BARSTARS, the cocktail event which made its Singapore debut last year, was back for its second edition earlier this month. Organised by local craft spirits brand The Orientalist Spirits in a powerhouse partnership with COMO Group, this year’s event saw Millim at COMO Orchard showcasing a series of innovative cocktails from 10 world class bartenders, concocted with spirits from The Orientalist Spirits’ portfolio. On this Saturday evening, avid drinkers descended on Millim in full force to make the most out of this one-night only event.
Millim Bar at Como Orchard. Photo © Fen Chia.
Millim is a jungle-inspired cocktail bar that is part of COTE, the Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse that hails from New York and opened in Singapore only this year. Millim serves as the entrance to the steakhouse and a holding area of sorts for pre-dinner drinks before diners get to the restaurant, and is surrounded by lush plants in a nod to the trees and verdant greenery of our Lion city. It is interesting how the snazzy bar vibe of drinks and house music melds into dry-ageing beef and a hallway that leads to refined dining amid tantalising BBQ smells that occasionally waft out.
Dry-ageing beef at Millim. Photo © Fen Chia.
Meanwhile, The Orientalist Spirits is a pan-Asian craft spirits company whose collection of artisanal spirits are crafted from only the best premium ingredients sourced directly and ethically from around Asia, including places like Tibet. The exotic botanicals used include Kampot peppercorn, Siberian ginseng, Korean Omija berries, dried tangerine peel and more.
Some of the ingredients in the drinks included Imperial Rum, Dragon Whisky, Gunpowder Gin and Origins Vodka. Photo © The Orientalist Spirits.
This year, BARSTARS festival patrons could try three cocktails for S$75 a person. Participating bartenders included those from Bar Leone and Argo (Hong Kong) which are top and no. 9 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list this year. Also featured were Tax Bar and BKK Social Club (Thailand, no. 7 Asia’s 50 Best Bars), Bee’s Knees (Japan), Hope & Sesame (China, no. 14 Asia’s 50 Best Bars), Alice Cheongdam (Korea, no. 46 Asia’s 50 Best Bars) with COMO as the Singapore representative.
BARSTARS 2024
1. Arjay Guarin Abaleta (COTE Singapore, COMO Orchard)
2. Francis Madrigal (Sky Bar, COMO Metropolitan Singapore)
3. Chunyanuch “Ning” Yodsuwan (BKK Social Club, Thailand)
4. Taki Li (Bar Leone, Hong Kong)
5. Endy Ngai (Argo, Hong Kong)
6. Jay Du (Hope & Sesame, China)
7. Mason Park (Alice Cheongdam, Korea)
8. Shammy Satita (Tax Bar, Thailand)
9. Toru Ariyoshi (Bee’s Knees, Japan)
10. Keisuke Yamamoto (Bee’s Knees, Japan)
The drinks were doled out in a creative but rather unpredictable format. While I was there early, the bar was packed to the point that it took me a good half hour to squeeze through the crowd and put in a request for my first drink. By this time the bartenders had been told to prepare for a rotation to the next two drinks. Following my disappointment in missing the first round, it took a while more before I finally got mine, 22nd Century, from Endy Ngai of Argo (Hong Kong) and Black Sticky Rice, by Shammy Satita of Tax Bar (Thailand).
22nd Century by Endy Ngai (Argo, Hong Kong) – Ovaltine Washed Orientalist Gunpowder Gin, Grapefruit Cordial, Montenegro, Champagne. Photo © Fen Chia.
Both were nicely contrasting in appearance and taste. The former was lighter and refreshing, while the latter was stronger and more serious, with the rich notes of Black Sticky Rice and Clarified Milk reflecting the bar’s Thai provenance. It was just as well that I had both to nurse for a while, as the next rotation was due only in close to an hour’s time! The event’s format was innovative but might have been frustrating for those who attended targeting specific drinks on the list of ten.
Black Sticky Rice by Shammy Satita (Tax Bar, Thailand) – Orientalist BYO Dragon Whisky infused with Black Sticky Rice, Wild Honey, Lemon Juice, Clarified Milk, Angostura Bitters, Orange Bitters. Photo © Fen Chia.
Due to the long wait, like many others I made a beeline for The Music Room, where there were other cocktails available with Treyna Zhang of The Orientalist Spirits at the helm that night. It is a charming space with a stage for music performances, flanked by booth seats where diners can sip on cocktails, a nice intimate space to retreat to from the party lot outside.
The Music Room. Photo © Fen Chia.
The BARSTARS festival will also take place in Kuala Lumpur on 23 and 24 August, featuring a wider range of bartenders. It presents an awesome opportunity to try the creations of many of Asia’s mixology luminaries, though hopefully the format could take into consideration space and time constraints for an improved experience that could also allow drinkers opportunities to interact with the bartenders themselves. Looking forward to the next edition, and perhaps more Asian cities?
