BARTENDERS

BAR TENDERSI IDRINK

DRINKTHIS
THIS

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The perfect
mix!

happy

hour

Forget about frothy beer or house wine Asias

bar scene has exploded with local variations on
old favourites and new concoctions that pair the
traditional with the inventive
WORDS ALESSANDRA BERGAMIN

BARTENDERS
BAR TENDERSI IDRINK
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Kyaw Wanna,
Union Bar & Grill,
Yangon

Guests are more

discerning about
what they drink
and appreciate
drinks more

Kyaw Wanna, a bartender

at Union Bar & Grill in
Yangon, cut his teeth as
a bar waiter at Yangons
Savoy Hotel. He then
moved to the United
Arab Emirates, where
he worked and trained
as a bartender in hotels
including Abu Dhabis
Mafraq Hotel.

For a casual night out

I enjoy going to 50th
Street with friends. Its a
casual sports bar that also
serves cool cocktails.

A tribute to Yangon
Bannies awardwinning cocktail,
Hwa Chae

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hether its an infused

aged arak; a mix of
ingredients that speak
to a citys identity; or
an appreciation of a
fine whiskey, Asias new breed of bartenders
are shaking up the cocktail world, turning
delicious drops into drinkable works of art.
From Penangites sipping on Moscow Mules
to a growing trend of speakeasies across Bali,
Manila and Bangkok, these seven bartenders
know what to drink, where to drink it, and
what well be drinking in the future.

Bannie Kang,
Anti:dote at Fairmont
Singapore, Singapore
Bannie Kang has been a bartender for close
to six years: she got her start at City Space bar
at Singapores Swisstel The Stamford before
arriving at Fairmont Singapores Anti:dote.
She was recently named the emerging
champion at the Bacardi Legacy Singapore
Competition and will go on to represent
Singapore at the finals in San Francisco.
Bannie has also been awarded Best Female
Bartender two years in a row (2014 and 2015)
at the Singapore Bar Awards.

The Pegu Club cocktail is

iconic to Myanmar. It was
invented at the Pegu Club
in Rangoon (now Yangon)
a former gentlemens
club in the 1920s. It
includes gin, Cointreau,
orange curacao, lime

juice, Angostura bitters

and orange bitters.
A version of this
cocktail can be found
at Yangons Belmond
Governors Residence
and The Strand.

Union Bar and Grill, 42

Strand Road, Botahtaung,
Yangon, +95 0 9250
355064; unionyangon.com

The Boulevardier
cocktail at Mish Mash

Ben Ng, Mish Mash, Penang

Ben Ng poured his first cocktail 14 years
ago. Since then hes worked in the UK and
Malaysia, opened a bartending academy
Fluid Alchemy and in 2015 was a judge
for the Diageo World Class competition in
Malaysia. Hes also the owner of Mish Mash, a
European-inspired bistro bar thats dedicated
to the art of drinking.

The first cocktail I ever made

A pia colada, but it didnt taste very good!

The best of Penangs bar scene

Where I drink
I enjoy going to
Operation Dagger on
my days off.

Singapore in a glass

strong and heavy drinks

are popular requests at
Anti:dote.

Cocktail of the future

My winning cocktail,
Hwa Chae. Its made
from tropical ingredients
including watermelon
and pineapple, which
are easily found in
Singapore. Its a great
thirst quencher.

The 2013/14 trend was in

molecular techniques,
using dry ice and
nitrogen, but were
seeing a shift away from
this. Guests are more
discerning about what
they drink and appreciate
their drinks more.

The Negroni and

Boulevardier. These two

Fairmont Singapore,
80 Bras Basah Road,
Singapore, +65 6339 7777;
fairmont.com/singapore

Cocktail of the
moment

My personal favourites are the Eastern

& Oriental Hotels Farquhars Bar, which
takes you back to the old British colonial
days of Penang; ChinaHouse for its massive
and unique multiple concept bars; and
Bababar at Seven Terraces, which showcases
a beautiful array of antique Peranakan
furniture and ornaments.

Local favourites

From what we serve at Mish Mash,

Penangites are enjoying Moscow Mules and
Negroni. Single-malt scotch whiskey is also
catching on fast in Penang; there are quite a
few serious connoisseurs and collectors.
Bartender Kyaw has
cocktail creation
down to a fine art

The perfect cocktail in sweltering

weather

Mish Mashs newest cocktail, The Redford.

24 Muntri Street, George Town, Penang,

Malaysia, +60 17 536 5128

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BARTENDERS
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Yukiyo with her
award-winning
cocktail, the
Glorious Martini

we use local flavours

and ingredients in
our cocktails
Nihonbashi: one
of the original
favourites!

Yukiyo Kurihara,
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo

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With 20 years of experience, its no wonder

Yukiyo Kurihara, bar manager at Mandarin
Oriental in Tokyo, was named one of the worlds
best bartenders in 2008 joining the Tanqueray
Guild alongside nine other bartenders from
across the globe. At the Mandarin Oriental, she
manages and trains an all-female bar staff.

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Where I drink

The Peak Bar at Park Hyatt Tokyo, Code Name

Mixology and Bar BenFiddich.

Must-try at Mandarin Orientals

Mandarin Bar

Definitely the Nihonbashi, one of my original

cocktails. It has two different coloured layers
representing the concept of woods (green)
and water (blue). Recently we introduced
non-alcoholic cocktails by pairing juices
together. I created these from scratch, too, so
I really enjoy making them.

My homage to Tokyo

The Tokyo G&T is something Ive created at

Mandarin Oriental. So guests can enjoy the
Japan-ness of the drink, I add yuzu liqueur,
fresh yuzu juice and a dash of sweet sake.

Ayip
Muhammad
Dzuhri, Sofitel
Bali Nusa Dua
Beach Resort, Bali

Drinks featuring local Japanese products will

be highly popular among Tokyo locals as well
as overseas visitors. Personally Im interested in
using ingredients such as seaweed broth (dashi),
kelp, wasabi, shiitake mushrooms and toasted
soybean flour in my creations.

Ayip Muhammad Dzuhri

has worked in the
industry for four years,
spending three of those
at Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua
Beach Resort. In 2015,
he was crowned
Indonesias Bartender
of the Year at the Diageo
World Class competition.

2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo,

+81 3 3270 8800; mandarinoriental.com/tokyo

Baker Street Social in

Japans future cocktails

For a night out

Badung its
a great speakeasy.

Must-try at Sofitel
The Frangipani Punch.
Its a tiki-style drink
with a touch of Balinese
flavour the perfect
accompaniment when
basking under the
tropical sun.

The Bali of cocktails

One of my fellow
bartenders makes a
cocktail called the Base
Genep Martini. Its
made up of six basic
spices that are used in

Balinese cuisine and represents

the flavours of the gods in the
sacred Hindu scripts. It perfectly
represents Balinese culture and
flavours inside a martini glass.

A nod to the traditional

We are now using local flavours

and ingredients. For example,
we infuse arak and even age it
in oak barrels. We are also using
local herbs, spices and fruits to
bring our cultural drinks to a
new height.

Lot N5, Nusa Dua Tourism

Complex, Nusa Dua, Bali,
+62 361 849 2888;
sofitel.com

Above left, inset: Mandarin

Oriental. Below: Astrajingga,
one of Ayips signature
cocktails at the resort. It
features rum, coconut cream,
brown sugar and ginger syrup

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Natakorn
Thumb
Changrew,
Perfume
Fragrance Bar &
Aromatic Cuisine,
Bangkok
Natakorn Changrew
is an award-winning
mixologist whose passion
for bartending led him
to co-found Bangkoks
Perfume Fragrance Bar
& Aromatic Cuisine and,
more recently, become
part-owner and cocktail
specialist at the soon-toopen bar and restaurant
Bunker.

For a drink with

the locals

Skip the fancy bars and

look for street-food
restaurants, commonly

called rann larb. This

is where Thai people,
especially bartenders,
drink local beer and
whiskey while enjoying
authentic north-eastern
Thai food.

For a well-mixed
cocktail

The city can be divided

into two sections: the
Sathorn side and the
Thonglor side. On the
Sathorn side, Bunker
offers vintage cocktails
with an ingredientfocused twist, while Tep
Bar has a cool adaptation
of Thai infused spirits
and traditional music.
On the Thonglor side,
Smith serves well-priced
cocktails made by one
of the cornerstones of

Thailands cocktail movement,

Chanchai Rodbamrung.

For a taste of Bangkok

Try my award-winning Umami Mary [Best

Bloody Mary in South East Asia at the 2015
Diageo World Class competition]. It has
many dimensions and flavour notes, can
be consumed any time of the day, isnt too
thick and has a spicy kick. This is how I
see Thailand: a country with many options
and lots of contrast, and we definitely
love our spice!

Alyonas
got the
right
touch!

88/36, Soi Thonglor, Sukhumvit 55, Khlong Tan,

Klong Toey, Bangkok, +66 2 714 8071;
facebook.com/perfumebarandrestaurant
A limited-edition champagnebased cocktail from Perfume
bar features a top layer of
nitro-frozen raspberry

Alyona Vinogradova-Jeffery,
Wolfgangs Steakhouse, Manila
Since moving from her native Russia to the
Philippines in 2009, Alyona VinogradovaJeffery has worked as a bar consultant across
Manila, twice competed in the Diageo World
Class Bartender of the Year competition
and is now the bar and beverage manager at
Wolfgangs Steakhouse, Manila.

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For the love of bartending

I love mixing drinks for different

personalities, catering to their mood and
preferences. For me, its not even a job
anymore its more a way of life.

A night out in Manila

Speakeasy Makati in Alphaland Makati

Place would be my first pick. Also, Blind Pig,
Hooch, The Bonbon Club I could go on
forever.

A must-try at Wolfgangs
Steakhouse

The Arugula Martini, a vodka-based cocktail

with egg white, arugula leaves and lemon
bitters. I love the satisfaction on our guests
faces when they take that first sip.

Manilas surprising cocktail culture

I see Thailand
as a country
with many
options and
lots of contrast

When I arrived in the Philippines, it was

extremely difficult to sell any of the cocktails
I was making. Most people were drinking
beer, rum and coke, or gin and tonic but
look at us now! The cocktails coming out
of Manila are balanced, beautiful and
a joy for everyone.

Wolfgangs Steakhouse, Resorts World Manila,

Newport Boulevard, Pasay, Manila,
+63 920 821 9247; wolfgangssteakhouse.net

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