Early bird tickets to the Singapore Cocktail Festival might have been sold out but it is still not too late yet to get your drink game on just yet. The annual cocktail celebration will be happening from 10 to 18 May this year and it’ll be returning with an exciting line-up of bar pop-ups, masterclasses, brand experiences, live entertainment acts and more.
Into its fifth year, the Singapore Cocktail Festival will once again shine the spotlight Singapore’s cocktail culture on the world stage, gathering over 100 of the world’s best bartending talents. It is also collaborating with The World’s 50 Best Bars organisation to introduce for the first time for ‘50 Minutes with 50 Best’, which is a series of exclusive cocktail masterclasses.
The awards for Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2109 takes place on 9 May 2019, right before the opening of SGCF.
Carrie Kwik, Executive Director, Attractions, Entertainment and Tourism Concept Development, Singapore Tourism Board, says: “The Singapore Cocktail Festival brings together some of the best bartenders in the world, putting Singapore at the forefront of the international cocktail scene.”
What’s new at the Festival Village?
Open from 10 to 12 May 2019 from 4pm to 11pm, the Festival Village on Empress lawn is the heart of the cocktail celebrations. New additions and highlights at this year’s Village include:
- Headlining bartenders from The World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists. These bartenders will be serving signature cocktails priced at just $12 nett. The complete line-up consists of:
- 1. Andrew Loudon from Tippling Club, Singapore (No. 7 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 2. Danny Yeung from Smalls, Bangkok (No. 29 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 3. Giovanni Graziadei from Jigger & Pony, Singapore (No. 42 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 4. Jesse Vida from Atlas, Singapore (No. 4 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 5. Kazuhisa Arai of Sober Company, Shanghai (No. 14 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 6. Laki Yoo from Keepers, Seoul (No. 47 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 7. Lolita Goh from Junglebird, Malaysia (No. 38 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 8. Maroš Dzurus and Adam Amir Ghalleb from Himkok, Oslo (No. 19 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- ‘50 Minutes with 50 Best’ Masterclasses, presented by The World’s 50 Best Bars organisation. You can sample signature cocktails from acclaimed bartenders, learn stories behind their bars and cocktails and pick up a few cocktail recipes as well. Entry to these classes is limited to Festival Village ticket holders through contest giveaways on the SGCF Facebook and Instagram. A limited number of tickets can also be purchased through: https://sgcf2019.hungrygowhere.com from 5 April 2019. Hosting bartenders include:
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- 1. Antonio Lai from Quinary, Hong Kong (No.15 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 2. Beckaly Franks from The Pontiac, Hong Kong (No. 31 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 3. Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader from Paradiso, Barcelona (No. 37 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 4. Maxim Schulte from American Bar at The Savoy, London (No.2 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 5. Renato Giovannoni and Aline Vargas from Floreria Atlántico, Argentina (No. 14 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
- 6. Rory Shepherd from Little Red Door, Paris (No.33 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018)
At the event, you can also expect bar pop-ups by The Monarchy Cocktail Bar & Ultra Lounge, B Bar, Brass Lion Distillery, Hopscotch, Joji Bar, La Maison du Whisky, Martini Bar, Monte Carlo Boys. There will also be tastings at the Artisanal Spirits Tasting Room, where you get to taste whisky and gin from the likes of Amrut Distilleries, Blind Tiger, Compass Box, Dancing Sands Distillery, Little Lon Distilling Co. and Tanglin Gin.
Festival Village tickets are priced from S$35 for a one-day pass, inclusive of one welcome drink. Visit the Festival website at www.singaporecocktailfestival.com for ticket categories and prices.
Cocktail experiences around the city
From 10 to 18 May 2019, look out for a diverse round-up of cocktail experiences around the city, from thematic bar tours to guest bartender appearances and attractive cocktail deals across 45 participating venues. Highlights on the Festival calendar include:
Bar Tours
Thematic bar tours such as ‘Whisky Business’, an all-whisky cocktail showcase; ‘New Kids on the Block’ which features the latest cocktail hotspots; ‘Luxury Escape Tour’, highlighting a trail of luxurious cocktail experiences and the ‘Asia’s 50 Best Bars X Four Pillars Gin Tour’, an interactive gin discovery featuring four of Asia’s leading bars. All bar tours are available for booking on www.singaporecocktailfestival.com from 5 April 2019.
Cocktail Deals
Exclusive cocktail deals are redeemable via the Sluggr App from 10 to 18 May. Festival goers who complete redemptions across 15 bars or more can unlock exclusive promotions, and participate in the #SGCFCocktailChallenge to win a grand prize worth S$1,000 (S$500 cash prize, 2D1N stay at Grand Park Orchard, and a cocktail hamper). Participating venues include 1927, Anti:dote, Artemis Grill, Bar Stories, Chihuly Lounge, Claypots Full Circle, Cool Cats, Jim Thompson Restaurant, MO Bar, Native, The 3 Peas, The Bar at 15 Stamford, The Sampan and more.
Guest Bartenders from around the World
Guest Bartender feats around town include:
- Simone Caporale from Marque D’Amour (Seoul, Korea) at Skai Bar on 13 May 2019
- ‘The Aussie Invasion’ featuring Matt Linktaker from Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia) on 14 May 2019
- Evan Stroeve from Bulletin Place (Sydney, Australia) at Nutmeg & Clove on 14 May 2019
- ‘One Thousand and One Drunken Nights’, featuring Jay Natividad from The Spirits Library (Manila, Philippines) on 16 & 17 May
- Ian Libang from NoKal (Manila, Philippines) at Fat Prince on 16 and 17 May 2019
- ‘The Monarchy is Overthrown’, featuring Shah Dillion from 40 Thieves (Bali, Indonesia) on 18 May 2019 at The Monarchy Cocktail Bar & Ultra Lounge.
For a complete schedule of cocktail experiences around the city, please go to www.singaporecocktailfestival.com. Singapore Cocktail Festival runs from 10 to 18 May 2019.
