Welcome to Malaysia, Grazia Di Franco!

Grazia Di Franco, Maison Ferrand's new Southeast Brand Ambassador, popped by to introduce herself and the range of Maison Ferrand products available in Malaysia. 

GinRum.Me 2020

Covid-19 has been a huge downer ... BUT rain, shine or virus, we must keep our spirits (glasses) up!

GinRum.Me is back in its third year with a new format for the new normal featuring 9 weeks of spirits experiences with gins, tequila and a mezcal across 8 bars in Klang Valley and even 4 in Ipoh!

The Majestic Hotel's Tribute to Hollywood's Golden Age: Bogart Spirits

“ Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine”

That's Humphrey Bogart’s famous quote from the movie Casablanca. Before Marlon Brando and later James Dean perfected the art of mumbling while looking suave and sophisticated, it was Bogart that started it all.

The Bogart Spirits is a collection of 4 spirits - rum, gin, whiskey, vodka, by ROK Drinks Company (US) in collaboration with The Humphrey Bogart Estate.

The introduction of its gin, vodka and rum was held at the Majestic Hotel’s Cigar Lounge, a masculine, classy location truly appropriate for someone like Rick Blaine (Bogart’s character).

The gin is juniper forward with floral and fruity notes of lavender, citrus, macadamia cucumber and coriander.  The rum delivers flavours of  almond nuttiness and coconut. The vodka,
distilled 7 times, is clean and dry, with a light fruity body and spicy finish. I wished we could've tried the blended Irish whiskey which sounded like an interesting blend of single malt and grain whiskeys, matured for at least 3 years in ex-bourbon American oak casks.

To commemorate the launch, Johnny, the head bartender of The Majestic made 5 Hollywood cocktails - Ginger Rogers (gin based), Mae West (brandy based), Jean Harlow (rum & vermouth), Coco Chanel (vodka based) and The James Bond (aka Vesper) (a twist of the gin martini). With the exception of the ‘Vesper’ which is actually a classic cocktail, the other 4 named after actual famous icons of the past.

Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers,  Coco Chanel

The James Bond

Mae West

This collection is exclusively available  at The Majestic's The Smoke House and goes for RM45 a glass and RM600 for a bottle.

For more on Bogart Spirits: http://www.bogartspirits.com/
For more on Majestic's Smoke House & Gentlemen's Club: http://www.majestickl.com/smokehouse.html

- Jon

(Images: The Majestic Kuala Lumpur)

The Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition finally comes to Malaysia!

The title pretty much says it all. This may be new to us in Malaysia, but any bartender worth his salt know that this has been going on for nearly a decade all over the world and it is one heck of a big deal.

Avante, Bacardi 8 Old Fashioned, Haole and the Chai Sour.

The Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition is a global competition which requires participating bartenders to not only create a Bacardi rum cocktail that has the potential of being a modern-day classic which would get listed in bars, but to also run their own promotional activities to market their drink to both consumers and bars.

The first stage begins locally in each participating country, where the national winner will then compete in the regional stage. The regional winner moves on to the global final to compete with the best on the planet - in 2018, that will be in Mexico City. This year, the winner was the animated Ran Van Ongevalle from Belgium, with his Clarita. You could check his performance out on Youtube to get a sense how next level this competition is.

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on Sep 25, 2017 at 5:49am PDT

The boys at Bacardi, along with SEA Brand Ambassador, Richard Paiva, also took the opportunity to throw a little party, inviting media and the bartending community to check out shots and shots of the Bacardi 8 Anos, an 8 year old rum. We also were also treated with Bacardi cocktails by guest bartender Syafiq Rahim from 28 Hong Kong Street, Singapore at Jack Rose.

Syafiq messing around for the camera

Looking forward to see what our local boys can bring to the stage next year. Make us proud!

https://www.facebook.com/BacardiLegacySEA/
https://www.bacardilegacy.com

Launched in Malaysia: Phraya Rum - the "Premium Rum of Asia"

The Rum Bar Kuala Lumpur recently hosted the official launch of Phraya Rum into Malaysia. Yes, “Phraya” is the same name as the major river that flows through the Kingdom of Thailand. Phraya is also a titular meaning for 'high ranking' and thus the name for the product of this proud nation.

This rum is distilled, matured, blended and bottled in Thailand. It's matured in charred oak barrels between 7 and 12 years, hence they call themselves a “Deep Matured Gold Rum.” Its distinctive gold metallic filigree cuff wrapped around the bottle lends it a lux look, to capture the brand's claim of it being "Asia's premium rum".

Phraya plays up its Eastern heritage and philosophy in its marketing, governed by the four natural elements, Fire, Earth, Air and Water. The Fire comes in the form of the charred oak barrels the rum is aged in. The Earth is responsible for the quality of the sugar cane, grown in Thailand’s Nakhon Pathom. The Air is the tropical climate of the region, and the aging warehouses are buildings set on stilts over cool lagoons to moderate the hot weather. The water is, well, water, naturally occurring near where Phraya is distilled.

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on Nov 2, 2017 at 6:33am PDT

Rum Bar KL's #Phraya Rum Cocktails at the official launch

The brand has in its merit won a Double Gold medal at the prestigious 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, earning 95 points and the description “ultimate recommendation.”

It's good story, and at the end of the day, it's also a pretty damn decent rum. At 40% ABV, it's got quite a nice mouthfeel, not overly sweet, and strongly reminds us of coconut candy. Mmmm..

Distributed by the folks at Single & Available and retailing for about RM238 a bottle, you'll also be able to find this in selected bars and F&B outlets like the Rum Bar, Jungle Bird, Mish Mash, Coley and Ekkamai.

- Jon

Insta Weekly: Celebrated International Rum Day with a Grog - Kronenbourg 1664 Wednesday - Monkey Shoulder Launched in Malaysia - The Glenlivet Guardians

Oh my. One of the most surreal experiences of the year happened last Friday. It never occurred to me that someday I'll find myself swimming in a pool filled with popcorn in a dress, but it happened. Read on to find on what on earth happened.

1. International Rum Day - 16 August.

Didn't want to make a common rum drink (daiquiri, punch, mojito) to "celebrate" so decided to make something called a Grog with Sailor Jerry spice rum in.

Insta Weekly: Jagermeister remedy - Angostura Fling - Matusalem Rum Party - 44 Bar & BBB event - Beer Day - JW Gold - Singapore Sling

So as soon the the raya festivities ended, the parties came back. I don't suppose a long introduction is needed because last week was quite a happening week, so prepare yourself for a long update ahead:

1. Jager Hot toddy

The IBA Project: Cuba Libre

Everything you need for a Cuba Libre. I had of course, finished the Coke only to remember that I haven't taken a picture.

The Grandfather Story:
The recipe of this cocktail might have originated from Cuba around the late 1800s. The original drink was said to have been made with cuban rum and a dark syrup mixture of kola nuts & coca.

The name apparently came about when an American captain proposed a toast with the drink (which became rum, coke and a squeeze of lime) around 1900 in a Havana bar filled with American soliders - "Por Cuba Libre", they would cheer, and cuba libre means "free cuba". This was just after cuba's war of independence with the Spanish.

This very disputed story was re-told by a famous rum company. There is a comprehensive article which disputes this, and yet another article which refutes this dispute, lol.

Well, whatever the story, the cocktail's yummy. :)

The IBA Project: Hemingway Special

The Grandfather story:

• A twist of what Hemingway liked - which was basically a daiquiri with no sugar and extra strong (known as the Papa Doble, where > 3 oz of Bacardi  was originally used), blended with shaved ice. 
• A Hemingway Special is based on this recipe but with an additional maraschino, grapejuice and with less rum, which I suppose was to make it more palatable for the normal, non-alcoholic drinks like you and me. :D

Fun fact:
Hemingway was a known alcoholic and diabetic. Apparently he could consume glasses upon glasses (6-12, legend has it) of this original recipe of this daiquiri in a sitting.

The IBA Project: Mojito

The Mojito - my mum ony drinks this.

The Grandfather Story:
- Likely birthplace in Cuba.

- There are 2 versions of its origins, pick one you like:
1) In the 1500s, its original recipe was used as medicine to cure scurvy aboard Francis Drake's ship where he learnt it from the South Americans. It was made with firewater (crude form of rum), lime, sugarcane juice and mint.
2) Could've been created by African slaves working in the Cuban sugarcane fields in the 1800 where sugarcane juice was in abundance (but the recipe was without lime).

- The name itself could apparently be derived from:
1) Mojar, a Spanish verb suggesting wetness.
2) An African word 'mojo', meaning spell.
3) Mojo, a Cuban seasoning made from lime and used to flavour dishes.
4) Mojadito (Spanish for “a little wet”) or simply the diminutive of Mojado (“wet”).

The IBA Project: Bacardi

The Bacardi Cocktail

The Grandfather Story:

The cocktail has been around since 1917 and made popular in the USA. The Daiquiri was actually the original Bacardi cocktail which became popular after Prohibition. But when bars ran out of Bacardi, bartenders made the cocktail with whatever rum they had in store. 

This displeases Bacardi a whole lot. So Bacardi said, enough is enough, and took matters to court. In 1936, the Bacardi cocktail was copyrighted. The ruling states that an authentic Bacardi cocktail must be made with using only Bacardi rum. Bacardi then decided to modify the original daiquiri recipe and added some Grenadine to make it THE Bacardi cocktail just to differentiate it from the daiquiri.

Fun fact: Bacardi is Cuban by birth, but it is not longer considered "Cuban" rum as it's not found in Cuba anymore as it moved its operation out in 1960 (this in itself, is a history lesson). Did you know that the Bacardi brand has been around since 1862? Well, now you do!

The IBA Project: Daiquiri

The Daiquiri

The Grandfather Story:
Supposedly created by an American engineer in the late 1800s and named after a beach near Santiago, Cuba. The original recipe specifically calls for BACARDI rum and recipe is as follows (for 6 pax):

juice of 6 lemons

6 teaspoons of sugar

6 Bacardi cups

2 small cups of water

plenty of crushed ice

Yes, those Tex-Mex ice blended, sickly sweet (more like diabetes inducing!), fruity versions which we are all too familiar with are basically bastardisations variations of the original recipe.

This is Hemingway's favourite drink. Legend has it that he goes through 12 glasses in a sitting (citation required). He liked it so much he created his own version aptly named after himself which has added maraschino and grapefruit juice, and even more rum (because he was a known alcoholic), with no sugar (because he was diabetic).

The IBA Project: Quick Intro, Between the Sheets

For a (lengthy) background of this project: check out  this post from back in 2013 <shy>. If you read or watch movies, this is akin to the Julie & Julia project. Except instead of French food, I'm learning to make cocktails, my name is not Julie and and I'm not following recipes created by Julia, and I have no plans to create a book .... or a movie. So .... wait, actually... it's actually.... NOTHING like the Julie & Julia project, hehe.

TLDR:  I'm on a quest to re-create a bunch of cocktail recipes.

I've been wanting to do this for ages but never really gotten around to doing it because of 1) the amount of research I have to do 2) the effort it takes to experiment with the different variations tfor each cocktail and finding one that I personally liked 3) just getting the ingredients for the whole list of 77 cocktails is a huge obstacle in terms of cost and - Eg: recipe calls for rum? what brand? what age? dark or light? where do I buy it? Can die right?

<cue: this is where you, my kind and generous good Samaritans, come in offering to donate me some bottles for a good cause!>

But enough of excuses. I'm gonna embark on this right now. A journey of a thousand steps begins with a single step. So here is the single step:

Between the Sheets

Shots! (Week of 18 August 2014)

Welcome to the 1st edition of Shots! It's a weekly snapShot of highlights from the past week about booze and everything else that is related to it. Shots - snapshots - also a method of downing a drink? Geddit? :P

Without further ado:

1. Aberlour has reached our shores

Image credit: Pernod Ricard Malaysia

I love it whenever a new whisky is launched in Malaysia. It gives us, the consumers, more options to play with and explore. This particular label is a Speyside, so one could expect it to be a balanced easy-drinking dram. Chances are, if you enjoy the Glenlivet, you're likely to enjoy this... but like I always say, your mileage may vary. :) I haven't personally tried it though, but I hope I will soon! *hint*

Brought in by Pernod Ricard Malaysia, the Aberlour 12,16 and 18 year old expressions should be made available at selected retail outlets soon (if it's not already available) between RM400 to RM900. For more info check out the international Aberlour website.

2. Sailor Jerry spiced rum debut at the MTV Asia World Stage

Previously featured on my insta: Sailor Jerry Mint Julep

You may be too old for over-exciting, huge parties like the World Stage, but you will never be too old for awesome rum which was the featured liquor of the event. Distributed in Malaysia by the folks behind Single & Available, this quirky American label was actually created in honour of a late retired sailor-cum-famous-tattoo-artist named Sailor "Norman Collins" Jerry. Fun fact: Sailor Jerry actually began as a clothing brand until they created the rum which outsold everything else.

This has got to be one of my favourite rums. The serious vanilla toffee scent will remind you of a root beer float, except this is alcoholic at 46% ABV, which makes it even more awesome. Don't take my word for it though, just give it a go. Read about its interesting background at the official Sailor Jerry website.

3. Coincidentally, it was also National Rum Day in the US on 16 Aug

Previously on my insta: mojitos made with fresh mint leaves from my garden!

The origins of this day is hazy. But my guess would be that it was a marketing gimmick coined by some advertising agency to sell more of a certain rum. But hey, I like the idea of making more excuses to drink rum (or anything else, really!).

From having it neat to enjoying it as a delicious cocktail ( a glass of minty, refreshing mojito to quench this Malaysian heat, anyone?) - rum is such a versatile spirit. In belated "honour"of its national day, here are some great rum drinks you can make, or order next time you're in a pub: Click!

4. Kronenbourg 1664's Taste of the French Way of Life

Image Credit: Kronenbourg's FB page

Kronenbourg wants to let you have a Taste of the French Way of Life. What this simply means is this: be prepared for 6 more booze-fuelled and fun-filled parties leading up to a big finale on the 5 December at the end of the year. Wanna be updated on their parties? Hop on over to their FB page:  https://www.facebook.com/KronenbourgMY/

5. Keep your drinks cool for longer with Huggaz

Image credit: Huggaz official website

Wanna keep your can or bottle drink for a little longer? All you need to do is put this contraption over your drink like a sock. While it is not an original idea, it may be the first local brand that I've heard of. So, you know how the saying goes - Belilah barangan buatan Malaysia.

This is actually the brainchild of the infamous and forever "happy" blogger; Deep of ThirstyBlogger. The Star newspaper gave him some love here. Okay I'll be honest, I'm only plugging Huggaz with shameless hopes that I'll get a free Huggaz. Or two. Check out their official website for more info.

And that's a wrap folks! Until next week, keep on flying!
<3


Click me for previous Shots!