. Top with ice and shake hard. Double strain into a chill tumbler. Top off with a splash ginger beer. Glass: Tumbler Garnish: mint

cuL T URE

40 ABC Creations

Benne Angos

2 ½ tsp roasted sesame seeds 7 dashes Angostura bitters 15ml simple syrup 20ml lime juice (freshly squeezed) 40ml pineapple juice (freshly squeezed) 55ml Angostura 1919 rum Method: Muddle the seeds, add the rest of the ingredients. Dry shake and double strain into rock glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with two pieces of seven seeds biscotti and sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds. Glass: Rock glass Garnish: Seven seeds biscotti and roasted sesame seeds

Karl too

Mixologist of Tate KUALA LUMPUR/MALAYSIA

Karl’s grandfather was trained in traditional Chinese medicine and made “mixing” Chinese herbs his lifelong career. Just like his son, Karl’s father, a retired chef, cooked and sold noodles for more than two and a half decades. Karl was born into the world of cuisine and the art of “mixing” had been instilled in him while he was growing up in multicultural Kuala Lumpur. He holds passionately various inter-related philosophies of food and beverage, including “mixing” savoury and tasty, fresh ingredients and has knowledge in products and craftsmanship as well as the correct tools and dishware or glassware. Bartending means more to Karl than making and serving drinks. It’s a profession that instils chivalry. He takes on the phrase from 19th century bartender William Schmidt, “You can get a well-mixed drink only when you devote the time absolutely necessary to prepare it”. Karl makes it his personal agenda to maintain his family heritage and traditions in mixing and uphold the principles behind mixology to its highest standards.

cuL T URE

41 ABC Creations

Johnnie

Nut Crusta 45 ml Johnnie Walker Black Label 20ml homemade toasted hazelnut syrup 20ml of simple syrup 30ml fresh lime juice Method: Add all ingredients together, top with ice and shake hard. Pour into a prepared brown sugar/ white sugar rim old fashioned glass. Glass: Collins Garnish: Brown Sugar/White Sugar rim and one cherry

Signature drinks created for JW F1 party Singapore 2010

Shawn chong Independent Mixologist KUALA LUMPUR/MALAYSIA

Shawn entered the hospitality industry with Hilton, Kuala Lumpur in 2008 and has worked in various positions within Hilton. Whilst with Hilton, he was placed in various positions and finally as a team leader at Vintage Bank. He competed in various cocktail challenges organised by Finlandia Vodka, emerging runner up and also represented Malaysia in Diego World Class regional finals in Singapore for 2009. Shawn left Hilton to take the position of manager at Hoofed, Taman Tun Dr Ismail. He represented the venue for Diageo World Class 2011 and was crowned Champion for Malaysia. This took him to New Delhi in July 2011 and to compete against the best of the best in Diageo Global Finals. He is now a freelance bartender and also lecturing part time in beverage studies with Sunway University College, Malaysia. a.bc

cuL T URE

Can Can Your Your Tequila Tequila Measure Measure Up Up to to Casa Casa Noble? Noble?

RREEPPOOSSAADDOO

CCRRYYSSTA TALL

AAÑÑEEJJOO

WWi ni nnneer r oof f

““GGOOLLDD && DDOOUUBBLLEE GGOOLLDD M MEEDDAAL” L” AT AT TTHHEE SSAANN FFRRAANNCCI S I SCCOO WWOORRLLDD SSPPI R I RI T I TSS CCOOMMPPEETTI T I TI O I ONN

Why WhyisisCasa CasaNoble Nobletequila tequilathe thefifinest nestUltra Ultra premium premiumtequila tequilaavailable availableininthe theworld? world?

••Organically Organicallyproduced producedAgave Agaveplants plants are aregrown grownon onaaPrivate PrivateEstate Estate

Does Doesthe the“ultra “ultrapremium” premium”tequila tequilathat that you youdrink drinktake takethe theextra extrasteps stepsbelow below to tocreate createaasuperior superiorproduct? product?

••Agave Agaveplants plantsare areharvested harvestedat attheir their peak peakflflavor avorat at10-12 10-12years yearsold old

IsIsthe the“ultra “ultrapremium” premium”tequila tequilathat thatyou you drink drink100% 100%pure? pure? Did Didyou youknow knowthat thatCasa CasaNoble Noblewas wasnamed named “Tequila “Tequilaof ofthe thedecade?” decade?” Did Didyou youknow knowthat thatCasa CasaNoble’s Noble’sCrystal Crystal and andAñejo Añejoboth bothwon wonDouble DoubleGold Goldmedals medals at atthe theSan SanFrancisco FranciscoSpirits SpiritsCompetition? Competition?

••Agave Agavehearts heartsare areslow-roasted slow-roastedfor for 38 38hours hoursin intraditional traditionalbrick brickovens ovens ••Naturally Naturallyfermented fermentedwith withno noadditives additives ••Reposado Reposadoisisaged agedfor for364 364days daysin in French FrenchWhite WhiteOak OakBarrels Barrels ••Añejo Añejoisisaged agedfor for22years yearsin inFrench French White WhiteOak OakBarrels Barrels

cuL T URE

ÂŠ 2009 Casa Noble Tequila, 40% Alc / Vol. Imported by Wilson Daniels Ltd. Santa Helena, CA. The only way to enjoy Casa Noble is responsibly.

cuL T URE

44 ANNOUNCEMENTS

RAISE

YOUR GLASS! The Australian Bar Awards once again recognises the best in the Aussie bar scene

cuL T URE

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ast night 600 of Australia’s finest saloon owners, boozeslingers and barkeeps donned their best Prohibition style, roaring 20s garb and congratulated each other on another fine year for the bar industry. As a key part of new Sydney Bar Week line-up and with the picturesque waterside location at Doltone House, the Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards proved once again that it is the highlight of the bar industry calendar. With Sydney And Melbourne still battling it out for the mantle of ‘Best Bar Town’, it seems that Sydney has come up trumps this year, scooping a bunch of awards. And if the city needs to look somewhere to shower its praise, they need look

no further than Anton Forte and Jason Scott, the proud owners of two big winners in The Baxter Inn (Sydney CBD) and Shady Pines (Darlinghurst). With their authentic and passionate approach to making excellent venues “that they want to hang out in”, the boys took out ‘Bar of the Year’, ‘Best Drinks Selection’, ‘Small Bar of the Year’ and ‘Bar Operator of the Year’. Popular bartender haunt Eau de Vie (Darlinghurst) took out the coveted prize of ‘Cocktail Bar of the Year’ while hugely popular Melbourne nightspot, Black Pearl (Fitzroy) capped off an excellent year with two gongs in the ‘Best Bartenders Bar’ category while also boasting the ‘Best Bar Team’ in the nation. And on the bigger end of the spectrum, The Norfolk (Surry Hills) won the prize for Best Pub, while The Bottom End (Melbourne CBD) was recognised as the country’s finest new hotel. Brisbane attendees also left the dinner in a jubilant mood with popular new Brissie haunt, Cabiria (Brisbane CBD), taking out the prize for ‘Best Wine Bar’, ‘Best Cocktail List’ going to Canvas (Woolloongabba) and Sean Chow from The Press Club (Fortitude Valley) taking out the title of Rookie Bartender of the Year. And it wouldn’t have been a Bar Awards without a nod to one of the esteemed members of the bar community with quirky and clever bar operator, Michael Delany Korabelnikova taking out the Outstanding Contribution award. The crowd waited patiently for the most coveted award of the night, the Bartender Magazine Bartender of the Year award. This prize was fought out of two fierce days of competition where more than 60 bartenders were whittled down to 10 finalists who competed in a mixology round at the Drinks Fest at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at The Rocks, Sydney. The top three were announced at the awards with third place going to a very emotional young Katherine Wasiel from The Bowery in Brisbane, second place to Chris Hysted from Black Pearl in Melbourne and the Bartender of the Year title going to an overwhelmed but very deserving Greg Sanderson from EDV, Melbourne. Aside from all the wonderful silverware, the beautiful weather and superb location made it a perfect night for some serious celebrating. “It’s great to see people travel to Sydney from around the country to support the bar industry,” says David Spanton, founder of the Bar Awards and Publisher of Australian Bartender magazine. “Everyone really turned on the razzle dazzle with some amazing outfits to fit with the Prohibiton theme.” Presented by Australian Bartender magazine, the Bar Awards has been described as the ‘Oscars of the bar industry’. The national awards are now in their 12th year and recognize excellence and innovation in bars, hospitality, drinks and hotels across Australia. The Bar Awards is also staged in conjunction with Sydney Bar Week (www.barweek. com.au).

cuL T URE

46 ANNOUNCEMENTS

What a Ride!

Sydney Bar Week Wraps Up! Australia’s biggest drinks event wrapped up earlier this week after four action- ‐packed days dedicated to the craft of the cocktail, fine spirits, mixology and the bar industry as a whole. And what a week it was! With postcard perfect sunshine over Sydney Harbour, the Drinks Fest officially rocked The Rocks with 3,213 people flocking to the Overseas Passenger Terminal for the General Public Day (Sunday, 23 September) and the Trade Day (Monday, 24 September) as well as hundreds more attending packed out dinners, tours and parties all over Sydney.

Drinks Fest Rocks!

or the first year ever, this traditionally trade--only event swung the doors wide open for the general public and they responded with gusto. 1,327 people piled in to the Overseas Passenger Terminal at The Rocks on Sunday get a look at the best cocktails, spirits, and booze-‐related geekery the country has to offer. Seminars such as ‘Tiki Safari’, ‘Hands on Mixology’ and ‘Why everyone should love Tequila’ were jam-‐packed. “It was fantastic to see the general public respond so positively to what has been an exclusively trade event for the last decade,” said event founder, David Spanton. “It just goes to show how far the bar industry has come in the last few years with punters genuinely interested in cocktail culture, good quality spirits and mixology.” Come Monday morning and the Drinks Fest once again opened its doors but this time, just for the trade. Bartenders, bar owners and industry professionals packed the OPT once again with 1,886 in attendance. One of the most impressive things about this trade event is the sheer number of attendees that fly in from around the country to sample the latest and greatest products and brush up on their all important drinks knowledge in sessions such as ‘Japanese Spirits’ and ‘Prohibition Cocktails’.

Dinners, Tours and Parties!

And of course, Sydney Bar Week would not be complete without the Dinners, Tours & Parties! Festivities

started on Saturday with Ketel One’s CBD Speakeasy Bar Tour and ‘Get Shucked’ at The Morrison, a sold out gala dinner to kick off Bar Week proceedings. On Sunday morning, bartenders were treated to the Absolut Bloody Mary Bartenders Brunch and from there on the calendar of events rolled out. After the Drinks Fest on Sunday, punters kicked on at the upper deck of Cruise Bar, while at ivy the Red Bull crew geared up for the launch of their Special Editions to spur Bar Week along. Spotted at the ‘Pirate Battleshots: State of Origin’ party for trade were a number of the country’s best bartenders. Following Drinks Fest on Monday, the trade spread out over this city; some heading to the Fernet Branca Bar Back Games at The Standard while others headed to Surry Hills for the invite- ‐only Jameson Bartenders Ball. Others were lucky enough to score an invite to the Movers & Shakers party at The Winery while a few secured tickets to a cocktail and wine debate at Gazebo. Some die-‐hards managed to get to every event! Tuesday kicked off with a sold out workshop at theloft, with a stellar panel talking about “How to open your own bar and make money”, Glenfiddich took people out for a Harbour Cruise and finally, more than 600 people attended the flagship event of the week, the Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards. Australia’s finest saloon owners, boozeslingers and barkeeps donned their best Prohibition style and Roaring 20s garb and congratulated each other on another fine year for the bar industry. As a key part of the new Sydney Bar Week line-‐up and with the picturesque waterside location at Doltone House, the Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards proved once again that it is the highlight of the bar industry calendar. a.bc

cuL cuL TT URE URE

cuL T URE

48 FEATURE

AVERY GLASSER, THE FOUNDER OF BITTERMENS, TELLS ABC ABOUT THE WORLD’S LARGEST CRAFT BEER EVENT

Tales of THE

COCKTAIL BY Avery Glasser, Founder of Bittermens

t’s not even noon yet and you’ve already had a free Bloody Mary at the Bloody Mary Bar, a cocktail at the Saveur Snack Stand, gotten a free shave and a dram of Scotch and are heading over to a secluded penthouse-cumzen lounge outside of the French Quarter to blend your own Japanese Whisky courtesy of the fine folks at Suntory. Welcome to Tales of the Cocktail. Every year, during what is invariably the hottest week of the hottest month, thousands of people involved in the cocktail industry head to New Orleans for the world’s largest event for craft bartenders. This year, it was estimated that close to 20,000 bartenders, distillers, brand ambassadors and general enthusiasts came to the Crescent City to learn from industry experts, sample new products and talk shop with their peers. Of course, it’s not just work – it’s also a grand spectacle, with gala events, tasting rooms and parties that boggle the imagination. 2010 was my first year at Tales of the Cocktail. Back then, my wife and I were re-launching Bittermens, a company that we had founded in 2007. In the previous year, we had made bitters via a partnership with another producer, but in 2010, we had decided that it was time to be a fully independent producer, making everything by hand in small

batches. We had one retailer in Boston that was going to sell our bitters and we brought along our entire first production run of 200 bottles to New Orleans hoping we could sell a few bottles. Tales of the Cocktail was a bit smaller then as well. Landing in New Orleans that first year, I picked up my bags and headed to the hotel. While I was waiting to check in at the Hotel Monteleone (the “hub” of all things Tales of the Cocktail), I started recognizing people — not just bartenders and industry folks that I was friends with from my time living in Manhattan and Boston, but bartenders from San Francisco that I hadn’t seen in three years and friends I had made in the industry from London, Chicago, France and Germany. It was truly humbling to be in the midst of the luminaries of the industry — and that was even before I had gotten my room key. An industry friend, knowing that we were relaunching, even offered us a shared table in a tasting room so we could have people taste our bitters. We probably had over a hundred people taste our products — many of them coming to a launch party a few days later at Cure, one of the best cocktail bars in New Orleans. It was there at that party that we would sell our first bottles of bitters ever. Tales that year was surreal. Pernod Ricard decided to shut down two blocks of Royal Street to set up a cuL T URE

49 FEATURE

Each day would start with the Bloody Mary bar or the coffee stand, where friends of ours were working. We would then go to a tasting room or two, go to one of the lunch seminars which was sponsored by one of the liquor brands, attend a seminar and attend at least one, if not two events that evening, working in a free hour to get dinner.

midnight petanque tournament. They built courts, trucked in tonnes of sand for a few hours in the hot New Orleans summer, we were transported to the French Riviera — drinking Ricard and Water and cheering for our favourite teams. It was a free event — no tickets were required. It seemed that at the end of every night, all of the attendees were at the Old Absinthe House at two in the morning, having beer and shots of Absinthe or Green Chartreuse before choosing if it was time to visit another bar or head back for a few hours of alcohol-and-heat-induced slumber. This year was a bit different. 2012 marked Tales of the Cocktail’s 10th anniversary. Gearing up for 20,000 attendees, events that were smaller and more intimate needed to be expanded to accommodate much larger crowds. Then again, the parties became much grander — this year, William Grant held their opening gala at the New Orleans Museum of Art and other events were held at spaces ranging from the Contemporary Arts Center to the Old US Mint. However, the midnight petanque tournament of 2010, which became a mid-day petanque in 2011, wasn’t held. Most likely, it was it was because with the sheer number of people that were expected to attend, doing unticketed events just didn’t make sense. cuL T URE

Avery glasser’s Profile

Avery Glasser is the co-founder of Brooklyn, New Yorkbased Bittermens, Bittermens Spirits and Vendetta Spirits where he focuses on creating and producing new products for the cocktail community. A dedicated barfly, Avery was invited to a bitters making event while living in San Francisco in 2007. His first attempt at making a flavour combination resulted in what is now the Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters. After requests from bartenders across the country for these bitters, he and his wife, Janet, formed Bittermens, Inc. and set off to launch a unique line of bitters, focusing on new combinations of flavours that would help enable bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts to make cocktails that couldn’t be made before. This line now includes five bitters, one citrate, two shrub tinctures, an experimental line and bespoke products for chocolatiers and major spirits brands. In 2011, he launched Bittermens Spirits, a producer of small batch bitter liqueurs and in 2012, he co-founded Vendetta Spirits — a nanoimporter of traditional distillates from around the world. Though Bittermens has grown to become one of the world’s largest bitters producers, every batch is still made, filtered and bottled by Avery and Janet in their Brooklyn facilities. cuL T URE

51 FEATURE

In fact, very few events were unticketed this year. Tasting rooms, which were free in 2010, now required a wristband to enter. Of course, getting a wrist band gave you access to dozens of tasting rooms over the course of Tales of the Cocktail and though some grumbled, most agreed that having a wristband was worth the small investment. As a sponsor and speaker this year, I had the benefit of being able to get passes for a number of events, classes and seminars. In the days before I left for New Orleans, my wife and I put together agendas — plotting out the events that we were sponsoring or participating in, the classes/seminars we had tickets to and the events that we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out on. Each day would start with the Bloody Mary bar or the coffee stand, where friends of ours were working. We would then go to a tasting room or two, go to one of the lunch seminars which was sponsored by one of the liquor brands, attend a seminar and attend at least one, if not two events that evening, working in a free hour to get dinner. Of course, that was the plan. The reality of Tales of the Cocktail is something completely different. We arrived on Wednesday morning — on the same flight as 20 or 30 other industry personnel heading to New Orleans from LaGuardia Airport. Quickly grabbing a taxi with a couple of folks we bumped into at baggage claim, we made our way into the city, arriving at the hotel before noon. We would have less than two hours before our first seminar and three hours before the first event Bittermens was sponsoring. We expected the worst, but surprisingly our room was ready and we were able to quickly go upstairs and unpack. Minutes later, we were in the elevator heading to registration where we bumped into two local friends who were helping us with a launch later that day. It was already hot out and threatening to thunderstorm — we were all hungry and needed refreshments. Our first beer was in hand by noon as we sat down for a shrimp po-boy (po-boys are what they call sandwiches served on long rolls in New Orleans). Of course, being New Orleans, the lunch ran long and we missed our first seminar that we had tickets for, but good conversation with friends was worth it. We then headed off to the first of two events where our products would be used — the 10th anniversary cake ceremony and the official launch of our New Orleans Coffee Liqueur — a bitter coffee liqueur with roasted chicory, cacao and vanilla at an event sponsored by Mandarine Napoleon. We split up — my wife heading to run the launch of our liqueur at the Napoleon House with our local friends, while I headed over to the session where I was a panelist about how to launch a brand without any budget. The session was full — with well over a hundred people listening to myself and two other creators of small, successful brands. We talked about everything from the general aspects of operating a business where alcohol was a main component, to details about insurance, government regulations in

the US/UK/New Zealand. As is standard with most sessions at Tales of the Cocktail, our 90-minute presentation included three small cocktails — in our case, cocktails featuring each of our products. We started on time and ran a little long, spending a good 30 minutes afterwards talking to a number of attendees who were interested in making their own products and had specific questions. As it ended, I quickly ran by a tasting room sponsored by Diageo where they were making beer-and-whisky cocktails, as a deconstructed Irish Coffee was utilizing our New Orleans Coffee Liqueur and I wanted to make sure I tried it before running back to the Napoleon House to catch the end of our product launch. By the time we finished, it was a little after six in the evening and the day had barely started. It was a quick run back to the room to change and we were off to the first of two evening parties: a winter themed opening gala sponsored by Absolut at the Contemporary Arts Center that had a number of bartender friends from around the world making drinks at over a dozen stations throughout the complex. Toby Cecchini, author of Cosmopolitan: A Bartender’s Life was serving the drink of the same name and a team from Manhattan’s Booker and Dax was working with liquid nitrogen to make frozen cocktails a la minute. We saw old friends, had a few drinks and then decided that we needed a quick dinner before heading to the next event: William Grant’s opening party at the Museum of Art. Of course, in New Orleans, a quick dinner became a longer meal, and though we did make it to the Museum, it was too late as all of the bar stations had strict orders to stop serving at midnight. We ended up back at the Hotel Monteleone, meeting up with friends at the Carousel Bar (a bar that slowly turns in the center of the room) including fourth generation bitters producer Joe Fee, whom we shared a Vieux Carre with before retiring to the lobby where we chatted with dozens of friends who were coming back from their own evenings out until five in the morning. That was just the first of five days at Tales of the Cocktail. We only made it to half of the events we had tickets for and only one of the seminars we were scheduled to attend this year — but we also saw dozens of friends, met with our distributors from all around the world and had a few truly memorable meals. Arriving at the airport, we bumped into a bartender we knew that was heading back to New York. He was a leader of the Tales of the Cocktail CAP programme — the bartenders who work behind the scenes preparing the tens of thousands of cocktails that are served at the seminars. He seemed to be like us — utterly exhausted but still exhilarated from the experience. As we shuffled through security to head to our gate, we agreed that coming to New Orleans simply once a year for Tales of the Cocktail isn’t enough. a.bc cuL T URE

THEME

eer. Are we all not familiar with it? You know, that fizzy yellow liquid, or that thick dark fluid that you see in bars all around the world. Beer has been around for centuries and has forever secured its place in mankind’s culture and lifestyle. It acts as a social beverage, breaks the ice, cools us off, calms us down, provides us with entertainment and gives us joy. However, what we generally know about beer is about to change. Starting with this piece. Tiger, Heineken, Carlsberg, Carlton Draught, Fosters, Stella Artois, Corona, you name it. The perception of beer today is that fizzy yellow bland lager that the majority of people drink. These well-known beers are brewed on a large scale mainly known as macrobrewing. Well, here is a surprise for you. In contrast to macro-brewing, there is micro-brewing, also known as craft beer. Micro-brewing consists of limited or small scale brewing that focuses on quality, creativity, innovation and uniqueness. Think of a chef slowly creating his menu, preparing the ingredients, cooking the food and then presenting it with love and care compared to canned soup found in the supermarket. Craft beer is growing increasingly rapidly around the world. The United States is and has been leading the race as pioneers and supporters of craft brewing. European countries, especially the Scandinavian countries, are also known for their exceptional beers. Australia is also catching

up on this trend. Even places such as Chile, Japan, Argentina and Italy have shown signs of a microbrewing industry growth despite having the odds stacked against them (regulatory constraints, taxes and other difficulties). Microbrewing is essentially brewing beer by hand with love, passion and creativity, compared to automated mass production. The world of beer is a limitless playground of different characteristics and styles which can sometimes seem overwhelming. Lagers, ales, stouts, porters, bitters, witbiers, hefeweizens, India pale ales (IPA), imperial ales, Saisons, barley wines and lambics. English, American, German and Belgian style counterparts. What are they? In simplistic terms, beer can be divided into lagers and ales. These terms are derived from the nature of the brewing process such as top or bottom fermentation and temperature. In a nutshell, lagers are beers like pale lagers, pilsners, bocks and helles while ales are essentially other beers that are not lagers. Alcohol percentages also vary from style to style. It is not all subjected to “around 5% alcohol”. Interestingly, there are beers that are 10%, 16% and even 20% and beyond. Beer styles typically have a history behind them which usually sheds light on their characteristics. Take for example, the IPA. During the British colonization, when the English decided to transport beer from England to India, they found that they had to increase the amount of hops. Hops are a flavouring and stability agent in beer that acts as natural preservatives in the brew to allow the beer to survive the long journey. Turned out they enjoyed the taste too and the style stuck for centuries. From this increase in hops, there came along a burst of floral fragrance

cuL T URE

53 THEME

Introducing

Biero SPOKESPERSONS

Kevin Foo (Bar Manager) Kevin has been with Biero Bar since its opening and has grown through the ranks and continues to learn about the world of beer. Originally driven by a passion for beer, plus a curiosity about craft beers, Kevin continuously pursues knowledge and learning experiences within the industry. As a recent graduate from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business from Monash University, Kevin deals with all things beer and product related. This includes sourcing and procurement of products and supplies, liaising and communicating with various people within the industry including breweries, importers and distributors. He also decides the list of products in terms of bottled beers and the draft beer list, along with pricing and product positioning. Having previous hospitality industry experience in restaurants and bars, Kevin has a strong interest and passion for the industry. He is always interested in learning and experiencing new things and what better industry to gain this from than the hospitality industry. Kevin loves a wide range of beer styles, but leans more towards darker beers such as stouts and porters. However, recent Australian and New Zealand pale ale styles have grasped his interest for their prominent and different flavours. Kevin comes from a Malaysian background and has applied for permanent residency in Australia.

Edwin Koh (Founder and Part Owner) As an original founding member of Biero, Edwin was one of the four members who were involved in developing the Beervaults™ from concept to reality. As a recent graduate from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Commerce and Honours in Finance, Edwin is in charge of the accounts and financing, liaising with some suppliers, staff recruitment and training, creating the beer menu, patenting of the Beervaults™ and liaising with lawyers and their accountant. In preparing to run Biero, he dedicated himself to learning everything he could about the hospitality industry including lengthy discussions with family members in the food and beverage industry as well as attending courses in bartending and hospitality — none of which prepared him for the experience that he would have managing Biero. Edwin has developed his palate to appreciate all beers but loves the Trappistes Rochefort 8 — a Belgian trappist beer (brewed by Belgian monks) – with a well matched tiramisu. Edwin comes from a Malaysian background and has applied for permanent residency in Malaysia.

cuL T URE

with certain degrees of bitterness and fruity flavours. What about porters? It is black and looks like a stout but it’s not a stout. Porters were said to be popular with the transportation workers in London (hence the name) centuries ago. It exhibits somewhat different characteristics to stouts even though it looks the same. That roasty, toffee and coffee flavour that brings about a slight bitterness. Lastly, ales have different names in front that depict its colour e.g., pale ales, amber ales, dark ales and red ales. Beer styles consist of an endless list that has been brought about by both need and innovation. Beer does not just mean a cold lager. Some beers like lambics are brewed with natural fruit and fermented with different strands of yeast to become sour ales. Other beers like barley wines, bocks and quadruples have complex malt bases and are typically sweet in nature. Even more, styles such as witbiers, Biere de Gardes and Saisons exhibit spicy tasting notes full of herbs and fruit. The vast amount of beer styles can surely toy with your palate and provide you with different tastes and enjoyment. Beer is typically brewed with only four ingredients. Also known as the “Purity Law”, it consists of hops, water, malt and yeast. Other ingredients may be added to enhance the taste and provide different tasting notes. Common ingredients include chocolate, coffee, orange peel, lemon, pumpkin, vanilla beans, honey, fruits and herbs such as coriander and lemongrass. The more extreme beers may even have chicken or oysters. Yes, it has been done before. This all stems from the creativity of the brewer. The brewing process, simplified, consists of four steps. Firstly, the mashing of the malt. Different types of malt are used depending on the intended end result. Malt types include pale malt, roasted malt, burnt malt, crystal malt and chocolate malt.

54 THEME

Second part is the boil where the mash, known as wort (a sweet sugary syrup) is boiled and hops are added. There are more than 70 hop variants in the world. Different hops display different characteristics. For example, American hops such as Cascade, Amarillo and Simcoe display sharp bitterness with a floral flavour while Australian and New Zealand hops such as Galaxy, Riwaka, Rakau and Nelson Sauvin display fruity and citrusy characteristics. Some hops are added into the boil for bittering purposes and others are added for aromatics. Thirdly, the boil is then fermented for a few weeks by adding yeast. Different yeast strains behave differently and have different characteristics. Essentially, the yeast breaks down the sugars in the existing liquid and excretes carbon dioxide and alcohol. Lastly, the end result is conditioned for a short while before being packaged and shipped out of the door to be enjoyed by the world. Making good beer is like developing a family’s secret recipe. There are many parts and it all requires preparation, creativity, passion and love. Did you know that beer can be matched with food? That’s right, food is not just paired with wine; beer can do the job too! The different styles of beers that exhibit different characteristics and tasting notes can be suitably matched with different types of food to provide an enjoyable experience. Typically you could complement or contrast the flavour of the food. Lighter beers such as lagers, wheat beers and blonde ales can be matched with lighter foods like salads, seafood and sandwiches. Pale ales, amber ales and brown ales can be matched with slightly heavier foods such as grilled or roasted meat, pies and pasta. More substantial ales such as roasty porters, hoppy ales or oatmeal stouts could be matched with steak, roasted meat and hamburgers. Heavier beers such as stouts, imperial ales and barley wines easily overwhelm the flavour of the dish and are better matched with rich desserts. Ultimately, it’s all about enjoying your beverage with your meal. Try matching beer with your everyday food; you never know what you might discover! Try an IPA with your favourite curry, or a Belgian Dubbel or Bock with your barbecued pork rice, or even a wheat beer with sushi.

Left-Right: 2 Brothers Growler American Brown Ale, Coldstream Apple Cider, Hawthorn Brewing Company Pilsner, Hawthorn Brewing Witbier, Mountain Goat Hightail Ale, Mountain Goat India Pale Ale, Hawthorn Brewing Company Amber Ale & Hawthorn Brewing Company Premium Pale Ale

Craft beer is growing rapidly around the world and drinkers are becoming more discerning in what they drink. Why settle for something normal when there are so many types of quality beers out there? Why settle for processed food when you can go out to a nice restaurant to have a good meal? Yes, there is most likely an increase in the price that you pay but there are many affordable craft beers to choose from. Higher priced beer usually stems from the brewing process and ingredients used. Higher alcohol beers also usually have a higher price. For example the Scottish brewery, BrewDog, who is always pushing the boundaries of beer. Did you know that they have brewed 55%, 41% and 32% alcohol beers? Unbelievable? Believe it, they are called The End of History, Sink the Bismarck and Tactical Nuclear Penguin respectively. These beers sell for hundreds of dollars. Are they worth it? You decide. Where and when else are you able to taste beers that have their alcohol percentages as high as distilled spirits? There are also beers from Danish brewer Mikkeller, who spares no expense during his brewing process. Mikkeller typically brews a batch of beer once, always pushing boundaries, experimenting and providing quality and innovative beers. His beers such as the Beer Geek Brunch Weasel often retail close to a hundred dollars. His barrel aged editions are even pricier! To sum up, it is up to you to decide if you would like to consciously drink good beer instead of regular, mass-produced beer. Craft beers are presented in all price ranges and in all flavour perspectives. Whether it is on an everyday basis, for a special occasion, to try some, give micro-brewed craft beer a chance to prove itself to you and you might just find yourself never turning back. a.bc cuL T URE

www.hawthornbrewing.com.au cuL T URE

56 HIGHLIGHT

The

BACARDÍ

Singapore Cocktail Search Kicks off to Discover Singapore’s New Signature Drink

ACARDÍ, the world’s most awarded spirit, is on the lookout for Singapore’s next signature drink. The BACARDÍ Singapore Cocktail Search aims to bring together different cultures and personalities within Singapore to create cocktails that truly represent the Singaporean spirit — drinks that are made by Singaporeans for Singaporeans. To do this, BACARDÍ partnered with three local Singaporean personalities — Dee Kosh, “The Entertainer”, Terence Leonardo Ong, “The Football Freestyler” and Jon Yongfook Cockle, “The Gentleman”. Each of these fun and creative personalities were partnered and mentored by three of Singapore’s finest bartenders — Thanutphol Arj-Han (Nath) from Tippling Club, Anthony Zhong from Jigger & Pony, and Ethan Leslie Leong from Maison Ikkoku. Their brief was to create Singapore’s new signature drink by using BACARDÍ Superior Rum and their own lifestyle within Singapore as inspiration. The search kicked off on 3 October 2012 at an invite-only launch party for media held at the

Ying Yang Rooftop Bar. Each personality and their mentor showcased their proposed cocktail for Singapore’s new signature drink. The media was the first in the country to taste the cocktail trio and cast their vote for their favourite. The BACARDÍ Singapore Cocktail search was opened up to the public and supported by paid media on Facebook, grassroots campaigning, and on the ground polling stations where people of legal drinking age sampled the drinks and vote for their favorite. On 6 November 2012, Singapore’s voice will be heard; the cocktail that garners the highest number of votes will then be crowned the new Singapore signature drink. “It’s a natural fit for BACARDÍ to lead this cocktail search. The unique taste of BACARDÍ Rum inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world’s most famous drinks including the BACARDÍ Mojito, the BACARDÍ Daiquirí, the BACARDÍ Cuba Libre, and the BACARDÍ Piña Colada. BACARDÍ was made to mix with all the fresh flavours and juices that are loved by Singaporeans,” said Henrik Resurreccion, Brand Manager, Bacardi-Martini Singapore Pte Ltd. The three BACARDÍ cocktails in the race for Singapore’s new signature drink are: cuL T URE

57 HIGHLIGHT

“The Old Man & the Sea” by Dee Kosh Known as “The Entertainer” among the three, entertainer/vlogger/musician Dee Kosh collaborated with the equally funky Thanutphol Arj-Han (Nath) from The Tippling Club. For this creative duo, their cocktail has an unexpectedly subdued name — The Old Man & the Sea. Rest assured that there is nothing musty or fishy about this cocktail! The cocktail has a refreshing citrusy tang from lime and a hint of ginger, sweetened with sugar cane syrup Dee Kosh explained, “We wanted to concoct something that was of Cuban and Asian origins. BACARDÍ Rum and sugar cane are obviously representative of the Cuban origin while ginger is distinctively Asian. The name pays homage to the novel of the same title written in Cuba by literary great Ernest Hemingway in 1951. Finishing off the cocktail is the foamy froth from a shaken egg white and that, of course, represents the sea.” “Tiki Taka” By Terence Leonardo Ong Terence Leonardo Ong, known as “The Football Freestyler”, is also the Founder of Urban Street Team. He worked closely with Anthony Zhong from Jigger & Pony to create the Tiki Taka. The cocktail tastes of a hint of citrus from grapefruit juice, and the tartness is rounded by the silky smoothness of BACARDÍ Rum and a fragrant dash of almond syrup. It is not surprising that Terence’s cocktail has a football theme to it. He said, “Tiki Taka gets its name from the style of football played by his favourite team, FC Barcelona. Their style is simple, elegant and beautiful. The Tiki Taka is a simple drink that is refreshing and looks fantastic in the cocktail glass!” “Kampong Sour” by Jon Yongfook Cockle The last in the trio is Jon Yongfook Cockle, the founder of TinyTrunk.com, and known by us as “The Gentleman”. He is the most senior among the three and boasts an impressive globe-trotting resume. Working with Ethan Leslie Leong, Director of Bar/Master Mixologist, Maison Ikkoku, Jon

“It’s a natural fit for BACARDÍ to lead this cocktail search. The unique taste of BACARDÍ Rum inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world’s most famous drinks including the BACARDÍ Mojito, the BACARDÍ Daiquirí, the BACARDÍ Cuba Libre, and the BACARDÍ Piña Colada. BACARDÍ was made to mix with all the fresh flavours and juices that are loved by Singaporeans.

created the Kampong Sour. The cocktail’s deceptively simple three-ingredient list belies its refreshing and delicious taste. As the name suggests, the cocktail is on the tart side, and the tang comes from the aromatic juice of calamansi limes, which are abundant in the Southeast Asian region. “We wanted to capture something that is representative of Singapore and what can be more unique to Singapore than our “Kampong spirit” of the olden times! The Kampong Sour is simple enough to make it at home with ingredients that are easily available. To complete the nostalgic feel of the drink, we serve it in an old-fashioned rock glass and a sipping straw to prevent the calamansi seeds from being drunk,” explained Jon. Until 5 November 2012, sampling and voting will be carried out in different bars across Singapore. The public can also log on to www. facebook.com/BACARDI to vote for Singapore’s new signature drink. a.bc

cuL T URE

Terence Leonardo Ong, Founder , Urban Street Team cuL T URE

59 HIGHLIGHT

TERENCE LEONARDO ONG Founder, Urban Street Team After enduring multiple knee operations that crushed his dreams of playing football professionally, Terence, a one-time youth footballer, went into the banking sector. However, his passion for the game would not rest and in 2009, Terence discovered another avenue to express his love of the beautiful game — freestyling. Freestyling’s creativity and freedom of expression appealed to him, and in 2010, he began coaching in this art form. The joy derived from sharing his skills with children led Terence to form a freestyle crew with two other like-minded individuals. Thus Urban Street Team was born. With the support of his peers and the overwhelming drive to keep his football dream alive, Terence took the brave step of leaving his stable bank job to pursue freestyling full time. The brave decision to take that leap of faith has so far paid off as Urban Street Team has gone from strength to strength. From representing Team Singapore in the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame in Seoul, Mexico City and Berlin to starring in a football-themed play that allowed him to travel to Italy and Bosnia, Terence has no regrets about his decision to follow his dream.

Ingredients

Tiki Taka

45ml BACARDÍ Superior 15ml MARTINI Rosso 20ml Fresh grapefruit juice 10ml almond syrup Dash of grenadine syrup for colouring Muddled Lime

by Terence Leonardo Ong, with Anthony Zhong, Jigger & Pony

Terence’s deep love for the beautiful game shows up in all areas of his life, even in the cocktail he dreamt up! The Tiki Taka gets its name from the style of football that Terence’s favourite football club, FC Barcelona, plays. Terence said that the style is simple, elegant and beautiful, and he was so inspired by it that he wanted to create a cocktail in its honour. Tiki Taka is the result — a tropical drink that is refreshing and looks fantastic in the cocktail glass! It tastes of a hint of citrus from the use of grapefruit juice and the tartness is rounded by the silky smoothness of BACARDÍ Rum and a fragrant dash of almond syrup.

Preparation

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice cubes and serve in a Collins glass full of crushed ice.

cuL T URE

Jon YongFook Cockle, Founder, tinytrunk.com cuL T URE

61 HIGHLIGHT

JON YONGFOOK COCKLE Founder, Tinytrunk.Com Jon has been working in the internet industry for over 12 years. He spent 10 years of that time in Tokyo where he learnt to speak fluent Japanese and ate all sorts of weird and wonderful food. Tokyo was also where he started his first internet company, a recipe-sharing website called Open Source Food in 2008. The site was an instant hit and went on to be featured in Time Magazine’s “50 Best Websites” list for that year — and was soon after acquired by a US-based media organization. Jon’s current career passion is e-commerce. He was a founding director of Japan’s biggest luxury e-commerce destination Glamour Sales, and helped grow the site from zero to over half a million customers, raising over US$30 million in funding in the process. Now based in Singapore, Jon is the founder of TinyTrunk.com, a socially-powered shopping platform where anyone can set up an online shop for free. Jon has a deep interest and passion for cooking. He is half-British and half-Singaporean Chinese, giving him a palate and expertise in both international and local flavours. Jon cooks at least three times a week at his home in the city, but can also be seen hopping around local hawker centers, French bistros and tapas bars. This passion for cooking naturally leads to a passion for fine wines and spirits.

Kampong Sour

Ingredients

by Jon Yongfook Cockle, with Ethan Leslie Leong, Maison Ikkoku

Jon strived to stay as close to Singapore roots as possible when creating his cocktail. He wanted to capture the essence of Singapore which he felt was manifested in the “Kampong Spirit” of the olden days. Kampong Sour is the product of his creativity. The cocktail’s deceptively simple threeingredient list belies its refreshing and delicious taste. As the name suggests, the cocktail is on the tart side, and the tang comes from the aromatic juice of the calamansi lime, which is a fruit abundant in the Southeast Asian region. The Kampong Sour is simple to make at home with ingredients that are easily available – calamansi, sugar, crushed ice, and of course, BACARDÍ Rum. To complete the nostalgic feel of the drink, the cocktail is served in an old-fashioned rock glass, with a sipping straw to prevent the calamansi seeds from being drunk.

30ml BACARDÍ Superior 4-5 calamansi limes 3 barspoons white castor sugar garnish with half calamansi lime

Preparation

Lightly muddle the calamansi lime in the glass. Add the sugar and BACARDÍ Rum until the sugar has dissolved completely. Top with ice and stir well. (TIP: do not add ice when the castor sugar is not fully dissolved.) Serve in a rock glass with a sipping straw. Garnish with half a calamansi free of pulps and seed.

cuL T URE

Dee Kosh cuL T URE

63 HIGHLIGHT

DARRYL KOSHY AKA DEE KOSH Entertainer, Vlogger, Musician Dee Kosh is an Entertainer, Vlogger, Musician and Party Guru. The talented Singaporean exploded into the Singapore scene in 2011 after his YouTube video, “To all my Singaporean Clubbers”, went viral. From the humorous video, a catch phrase that Singaporean youth became very familiar with was born: Ah AhSiol! Dee is no stranger to music as he had completed his tertiary education in this field. He has recorded many covers and even collaborated on an original with Singapore’s most famous Mat Rep, Bancho. Dee is not only a top-rated video-poster on YouTube, but has also been trended on Twitter numerous times and written about by some of the most popular local bloggers. In addition, his antics have attracted the attention of mainstream media and he has been featured on TodayOnline, PopConversation and most recently, Channel News Asia.

Ingredients

The Old Man & the Sea

50ml BACARDÍ Superior 5ml ginger juice 30ml lime juice 20ml sugar cane syrup 1 egg white garnish with orange zest and mint leaves

by Dee Kosh, with ThanutpholArj-han (Nath), Tippling Club

Inspired by the origins of BACARDÍ and the location of the cocktail search, Dee Kosh and Nath came up with an interesting Cuban-Asian fusion concoction. BACARDÍ Rum and sugar cane are of Cuban origins while ginger is distinctively Asian. The name of the cocktail pays homage to the novel of the same title written in Cuba by literary great Ernest Hemingway in 1951. Finishing off the cocktail is the foamy froth from a shaken egg white and that represents the sea. With a refreshing citrusy tang from lime, a hint of warm ginger and sweetened with sugar cane syrup, The Old Man & the Sea transports drinkers to a warm island in the Caribbean where tropical sea breezes gently caress.

Preparation

Pour all ingredients into a shaker. Dry shake, add ice, then shake again. Strain and garnish with orange zest and mint leaves.

cuL T URE

Next stop is Changkat Kuala Lumpur, courtesy of SJ Zheng and a Sydney city tour... We will also invite personalities to speak to master mixologists on their preferred cocktails. For bar and hospitality industry advertisement opportunities and subscription in bulk, please contact