PUBLISHED March 13th, 2017 11:54 pm | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:26 pm
The folks behind Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF) have definitely put us on the cocktail capital map of the world. Happening 16-21 March 2017, the Festival Village at the Old Beach Road Police Station might be getting most of the buzz since it’s the first one ever, but let’s not forget that there are more than 40 participating bars that are hosting guest bartending shifts, bar tours, workshops, and masterclasses either.
With so much happening, you’re definitely spoilt for choice, so here’s our bucket list for SGCF 2017. All event tickets can be purchased via SGCF’s website here.
Rum for Your Lives
As you can probably tell, this bar tour will be focusing on the boozy beverage of all pirates – rum. Starting at the Proof Flat, a plush mecca for all artisanal spirits, bar hoppers will move on to Amoy Street rum haven Sugarhall before heading to Bago, the second-floor bar of Caribbean restaurant Lime House. Have your last cocktail with a view at Smoke & Mirrors.
When: 16 March 2017, 7pm-11pm, 18 March 2017, 6pm-10.30pm.
Where: Proof Flat, Sugarhall, Bago at Lime House, Smoke & Mirrors
Cost: $98 nett per person
Suave The Day
Happen to have a girly occasion to celebrate? This is THE bar tour to go for, with some of the best-looking male bartenders tendin’ to you with delicious cocktails. Start at Vasco with a South American cocktail by Amir Uzaini before heading to Crackerjack, which is blessed with the incorrigible duo of Peter Chua and Zac de Git. Smoke & Mirrors’ Yugnes Susela will impress with his creative cocktails next, and you’ll end the night with Dario Knox, the mad scientist inhabiting Orchard Road speakseasy The Other Room.
When: 20 March 2017, 7pm-11pm
Where: Vasco, Crackerjack, Smoke & Mirrors, The Other Room
Cost: $98 nett per person, includes four cocktails
Have a Taste of Outer Space
Teaming up with the International Flavors and Fragrances Inc, Tippling Club Head Bartender Joe Schofield will be presenting a menu of five cocktails inspired by the olfactory mysteries of outer space. Those who like a bit of heat will enjoy Sun, a spicy concoction of sunflower honey, citrus, rum, and Tabasco, while the pretty Milky Way is a smooth criminal of a cocktail with meteorites (dehydrated yogurt sponge), cold brew coffee, salted caramel, cream, and whisky. Moon, another whisky-based tipple, reminds us of Calpis with its combination of moon milk, white wine, and citrus.
When: 16-21 March 2017
Where: Tippling Club, 38 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088461
Cost: $22++ per cocktail
Eat, Drink, Love Japan
If you love all things Japanese, bartenders Ryu Fuji (Bar K, Osaka) and Tsuyoshi Miyazaki – both took the Runner Up spot in Global Diageo World Class in 2016 and 2013 respectively – will be discussing the beautiful produce and popular ingredients used in their bars over four cocktails and bar snacks at Nutmeg & Clove’s Eat Drink Love Japanese Flavour workshop. Hidetsugu Ueno, who was named International Bartender of the Year at 2016’s Spirited Awards, will be popping by to share his thoughts too.
When: 17 March 2017, 6pm-8pm
Where: Nutmeg & Clove, 10 Ann Siang Hill, Singapore 069789
Cost: $92 nett per person
Classic Cocktail Techniques 101
Many of us know that cocktails are shaken or stirred, but did you realise that there were other ways to make a classic cocktail? La Maison du Whisky’s Bar Manager Mauricio Allende goes a step further than most basic cocktail workshops. He will be using four different cocktails – Whisky Sour, Collins, Caipirinha, and Old Fashioned – to demonstrate the four different techniques used (shaked, built, muddled, and stirred respectively).
When: 19 March 2017, 3.30pm-5pm or 20 March 2017, 3.30pm-5pm
Where: La Maison du Whisky, #01-10 The Pier, 80 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 239013
Cost: $58 nett per person
Skewers & Scotch for the Soul
Relatively new kids on the Tanjong Pagar Roads, The Wall is conceptualized on pairing single malt whisky with sumiyaki (the catchall term for yakitori), and that’s exactly what you’ll be doing at this workshop led by the establishment’s Creative Manager Jeremie Tan. Look forward to spending your Saturday afternoon in his care, sipping on whiskies from four different regions in Europe and Asia whilst munching on delicious charcoal-grilled skewers.
When: 18 March 2017, 12pm-2pm or 3pm-5pm
Where: The Wall, 76 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088497
Cost: $75 nett per person
Cachaça: The Spirit of Brazil
Made from fermented sugarcane juice, Cachaça is the most popular distilled spirit in Brazil and that’s not surprisingly, considering the spirit has more than 400 years of history behind it. Led by the founders of Maracatu Cachaça Andreas Schneider and Catarina Longman, the masterclass at Fat Prince will see you tasting different cachaças, as well as concoct your own Caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail.
When: 17 March 2017, 4pm-5.30pm
Where: Fat Prince, 48 Peck Seah Street, #01-01, Singapore 079317
Cost: $46 nett per person
Join the Cult of Happiness Forgets
Ranked the tenth best bar in the world, we’re pretty sure Happiness Forgets is anything but forgettable. You’re in for a treat since both Owner Alastair Burgess and General Manager Rhys Wilson will behind Flagship’s bar for two nights, since it’s really hard to get a table at their Hoxton Square location in London with a reservation. They’re also hosting a Salon Session at the Proof Flat on what it means and takes to build a world class bar team
When: 17 & 18 March 2017, 8pm-2am
Where: Flagship, 20 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089834
Cost: $22++ per cocktail
A Phò-nomenal Takeover at Native
Saigon boys Bien Ngoc Vu (Glow Skybar, HCMC), Vu Doan Vien Du (Ly Club, Hanoi), Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh (Social Club Saigon, HCMC), Trang Thanh Tung (Medley Coffee & Bar), and Nguyen Canh Nguyen (Mr. Fogg’s Residence, London) will be descending upon Native for one of the largest takeovers during SGCF 2017. While Vietnam might be an underdog at the moment – when it comes to cocktails at least – the slew of award-winning bartenders might just show us a thing or two.
When: 18 March 2017, 8pm-10pm
Where: Native, 52A Amoy Street, Singapore
Cost: $23++ per cocktail
A Tale of Two Islands
We’re talking about Japan…and Sentosa, of course. The two converge on Sunday when Hiroyasu Kayama, Owner-Bartender of Ben Fiddich Tokyo rocks Bob’s Bar. Coming in the 21st spot on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2016, we’ve personally tried Kayama’s cocktails and trust us when we say they are out of this world. Tipples on the menu, such as The Botanist Forest, probably contain herbs foraged from his farm in Japan.
When: 19 March 2017, 8pm-10pm
Where: Bob’s Bar, Capella Singapore, 1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island
A Close Shave with Gin by The Barber Shop
I remember The Barber Shop well, because I foolishly mistook it for The Baxter Inn in Sydney years ago (oops). That said, they did make an impression with their extensive gin collection and hipster interiors, and we’re excited that Jigger & Pony will be hosting The Barber Shop’s owner Mike Enright and Bar Manager David Nguyen, as well a one of their barbers for one night only.
When: 21 March 2017, 8pm-12am
Where: Jigger & Pony, 101 Amoy Street, Singapore 069921
Cost: $22++ per cocktail