PUBLISHED June 12th, 2017 07:15 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:26 pm
Hot on the heels of April’s The Bar Awards Bangkok 2017, the Singapore edition looks set to go all-out for an exhilarating weekend of non-stop drinking and partying. Make sure you know who the top nominees are, for it’s going to be an exciting and intense battle (we kid, it’s all friendly rivalry here). To amp yourself up for the finale, how about visiting some of these spectacular fringe events during The Bar Awards Weekend?
Thu, 15 June: The Bar Awards Shake Off Opening Party
When the best bartenders from three cities face-off again each other, which country will emerge the champion? Make your way down to the Amoy Street arena as past winners from previous editions of The Bar Awards battle it out to sell the most cocktails, starting with Singapore representatives Tom Hogan (Bartender of the Year 2015 and 2016) and Charmaine Thio of 28 HongKong Street (Best Cocktail Bar from 2014 through 2016) taking over Employees Only from 6pm to 9pm.
Team Bangkok sees Ann Pinsuda Pongprom (The Rising Star 2017) and Jamie Rhind from The Bamboo Bar (Best Hotel Bar 2017) joining forces with Ada Coleman Award winner and Bartender of the Year 2017, Suwincha “Chacha” Singsuwan at Bitters & Love just down the road from 7pm to 10pm.
Last but far from the least, we’ll be seeing bartenders from the neon city of Hong Kong over at Jigger & Pony 8pm till 12 midnight. Manning the bar is Stockton (Best Cocktail Bar 2016) and Zuma’s distilling genius Arkadiusz Rybak (Bartender of the Year 2016).
Where: Employees Only (6pm – 9pm), Bitters & Love (7pm – 10pm), Jigger & Pony (8pm – 12am)
Fri, 16 June: Guest Shifts
The second day sees a full line-up of stellar bartenders taking up shifts at five local watering holes. From Kuala Lumpur’s whimsical Coley (named after Ada Coleman herself) is head honcho CK Kho, who’ll be at The Secret Mermaid, while Bangkok’s Tropic City has Bacardi Legacy Thailand Competition finalist Krit “Joey” Parkobdee down at Neon Pigeon.
Meanwhile, Nutmeg & Clove will play host to Arkadiusz Rybak from Zuma Hong Kong while Tess Kitchen & Bar sees Bangkok’s top girl Chacha Singsuwan from Rabbit Hole. At Gibson, you’ll find the award-winning team from Mandarin Oriental Bangkok’s snazzy The Bamboo Bar – Ann Pongprom & Jamie Rhind.
Where: The Secret Mermaid (6pm – 10pm), Neon Pigeon (8pm – 11pm), Nutmeg & Clove (8pm – 12am), Tess Kitchen & Bar (8pm – 12am)
Sat, 17 June: The Bar Awards BBQ Bash
If you’ve ever wanted to dunk a bartender, head over to Camp Kilo Charcoal Club for an afternoon of wet fun and drunkenness. Featuring glorious cocktails personally mixed up by six of Asia’s best bars (Neon Pigeon, Smoke & Mirrors, Coley, The Bamboo Bar, Zuma, and Rabbit Hole), drinks goes for just $15 nett each and make perfect companions to the mouth-watering barbeque by the home boys and girls at Camp Kilo.
And in case you were wondering, the chaps on the dunking block include Crackerjack’s Zac De Git, Sugarhall’s Rhyse Borland, Monkey 47’s Arijit Bose, Drinks Fellas’ Stuart Danker, and Proof & Company’s Zdenek Kastanek. As an incentive, throws are $2 each and all proceeds go to charity!
Where: Camp Kilo Charcoal Club, 66 Kampong Bugis, Singapore 338987 (2pm – 8pm)
Sat, 17 June: Guest Shifts, Dim Sum & A Nightcap Party
When the sun sets, the first floor of Oxwell & Co will see Karl Too, co-owner of Kuala Lumpur’s RAY, behind the bar (interestingly, just like Oxwell, RAY’s cornerstone is a range of cocktails served straight from the tap). At Mitzo, bar manager Marco Pignotta will serve up a delicious pairing of Cantonese dim sum and exquisite cocktails all night, while Teens of Thailand’s Niks Anuman-Rajadhon takes over at Flagship. Of course, the drinks don’t stop at midnight. The real fun starts at the Skinny’s Lounge Night Cap, fuelled by endless booze, savoury treats, and spankin’ good company.
Where: Oxwell & Co (8pm – 12am), Mitzo (9pm – 12am), Flagship (9pm – 1am), Skinny’s Lounge (from 1am)
Mon, 19 June: The Bar Awards Closing Party
There’s no party like a closing party, or so they say. Happening at the newly-opened Catchfly along Ann Siang Road, chase off the Monday Blues and drink up for the week ahead with guest bartenders Jay Gray (Monkey Shoulder Brand Ambassador for Southeast Asia), Symphony Loo (Neon Pigeon), Charmaine Thio (28 HongKong Street), Ricky Paiva (Bacardi Brand Ambassador), Rhyse Borland (Sugarhall), and Leo Chui (Skinny’s Lounge).
Where: Catchfly, 12 Ann Siang Rd, Singapore 069692 (from 7pm)
The Bar Awards Weekend is happening from 15 to 19 June 2017. For more details, check out the official website or Facebook event page here.