For travellers passing through Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 between 20 May to 30 June 2016, please do not miss the rare opportunity to tastes some exclusive and complimentary, yes free, cocktails by some of the best bartenders in Asia!
DFS Wines and Spirits at Changi Airport Terminal 3 Transit. Photo courtesy of DFS Group Singapore.
It has been a year since I covered the opening of the DFS Wines and Spirit Duplex at Terminal 3. To celebrate its first anniversary, Changi Airport and DFS is hosting a Cocktail Festival over six weeks, featuring guest bartenders from top bars in Singapore, special master-classes and exclusive signature cocktail creations. All free of charge.
Learn Singlish while sampling cocktails inspired by local flavours
Have had your fill of Singapore Sling? How about some new locally inspired flavours to tantalise your taste buds while waiting for your flight out from Singapore? Three cocktails specially created for the festival that embody Singapore’s multi-cultural flavours and unique language will be available daily beginning 20 May, free of charge, for travellers to enjoy at the Upper Level of the DFS Wines and Spirits Duplex at Terminal 3.
Charmaine Thio from 28 HongKong Street pouring her inspired cocktail for the launch of the DFS Cocktail Festival 2016. Photo courtesy of DFS Group Singapore.
Chop Chop Lah: A refreshing drink inspired by chicken rice made with, Absolute Vodka, ginger syrup, lemon juice, East Imperial Soda, fresh cucumber and parsley. This cocktail is perfect for the tropical climate with its bubbly and bright acidic flavours from the lemon and cucumber elements, with the ginger leaving you with a spicy warm aftertaste. If you don’t have plenty of spare time at the bar, this is one drink that you can chop chop lah and finish quickly to catch your flight out.
Chop Chop Lah, a refreshing cocktail inspired by Singapore’s chicken rice. Photo courtesy of DFS Group Singapore.
Shiok Date: Zesty and vibrant, this features Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel whiskey, lemon juice, date syrup, Luxardo Maraschino, egg white, goji berries and takes its cue from cheng tng, a traditional Chinese herbal dessert. This silky cocktail packs a punch with the intensity of flavours, ensuring a shiok feeling of euphoria and happiness, especially for drinkers with an affinity for whiskies.
Shiok Date, a zesty and vibrant cocktail inspired by cheng tng, a sweet Chinese dessert. Photo courtesy of DFS Group Singapore.
Kiasu Kaya: The quintessential tropical holiday drink using the beloved Singapore flavours of coconut and pandan, this is made with Ron Zacapa rum, Benedictine D.O.M., fresh pineapple juice, fresh orange juice and coconut pandan syrup. I found this cocktail so jam packed (pun intended) with kaya flavours that I had no doubt the bartenders were being kiasu when they created this liquid gold. If you are already missing kaya toasts at the airport, this sweet yummy cocktail is the one for you.
Kiasu Kaya, a sweet delectable cocktail inspired by the Peranakan kaya jam spread on breakfast toast.
Master-classes and exclusive cocktails by Asia’s top bartenders
In addition to the three cocktails, the festival will include a series of events over six weekends, on Friday and Saturday evenings, a series of mini master-classes during the week and a flair bartender. Among Singapore’s best bars, the festival will feature bartenders from 28 HongKong Street, Jigger & Pony, Manhattan, The Library and Smoke & Mirrors. A champagne cocktail party hosted by Veuve Cliquot for their new product Veuve Cliquot Rich will also be taking place on 3 and 4 June 2016.
Guest bartenders for the DFS Cocktail festival. L-R, Nathan Soh, Cedric Mendoza, Byron Tan, Jeremy Chua, Charmaine Thio, Adam Burskik, Joel Poon, Brendon Khoo. Photo courtesy of DFS Group Singapore.
On every Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the festival, each of the featured bars will take on a guest shift at the Long Bar on the Upper Level to present their cocktail creations, exclusively created for the festival. Each bar’s drink will only be exclusively available on their designated two days.
Weekend Schedule for Bar Appearances
20 – 21 May: 28 HongKong Street featuring Brandon Khoo
27 – 28 May: Jigger & Pony featuring Christyne Lee
10 -11 June: Manhattan featuring Philip Bischoff
17 – 18 June: The Library featuring Adam Eddy Bursik
24 – 25 June: Smoke & Mirrors featuring Byron Tan
Time: 5.30 p.m. – 7.30 p.m.
Venue: DFS Wines and Spirits Duplex, Terminal 3 Transit, Changi Airport.
