Experience Singapore’s Drinking and Entertainment Culture this Summer

Singapore may be known as a hub for global business, but it is also a major destination for food and drinks. It’s no wonder that Singapore has received accolades for their superb dining and drinking concepts, as it is home to five of the World’s 50 Best Bars, 15 of Asia’s Best Bars in 2018, and the biggest cocktail festival in Asia. Add to that a vibrant calendar of festivals, international music acts, and events for kids and adults alike, the Lion City is recognized as the region’s entertainment hub.

The biggest cocktail festival in Asia is coming back on May 10 to 18, 2019 and we’re stoked at the activities line up for this year! 

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), in partnership with DrinkManila.com, are giving Filipino drink enthusiasts a chance to go on a 3-day, 2-night trip for two to the Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF) to get to sip and savor the Singaporean nightlife. With the most extensive lineup it’s had in its five years, SGCF is taking over Singapore with a bunch of events and activities, including bar pop-ups, spirit tastings, celebrity bartenders, competitions, and masterclasses. Winners of the online contest will also get to sample Singaporean flavors with visits to Brass Lion Gin Distillery and Tiger Beer Brewery. The contest will be accepting entries until April 30, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. Philippine Standard Time. Join the contest now, click this link to see full mechanics. 

Filipino drinkers and socializers recently quenched their thirst for tasty cocktails at Run Rabbit Run in Poblacion, Makati. A sister company of Singapore bar Bitters & Love, Run Rabbit Run was the perfect place to bring the flavors of Singapore into the glasses of local drink enthusiasts and also shine the spotlight on some of Singapore’s developments.

If you’re looking for your next travel adventure, be sure not to miss the thrilling and exciting attractions that just opened in Singapore. The famous Marina Bay Sands is adding a fourth tower, and Universal Studios Singapore is also expanding with two more parks. The Jewel Changi, an architectural feat that mixes nature with retail, recently opened to major fanfare and is marketed to be a world-class attraction in itself. It features The Forest Valley which includes walking trails, cascading waterfalls, and quiet seating areas as part of its attractions. Jewel Changi also boasts of unique retail and dining concepts and hotel facilities. DrinkManila.com team is excited to hit up the airport liquor stores as it will definitely offer rare and hard to find spirits that we can use for our recipes!

“Progressively over the next few years starting from 2020 all the way to 2025, we’ll be seeing a lot of exciting developments,” says Singapore Tourism Board – Philippines Area Director Lael Loh. 

During the event at Run Rabbit Run, Jamie Koh, owner of Brass Lion Distillery, Singapore’s first standalone micro-distillery, gave a crash course on a truly Singaporean libation with a gin appreciation class. “I realized that the Singapore Sling, the iconic cocktail we are known for is made using foreign spirits,” she shares. She then set her mind to develop a local spirit to capture what Singapore is all about. Six years later, Brass Lion Distillery was born, with their flagship Singapore Dry Gin. Made with 22 botanicals (21 of which are native to Singapore), Brass Lion’s Singapore Dry Gin is light, citrusy, refreshing, and made for our kind of weather.

Brass Lion Butterfly Pea Gin is made with the trendy gin flavor of the moment, butterfly pea (blue pea) flower. What sets this butterfly pea gin apart from the others is that it also contains lavender. The lavender tempers the butterfly pea’s distinct earthiness and brings out its flowery qualities, and allows citrus notes to shine. One of the best butterfly pea gins we’ve tried, and we’re told goes well in a French 75 (with champagne, lemon juice, and simple syrup).

The Brass Lion Pahit Pink Gin might have a sweet pink hue, but its flavor does not reflect that at all. A gin with bitters, the Pahit Pink Gin has a deep, complex bitterness to it punctuated with spices like clove and anise.

After sampling the three gins from Brass Lion, guests got a chance to play bartender in a cocktail workshop to create the famed Singapore Sling (gin, Cointreau, Cherry Heering, Benedictine, lime juice, pineapple juice, grenadine syrup, Angostura Bitters). Naz Arjuna, head bartender of Bitters & Love, guided guests through the creation of this iconic cocktail.

He and the rest of the Run Rabbit Run crew whipped up Bitters & Love’s signature cocktail that was carried over to the RRR bar menu, the crowd-pleasing Kaya Toast.

2019 is a great year for Filipino-Singaporean partnerships and collaborations, as it marks the 50th anniversary of the Singapore-Philippines relations. “What better way to toast to these 50 years of friendship with some drinks,” declares Lael. To toast to this special occasion, STB, in partnership with Run Rabbit Run, unveiled the Nonya Confession. This fusion of flavors is the special celebratory cocktail crafted with locally-sourced ingredients from both countries.

The Nonya Confession combines elements from the two countries – Singapore’s childhood dessert, Ondeh ondeh, and the Philippine’s refreshing dalandan. Shaken with Brass Lion Gin, blueberry jam, Cointreau, dalandan, homemade pandan+gula Melaka Syrup, Angostura Bitters, and topped with creamy coconut, pandan, and Gula Melaka foam, this one-of-a-kind cocktail is available exclusively at Run Rabbit Run until April 30.

Singapore Tourism Board and DrinkManila’s online contest for the Trip to Singapore Cocktail Festival will run until April 30. Don’t miss out on the chance to immerse yourself in the nightlife and cocktail experiences of Singapore!

Check out exciting nightlife and entertainment offerings awaiting you in Singapore! Visit www.visitsingapore.com or follow them on Twitter @visitsingapore and Facebook at VisitSingaporePH, and @Visit_Singapore on Instagram for more information.