#mytipsyturvy

[mytipsyturvy]

Every once in a while you get to go to an event where the star isn’t just the product that is being launched, but the entire event is just as memorable as well. So it was with the recent Ki No Bi event I went for af Sushi Taka, St Regis Kl, where we got to try the Ki No Bi G Edition gin, and enjoyed a most delicious, sumptious, delectable omakase sushi meal paired with Ki No Bi gin cocktails. Ki No Bi’s @marcysakuma was there to talk us through the Ki No Bi gins - the highlight of which was the G Edition, which is aged in ex-Henry Giraud champagne casks. What a gin it is too. Fragrant, floral, fruity and bright, it has a nose you could sniff all night long. But at one point you need to taste the gin to and wow. On the palate, that effervescent bright floral note strikes you up front, with more balanced juniper, white wine, floral notes coming mid-palate, finishing with a lovely streak of bright fruit notes and lingering juniper. I live the fact that unlike many aged gins, the cask doesn’t completely overpower the base Ki No Bi notes, allowing for a more balanced spirit that you can just sip on its own all night long. Oh, and the dinner was fabulous as well. The uni sushi was perfect, the sweet shrimp was creamy and decadent, the Drunk Crab was so sweet and succulent, the Firefly Squid Smoke was superb… you get the point. The combo of great gin and great food really made this one of the more memorable events of 2033 so far. Whee! #gin #ginlovers #kinobi #kinobigin #mytipsyturvy #tipsyturvygin #sushi #sushitaka #stregiskl (at Taka by Saito Sushi, St Regis) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqaXoIEJ8P-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mytipsyturvy]

Launched in 2012, Bruichladdich Distillery’s Black Art series has produced some of the most intriguing expressions from the distillery yet. The whole idea of the series is the complete opposite of what Bruichladdich is well-known for – its transparency. Unlike the other official bottling, where Bruichladdich tells you everything about what is in the bottle, from the barley they use to how peated it is, the Black Art series is completely shrouded in secrecy. In fact, supposedly only its Head Distiller, Adam Hannett, knows the recipe to Black Art 10 the latest in the series. We recently got to try the Black Art 10 at an event at Anjo (@anjo.kl), along with a pairing of some of Bruichladdich’s more unique whiskies along with Anjo’s bites. Now, the only things we know about the Black Art 10 is that it is unpeated, has an age statement of 29 years, and is made up of whiskies from 1993. It was created using casks that were produced by Bruichladdich before its so-called ‘renaissance’, in which it was rebuilt, refurbished, and reborn on 2001 after being closed for seven years. Since we don’t know anything else about the whisky, let’s move on to the tasting notes! On the nose, lots of bright fruity and sweet sherry notes, but not Oloroso or PX, more like… amontillado. Also hints of nuttiness and barley, and a little bubblegum On the palate, more of that lovely sweet sherry note, with a flash of honey, biscuity, with some vanilla and chocolates, ending with a medium length with musky sherry and a little metallic tinge of ginger. As far as Bruichladdich whiskies go, this is definitely one worth trying, with that extra secrecy adding some mystery and intrigue to the expression, making you want to rally analyse it more. #whisky #whiskey, #Mytipsyturvy #tipsyturvywhisky #bruichladdich #scotch #islaywhisky #singlemalt #bruichladdichblackart (at ANJO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqC0VbUJ4rh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mytipsyturvy]

Reka (@reka.bar) has just launch another new Spotlight Menu, called Unseen Beauty. Comprising 5 drinks and 3 dishes, the menu pays homage to “the beautiful cultures of our brothers and sisters from near and far who have come to make their home in Malaysia in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones”. In a nice meaningful touch, Reka will also be donating a portion of the proceeds from this menu towards supporting a local refugee non-profit. On to the drinks. Each drink highlights a particular food or ingredient from countries like Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, Indonesia and Cambodia. My personal favourite was the Bor-Honey (Ocho Blanco, Ginger-Honey, Mint Lassi, Black Salt, Calamansi), a perfeftly balanced drink of distinct parts that still serves to highlight the mint lassi that is a popular drink in Bangladesh, where former Reka bartender @bengali_tapster is from. The Mocha Java was an interesting Negroni twist with Appleton rum, Indonesian coffee and ginger (which I’m not really fond of tbh), and the Yangon Pale Ale (YPA) was a kombucha-esque tipple with a hoppy IPA-like finish. The last two drinks were the sweet, yam-my Halo-Hello (based on a Filipino deasert) and the nice warm Nomadic Breakfast, a hot buttered rum-like drink inspired by the hot beverages Nepalese sherpas drink in the mointains. There’re also three dishes paired with the menu, one a yummy snacky Pakora (Jackfruit Seed Pakora, Green Chili Pesto), the delicious Lahpet (barramundi fillet with Lahpet Thoke Salsa), and Cassava dessert (Cassava Cake, Burnt Miso Corn, Coconut Ice cream). All in all, a pretty unique new menu that has the added bonus of letting you drink for a good cause! #rekabar #mytipsyturvy #tipsyturvybars #tipsyturvycocktails #cocktails #cocktailbar (at Reka:Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxK_2VpRSb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mytipsyturvy]

It was International Women’s Day yesterday, and KL was busy with a number of events and guest shifts. Decided to go for not one, but two shifts featuring former Omakase + Apreciate bartenders - Janice at @jann.kl and Shirmy at @bar.terumi (also featuring Caden, Megan of @highbac.kl and Maria of @penrose.kl). It was nice to see Janice back behind a bar after stepping away from the industry for a few years. She hasn’t lost her touch either - the ingredients on the menu looked a bit strange at first (soy sauce?), but she got all the flavours to meld together just fine. Here’s hoping she’ll be bartending more often again! The shift at Bar Terumi was a different beast altogether - the place was hopping when I got there and the four girls were kept busy all night. Highlights for me were Caden’s honeydew-ish Aviva Fizz and Maria’s Little Black Dress, all made using Chivas Regal 12. All in all, it was a happy International Women’s Day of shifts indeed. #guestshift #cocktails #cocktailbar #tipsyturvycocktails #mytipsyturvy #chivasmy https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpj4IPzp9DF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mytipsyturvy]

One of the ‘must visit’ bars on my list was Tippling Club (@tipplingclub). The bar placed 43 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list last year, and its restaurant also made it on the World’s Best 50 Restaurants list as well, so if you’re in the mood of good food AND cocktails, this self-styled ‘gastro-cocktail destination’ is the place to be. However, I was only there for drinks, so if you’re looking for a review of its food, you’ll have to look elsewhere. But drinks-wise, Tippling Club really tickled my fancy indeed. My favourite part of the bar was the way they displayed their back bar stock of bottles - instead standing on shelves, they’ve tied a wire around the bottles and hung them up above the bar, which not only give the bar a pretty unique look, but also making it easy for guests to see what they have in stock. Its current menu is called ‘A Guide to Modern Drinking’, and features drinks inspired by drinks and music from different decades in the past. Only got to try one drink off the menu this time round though, the Get Up Everybody Get Up (Get Up), named after a Salt-N-Pepa song, which was basically a Dirty Martini with kampot pepper, grey goose vodka, and capers brine. Not a big fan of capers though, so the drink didn’t really resonate with me. I did prefer the off menu drinks we had - one a Boulavadier twist with absinthe, the other a no frills Vesper, which was pretty decent. All in all, Tippling Club lives up to ita reputation, and is definitely one I’d visit again to try more of their drinks. #tipsyturvybars #mytipsyturvy #singaporebars #sgcocktailbars #cocktails #cocktailbar #cocktails #tipsyturvycocktails (at Tippling Club) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpcg8FBpv9X/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mytipsyturvy]

Another famous Singapore bar that has been a regular on the ‘Best Bars’ lists is Native (@nativebarsg), a bar that puts the focus on regional ingredients and flavours that would normally not be found in other cocktail bar menus. A quick look at the menu revealed interesting ingredients such as goat’s milk, butter roasted coffee, and even a drink that is made entirely of coconut by-products (arrack, coconut milk, coconut nectar, coconut wine, coconut water, and coconut husk). They also have one signature drink that is quite literally made with ants, or rather, ants distillate, along with lemongrass, coconut yoghurt, calamansi, and basil, and with a garnish that features real ants. Flavour-wise, it was a creamy, almost savoury drink that was pleasant enough, but to be honest, this would not be a drink I would be antsy to try again. Overall, I liked the cozy, unpretentious atmosphere of the bar and the friendly bartenders. The 3 drinks I tried were a little hit and miss for me – I liked the Achar (which tasted like, well, acar), and the Ants was interesting, but the Pineapple Arrack drink was disappointingly ordinary. Still, it’s worth a visit just to check out the hype, the drinks and their take on those unique ingredients. #tipsyturvybars #mytipsyturvy #singaporebars #sgcocktailbars #cocktails #cocktailbar #cocktails #tipsyturvycocktails (at Native) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXJhcAJg9j/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mytipsyturvy]

Live Twice (@livetwicesg) is a bar that is meant to transports you to “mid-century Japan”. The bar, with its wooden furnishes and relatively low seating, gave me a bit of a small alleyway Japanese izakaya vibe, albeit one that is much more refined and polished. Drinks-wise, the bar has a rather minimalist approach, and specialises in deceptively simple yet complex tipples. When I asked about its signature drink, I was recommended the Vesper, which was not unexpected, considering the bar itself is named after the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. As befitting its status as a signature drink, the Vesper turned out to be one of the highlights of my night. What surprised me about it though, was the little ice shards in the drink, which the bartender said is a deliberate touch that adds another dimension of texture to the classic and usually quite precisely made drink. Another interesting drink was the Little Crane which uses an unusual base spirit in the form of Kyro Juuri, an unaged malted rye spirit by Finland’s Kyro Distillery Company, which is more famous for its award-winning Kyro Gin. The malty rye notes of the spirit combines perfectly with the herbaceous notes of  another unusual spirit – Muyu Vertiver Gris (a liqueur inspired by the Amazon rainforest), and is balanced out by the sweet tropical notes of pineapple and the dryness of Oloroso sherry. Overall, well worth a visit if you’re in Singapore and looking for classics. Or you could make it a first stop then move on to Gibson upstairs… #tipsyturvybars #mytipsyturvy #singaporebars #sgcocktailbars #cocktails #cocktailbar #cocktails #tipsyturvycocktails (at Live Twice) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpSVRXhpwy0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mytipsyturvy]

A Last Word at Last Word and a Gibson at Gibson. Two of my favourite cocktails, and so I just HAD to try them at the bars named after them. Happily, both were superb. I liked the laid back vibe at The Last Word.(@lastwordsg), with its nice long sitting bar and friendly atmosphere. My experience at Gibson (@gibsonbarsg) was a blur though, cos it was my last stop of the night and it was PACKED. But it was nice to see @woofyinying and @the_joepeg there! #tipsyturvybars #mytipsyturvy #singaporebars #sgcocktailbars #cocktails #cocktailbar #cocktails #tipsyturvycocktails #gibson #lastword https://www.instagram.com/p/CpJzMfppx7y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=