5 Things I learned during Singapore Cocktail Week

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you are probably aware that last week was the week to be out and drinking – responsibly of course. The reason? The first ever Singapore Cocktail Week (SCW) had been taking place, and every night there were some unmissable cocktail-related events happening with world-class bartenders in town.

Surely, we drink more or less on weekly basis (to say the least) but while in my case it is usually wine, Cocktail Week opened up my eyes more to the fine craft of cocktail-making and if anything, made me appreciate it even more.

There is no doubt that the past few years saw a boom in the cocktail bar scene in Singapore with award-winning bartenders competing to make the most unusual and interesting concoctions in town. SCW celebrated that by hosting the second Singapore Bar Awards but what was more interesting is that it gave the opportunity for the rest of us to take a peek into the world of cocktails from the experts’ perspective.

Drinking – and struggling to wake up the next morning – aside, I have to say that there was a lot to learn even for someone who is not necessarily an expert on the topic. So what could a girl whose idea of the perfect red is more of a Louboutin sole than a Bloody Mary take away from Singapore’s Cocktail Week? Here’s the lowdown on my experience.

1- Whisky cocktails…

… can be good – depending on who makes them and how. I probably had more whisky cocktails this week than I ever had in my life. Attending a couple of events where guest bartenders were making some whisky-based cocktails, I was first hesitant to try some of them as I’m not exactly a whisky fan.

Surprisingly I really enjoyed every single one! The trick (I’m guessing) is in balancing the flavour of the whisky with the other ingredients to make it tick. However, I’ll still be leaving Single Malts for the connoisseur gentlemen to appreciate neat or on the rocks.

2- Gin vs. Whisky: The surprising verdict

In an attempt to challenge my declaration that ‘gin is my favourite alcohol’, Monkey Shoulder Global Brand Ambassador Dean Callan made me try both whisky and gin, neat, and then mixed each with soda so I could taste the difference. It was then that I learned to not judge the book by its cover. The experiment revealed that gin actually has a stronger taste than I thought (since I usually drink it in cocktails where its taste is purposely masked). Before sipping though, I had to blow in the glass as I was told that this way the dry alcohol will suck in some moisture from the air and dilutes itself hence tastes smoother. Logical I know, but it must have escaped me during the Chemistry class at school.

The verdict? The cocktails that are usually mixed with gin can taste as good when mixed with whisky. Balance is again the key – hence now I have even more respect for bartenders who seem to put much more thought in what and how much they’re mixing before handing us the glass to enjoy. Just like a good fashion stylist I guess.

3- Time travel is possible if…

…you have enough imagination – and an intriguing pseudo-scientific machine invented by the people behind the peculiar Hendrick’s Gin. As I joined a few journalists on an imaginary expedition to the centre of the earth guided by the brand’s global Ambassador David Piper, I learned that we certainly should take ourselves less seriously sometimes. As we were led to a hidden room where the helmet-like machine was placed (not to mention a handsome model posing as the inventor), we were challenged to get swept away on this multi-sensory journey where at one point we inhaled some delicious and refreshing Hendrick’s and Tonic mist.

Personally I saw the moon and a sky full of stars – which could either be explained by the fact I was sipping too many Martinis or reading too much Asimov before bed the night before.

Either ways, you gotta love the opportunity to open up your imagination and disconnect sometimes. After all, isn’t this one of the reasons alcohol was invented in the first place?

4- Good cocktail-making skills could be embedded in our DNA

Hence this might explain my poor attempts at it (or is it my impatience to blame?) But seriously, what else could explain the fact that two siblings could share the same passion and skill in bartending? Well, almost the same.

Better still, we got to witness the Foltan brothers in action as they concocted some pretty awesome cocktails at Tippling Club where the eldest brother Kamil is the head bartender. Alongside Kamil, was the young and very talented Roman Foltan who is currently working at the World’s Top Bar for 3 years running; The Artesian at the Langham Hotel in London. So whose drinks got our vote at the end? We’ll leave it for you to guess but there was no doubt they are both masters at their craft.

5- Female bartenders kick ass!

Among the invited bartenders were two ladies who gave the guys a run for their money. Amanda Wan from Hong Kong showed some amazing mixing skills while Canada-based Evelyn Chick was the one behind the best cocktail I’ve tried all week: the Geisha Sour. Served during her shift at The Black Swan’s Powder Room, I lost count on how many of these I had.

Now, let the detox begin…

Rana Wehbe