What to Expect at The Singapore Cocktail Festival 2019: The Festival Village

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 Cocktail Festival (SGCF) is an annual event on Asia’s cocktail and nightlife calendar, which brings drink makers and lovers from all over the world together in a social and experiential gathering. Now on its fifth year, the biggest cocktail showcase and celebration in Southeast Asia is set to have its largest program lineup so far. SGCF 2019 will take over the Lion City, with bar pop-ups and takeovers, spirit tastings, celebrity bartenders, competitions, masterclasses, workshops, and the Festival Village at the Empress Lawn, and so much more.

For cocktail enthusiasts and those with a passion for the nightlife, check out this ultimate guide to SGCF: Festival Village.

Want to go to Singapore for free? Click on this link to join our contest and get a chance to win a 3-day, 2-night trip for two to Singapore Cocktail Festival 2019!

Here are the activities you can add to your to-do list while at the SGCF:

A) The Festival Village on Empress Lawn

May 10 to 12, 4 pm to 11 pm

The Festival Village on Empress Lawn is the heart of the cocktail celebrations. Numerous brands, local and international bars, and bartenders, craft spirits, bar and brand pop-ups, workshops and more await festival-goers. This year’s highlights include:

Headlining bartenders from some of the World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars

These star bartenders will be mixing signature cocktails (priced at just S$12 net) for the thirsty crowd. Grab the chance to taste these crafted libations and find out for yourself why they made the Best Bars lists.

1) Andrew Loudon I Tippling Club, Singapore (No. 7 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

Andrew is the head bartender at the award-winning Tippling Club. Following a distinguished career in the UK and Europe and winning holding numerous titles in international competitions, he took over the head bartender duties at Tippling Club last year and has come up with a new multi-sensory menu. Andrew is all about creating new techniques, flavors, and styles that complement avant-garde cuisine with innovative pairing permutations.

2) Danny Yeung I Smalls, Bangkok (No. 29 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

Canadian mixologist Danny Yeung serves balanced house pours, classic American cocktails and rare whiskies. He bartends at Smalls in Bangkok, where his unusual twists on classic cocktails have helped build his career.

3) Giovanni Graziadei I Jigger & Pony, Singapore (No. 42 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

Torino-native Giovanni dove into the bartending journey while still studying in the university. Since then, he has grown and shared his deep appreciation for the complexity of each ingredient in a cocktail – and how they interact with each other to form facets of a drink. He believes the best cocktails are elegant, clean and effortless.

4) Jesse Vida I Atlas, Singapore (No. 4 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

As Head Bartender at Atlas, Jesse believes balance is the key when it comes to a good cocktail. Adventurous but also classically driven, he likes playing with flavor combinations that bring out the best in each other is how he finds inspiration.

5) Kazuhisa Arai I Sober Company, Shanghai (No. 14 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

Kazuhisa Arai bartends at Sober Company in Shanghai and believes that the key to a good bartender is showing kindness to guests to ensure they have a relaxing experience at the bar. Kazuhisa plans to bring the full experience to his guest shift.

6) Laki Yoo I Keepers, Seoul (No. 47 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

With over 20 years of experience, Laki is the man behind Keepers in Seoul, rated one of the best bars in Asia. Describing his style as ‘simple and dynamic,’ Laki gains inspiration from his travels, coffee breaks and everyday experiences that stand out from the rest. Combine that with his flair for injecting a little bit of humor into his concoctions, and you have a winning combination!

7) Joshua Ivanovic and Lolita Goh I Junglebird, Malaysia (No. 38 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

Joshua Ivanovic’s love of Rum leads to the birth of JungleBird in Kuala Lumpur. He finds inspiration from rum and uses that inspiration to build the JungleBird menu. He prides himself on being able to provide a fun and educational insight into the world of Rum through impromptu tasting sessions at the bar. JungleBird bartender Lolita Goh will be joining him.

8) Maroš Dzurus and Adam Amir Ghalleb I Himkok, Oslo (No. 19 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018)

Adam Amir Ghalleb loves pushing boundaries when it comes to testing new flavor combinations. Adam adds a twist or Nordic flavor to classic cocktail bases to give the cocktail a contemporary taste. Maroš Dzurus aims to give his guests a memorable bar experience through his use of unique flavor combinations. Inspired by his travels and the flavors he has encountered in other countries he has created a signature Nordic twist to his cocktails.

Catch them in action at the SGCF Bar at Festival Village. Go to https://www.singaporecocktailfestival.com for the exact schedule released this month.

‘50 Minutes with 50 Best’ Masterclasses, presented by The World’s 50 Best Bars organization

50 Minutes with 50 Best is a series of masterclasses that offers a unique look into the ins and outs of what it’s like to be an award-winning bar. Each 50-Minute session will have an iconic bartender from The World’s 50 Best Bars or Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists present the story behind their bar, the recipes, and stories behind their signature cocktails and a particular theme that is close to their heart. They will also whip up a cocktail or two for the lucky guests to sample.

Festival Village ticket holders can stand a chance to win a seat at a Masterclass through contests on SGCF Facebook (SGCocktailFest) and Instagram @sgcocktailfest. Purchase tickets on this link.

Mixologists headlining the 50 Mins with 50 Best

1) Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader I Paradiso, Barcelona (No. 37, World's 50 Best Bars 2018)
"The Speakeasy Revolution" I May 10, Friday - 6:00 pm to 6:50 pm
"Giacomo and Margarita will discuss the history, current revival, and future of speakeasy bars. They will share two cocktail recipes from Paradiso’s menu, including one from the bar’s newest and most creative menu which will be released in May."

2) Beckaly Franks I The Pontiac, Hong Kong (No. 31, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2018)
"Craft Cocktails and the ‘Crush Factor Scale’" I May 10, Friday - 7:30 pm to 8:20 pm
"The Pontiac creates craft cocktails that are both original and highly drinkable served in a high-volume environment. Each drink has cultural references – and Beckaly will explain the ‘method behind the madness’ of the team’s creative process."

3) Renato Giovannoni and Aline Vargas I Floreria Atlantico, Buenos Aires (No. 14, World's 50 Best Bars 2018; Best Bar in South America 2018)
"Unleashing the Latin Spirit" I May 11, Saturday - 6:00 pm to 6:50 pm
"Renato and Aline will be sharing the spirit of their bar in Buenos Aires, including details behind its international success, and explore how Latin sensibilities differ from other cocktail cultures. The couple will show the audience how to create two cocktails, both of which highlight Argentinian ingredients."

4) Rory Shepherd I Little Red Door, Paris (No. 33, World's 50 Best Bars 2018)
"The Aperitif: a Parisian’s Sacred Hour" I May 11, Saturday - 7:30 pm to 8:20 pm
"Rory will be discussing French drinking culture, with a focus on the history of the aperitif as a drink and a cultural institution. He will also discuss and share recipes from the bar's new spring menu: A Way With Words."

5) Maxim Schulte I American Bar at the Savoy, London (No. 2, World's 50 Best Bars 2018; The World's Best Bar 2017)
"The Savoy Songbook – Art and Music" I May 12, Sunday - 6:00 pm to 6:50 pm
"New head bartender Maxim will share how art and music have had a lasting influence on the history of the bar, and will demonstrate the recipe of two cocktails from their brand new menu, 'The Savoy Songbook.'"

6) Antonio Lai I Quinary, Hong Kong (No. 15, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2018; No. 54, World’s 50 Best Bars 2018 (51-100 List))
"Create Your Signature Cocktail" I May 12, Sunday - 7:30 pm to 8:20 pm
"Antonio will share the core elements you need to consider when creating a signature cocktail. He will demonstrate the recipe behind Quinary’s signature cocktail, Early Grey Caviar Martini."

Visit www.singaporecocktailfestival.com for more details about the 50 Minutes with 50 Best Masterclasses.

The Barstylez International Bartender Championship

Over 60 bartenders from more than 25 countries will compete in a three-day competition in two categories, Asia Cocktail (Mixology) & International Flair, for the seventh year of the Barstylez International Bartender Championship. Exact schedules to be released this month. In the meantime, follow the action on https://www.facebook.com/barstylez.

Bar and Brand Pop-ups

Get a feel of some of the best bars around through their bar pop-ups at the festival. Participating bars include Origin Bar, The Monarchy Cocktail Bar & Ultra Lounge, B Bar, Brass Lion Distillery, Hopscotch, Joji Bar, La Maison du Whisky, Martini Bar, Monte Carlo Boys; and taste exclusive cocktails from brand pop-ups by Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (Vermouth), Fever-Tree (Drink mixers), Haku (Vodka), Havana Club (Rum), Maker’s Mark (Bourbon) and Mr. Black (Liqueur).

Brand Experiences

Brands will offer immersive drinking experiences for festival guests—JJ’s Vinyl Store by Jameson Whiskey, is where guests can immerse themselves in synergetic concoctions of Jameson and music; the Monkey 47 Jungle Safari will provide an expedition experience where guests can create their own cocktail; Four Pillars Gin will have a putting green, with prizes on offer for anyone skilled enough to score a hole-in-one; and Hendrick’s will have a Botanical Sanctuary, and Monkey Shoulder will have a Boom Box Bar.

Artisanal Spirits Tasting Room

The Artisanal Tasting Room, which features handcrafted small-batch spirits, is a key component of the Festival Village. It is where you get acquainted with a range of extraordinary craft spirits and meet the people who make them. Tasting Cards for $19, which gets you four shots (15ml) of the spirits you want to sample, are available for purchase.

Debut brands include Amrut Distilleries (Whisky), Blind Tiger (Gin), Compass Box (Whisky), Dancing Sands Distillery (Gin), Little Lon Distilling Co. (Gin) and Tanglin Gin, Gain Brands International, purveyor of fine crafted beverage brands will have Skin Gin German Dry Gin, ALKKEMIST gin, and Lawrenny spirits; previous participants will include Black Cow Vodka, Codigo 1530 (Tequila), Machetazo (Mezcal), and Don Papa Rum from the Philippines.

Live Acts

Music is a big part of any festival. Get your groove on with a daily sundowner set, kicking things off with funk, soul, groove, disco and deep house from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm courtesy of some of Singapore’s most respected DJs.

10 May, Friday - R&B, and Soul presented by Brendon P (Doomph), Tirso (Matteblacc)
11 May, Saturday - Retro Nite presented by Joshua P, Ollie Des and Ya5th (Nineteen80)
12 May, Sunday - Afrobeat presented by Ramesh K and A

Festival Village tickets sell from $35 for a one-day pass, inclusive of one welcome drink. Visit the Festival website at www.singaporecocktailfestival.com for a complete list of ticket categories and prices.

Click here for the list of COCKTAIL EXPERIENCES AND BAR SHIFTS AROUND SINGAPORE FOR SGCF 2019 

Visit www.singaporecocktailfestival.com for updates on the full list of bars, promos, and complete schedules of bars and events. For updates, follow SGCF on Facebook and Instagram @sgcocktailfest and the hashtags #SGCF2019, #SGCFCocktailFest, and #SGCFCocktailPassport.

For more information on other exciting entertainment and events in Singapore, visit www.visitsingapore.com or follow them on Facebook at VisitSingaporePH, and @Visit_Singapore on Instagram.