Insta Weekly: World Gin Day, Kampachi dinner feat. Izumibashi Sake, P&C Bar, French Martini, Whiskey Sour

I'd like to share with you something interesting that happened to me last week.

I was at a bar for a quiet drink and bumped into some friends who knew that I enjoyed mixing drinks at home. Everyone was having fun and had quite a bit to drink... eventually I was asked to make a drink at the bar. Much to my reluctance, I did agree, but only after the bartender agreed to it as well.

Thinking back, I wondered how I could have handle that situation better. So many things could have gone wrong (since it wasn't a bar I was familiar with, and I'm actually not a bartender), but thankfully it didn't! Anyway, this experience made me realise a few things:

1. I really do enjoy working behind an actual bar - it's still such a thrill. How do I do something about that which is more feasible for my bank account? :P
2. I need to improve my mixing skills and confidence.
3. I need to learn up a wider repertoire of cocktail recipes.
4. I need to find a secret hide-away bar to drink in. :P
5. Don't get tipsy in a bar, just in case I ever get another opportunity like this again - since my "reputation" is at stake here haha!

That being said. Thank you all for the opportunity. You all know who you are! :)

So what else happened last week?

Insta Weekly: Martin Miller's Gin, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Whisky Fling @ S&A, Revisiting WIP, Ippudo's new Geikkeikan Sake, Negroni Week @ Hyde, Nikka Taketsuru 12

Man, after last week, I thought I would go easy on the drinking and whiskies but apparently, I'm made of tougher (and more idiotic lol) stuff. This week's summary is a little late because I just came back from spending the weekend in Melaka for a friend's wedding which was also a great excuse to stuff my face with food along the way (sorry about all that food spam on my insta today lol).

I love Chinese banquet weddings. Bonus if the first four (out of 8, usually) dishes tastes really good (usually the appetiser, soup, white meat & fish) because I'm usually too stuffed to have anymore (after that it's commonly the prawns, vegetables, rice and dessert). Even bigger bonus if there's loads of booze about - this one had a whole lot of beer, wine and whiskies. Back in the day (I'd say about 10-15 years) ago - chinese banquet dinners predominantly featured brandy and at the most, blended scotch. These days? Single malt and Japanese whiskies are all the rage. Attending a chinese wedding dinner is really a good gauge of what the current beverage trend is. :)

1. Martin Miller's Gin

Had this at O&A last week. Hmm, seems like I'm really into my gins now. :D This one tastes like it's in between your london dry & botanicals. Stuff like this reminds me why I love the beverage industry so much. You think you've tried a lot and then something new comes along to surprise you. I wish I could easily get one of these but unfortunately, it's not easy to get, and also in the premium category like your Botanist (which is already RM2XX duty free, by the way). I think I will invest in more gins, while the whole region is still mad with their whisky. Rums too. Once, the whisky craze dies down, it's likely we'll take to rum or gin. Let's see. :)

It's Beerday, Everyday

For some of us, there's nothing better than looking forward to an ice cold mug of  refreshing golden liquid goodness to wind down after a long, hard, tiring, shitty day at work.

Just look at the frost on the glass tempting you.

Now tell me you don't look forward to a taste of THAT.

Love in an ice cold mug. Nothing can ever substitute that satisfaction. Not a nice warm hug from your partner who smells so intoxicatingly good, or even a silly little overly-eager dog wagging its tails at the first sight of you at the door.

Because Cold beer will always love you. Cold beer never needs you to love it back. Cold beer is easy to get. Cold beer makes you happy. Cold beer will never cheat on you or lie to you. Cold beer will always be there for you. Through thick and thin. For better or for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. Until death to us part.

Stop wars and famine. Have a cold beer.

Pictured above is a cold one from 42East at TTDI. 3 pints of Tiger were going at around RM50+ for 3 after 9pm. (RM40+ during happy hours starting at 4pm). 

Grimbergen's In Town!

Here's a blonde with good head - Grimbergen Blonde (6.7%)

Did you know that Luen Heng Sdn Bhd. (a subsidiary of Carlsberg) was the champion that had the foresight to bring in Hoegaarden into this market eons ago when it was literally unheard of in this market? While it has now become a very popular, hip, drink to be seen with these past few years,  it is THE BEER that made me change my mind about beers almost 10 years ago. So that's my way of saying, I liked it before it was even cool to like it (/kiasu).... and also indirectly admitting that I'm kinda.... old. :(

So, these guys at Carlsberg and Luen Heng have been very busy bees. Over the past couple of years, they've been bringing in other really awesome imported beers like Kronenbourg 1664, Kronenbourg Blanc, Asahi, Little Ceatures, among others, and just last week, Grimbergen ..... on TAP. YEAY!

Victoria Bitter, Revisited

A Bottle of Victorian Bitter, All By Its Lonesome.

Studying in Sydney, Australia (a shout out to all the crew from IHMA, Sydney!) was when I truly had my first real experience of alcohol - Toohey's, shitty cheap wine from a carton boxes, whiskey Coke, Kahlua milk, XXX, Victoria Bitter and a taste of some other cocktails and shots.

Don't need to say how I felt about the shitty cheap wines because I believe it's a universal understanding that they truly SUCK, but I can tell you back then I had no love for beer in any form. It won't be an exaggeration to even say I hated it. My virgin tongue couldn't stomach the bitter after-taste at all. I especially hated Victoria Bitter because it was especially ... bitter.

However, fast forward (more or less)10 years to today, you can safely say that I now drink pretty much anything - beer, wine, spirits. But I'm using the words "pretty much" very, very loosely (give a girl her artistic license can ah? :p )

True Story, Bro

Seen on the back of a Craftbrews' staff's tshirt:

Love Yourself. Stop Drinking Crappy Beers.

Word.

Happy new week!

Ice Cold Taps

Brussels' Ice Cold Taps

If I were the king of the world, I would mandate all draught taps AND glasses be frozen. Simply because everything tastes heavenly that way.

I know a place in Singapore that does this - Ice Cold Beer (specially the one along Emerald HIll). My second home while I was there. Every other day, I would park my butt at the bar and order myself an ice cold Hoegaarden just to wind down, washed down with their delicious chicken wings or hotdog. Do you have any idea how good ice cold beer in an ice cold mug feels after a long, long day at work in Singapore? Words can't describe. And oh how much I miss it!

Back in Malaysia, we do have some places that HAS frozen taps. The taps illustrated above are from Brussels. It really makes a difference to my drinking experience. But I haven't had the chance of coming across bars that serves ice cold beer in ice cold mugs. It's usually one or the other and the experience is just NOT COMPLETE.

Please god! Bring Ice Cold Beer to Malaysia! Please please please!

GAB's Special

The Tavern's Special

Man, I hope I'm not breaking any rules here by sharing this.

This awesome testing concoction is made out of..... half a pint of Cider mixed with....

Guinness.

And did I say that it is awesome? It's awesome!

The cider's sour acidity is balanced out by Guinness's bitterness. So it's really easy to drink.

This easy to drink smooth, slightly malty and tangy mix is something the guys at GAB like to call  "The Special".

If you ever get the privilege of checking out the Tavern, try to ask for one at the friendly bartender while you're there.

It's a glassful of Yum!

Snow Beer

A Glass of Snowy Goodness

Somewhere deep inside Cheras, lies this frozen beauty awaiting to be consumed at some ah pek coffee shop called 1008.

What's so special about it? Well, the bottle's frozen, and so is the drinking glass. Once in contact with the glass, the beer turns into bits of ice. Ice blended beer - who would've thunk?

Once you pick your chin up from the floor and get over the novelty, the beer goes down so quickly and before you know it, you're asking for another bottle. And another. And another.

Paired with the in-house special, sinfully delicious glazed fried pork - it's like a little bit of heaven on earth.

Your wallet won't thank you (about RM18 per btl of large frozen Heineken), but your taste buds sure would. It's just a matter of prioritising ain't it? Are you really going to allow your screaming wallet to boss you around? No, I don't think so.

Hic.