Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Watch the experience of DrinkManila’s Trip to Singapore contest winners during the biggest cocktail event in Asia. DrinkManila.com in partnership with Singapore Tourism Board recently held a contest that sent winner Roxanne Ballesteros and her friend Janice Angagka on a 3-day, 2-night trip to Singapore to experience the Singapore Cocktail Festival, the biggest cocktail event in Asia. During the journey they also tasted Singaporean flavors through visits to the Brass Lion Distillery, and Tiger Brewery. 3-day, 2-night trip to Singapore winner Roxanne Ballesteros and her friend Janice Angagka The Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF) is an annual event that brings drink makers and lovers from all over the world together in a social and experiential gathering to celebrate drinks, cocktails, and spirits. And they got to sample a bit of Singapore’s drinking culture through SGCF’s bar and brand pop-ups and spirit tastings at the Festival Village at Empress Lawn. Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF), Festival Village Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF) ticket and drink vouchers “The next Singapore Cocktail Festival will be an epic adventure with you, Janice. A great mix of people, and cocktails will be present during the biggest bar hopping affair,” Roxanne writes in her winning entry. “20 years of friendship, plus great spirits on the next 20 more years!” The two make the perfect pair for this experience. “This is our first out of the country trip together,” says Janice. “Her passion for cooking started the friendship between the two of us. It took us to a lot of places locally in the Philippines. Roxanne has a passion for cooking, and I have a passion for travel. I think that kind of complement each other.” It was all fun and discovering various drinks at the SGCF Festival Village held at the Empress Lawn. Our winners mingled with fellow drink enthusiasts, watched a few bartenders from all over the world compete at the Barstylez International Bartender Championship, and met star bartenders like Jigger and Pony’s (No. 9 and highest Jumper on Asia’s 50 Best 2019) principal bartender Giovanni Graziadei, as well as Norway’s Maroš Dzurus and Adam Amir Ghalleb from Himkok (No. 19 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018). They also sampled craft spirits at the Artisanal Spirits Tasting Room. Norway’s Adam Amir Ghalleb from Himkok (No. 19 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2018) Inside the Festival Village Jigger and Pony’s (No. 9 bar in 50 Best Bars in Asia 2019) principal bartender Giovanni Graziadei Getting to know various craft spirits at the Artisanal Tasting Room Tattoo booth at the Festival Village Four Pillars Gin co-founder Stuart Gregor and his team goofing around with DrinkManila and our winners A lot of interactive activities abound the brand experience booths which introduced premium spirit brands in a fun learning experience. The Monkey 47 Jungle Safari provided an adventure where they tasted unique Monkey 47 cocktails that were chosen by chance using a ping pong ball. At the Four Pillars Gin booth, everyone got acquainted with Four Pillars Gin co-founder Stuart Gregor as well as show off their golf skills on the putting green. The Hendrick’s Botanical Sanctuary provided the perfect setting for the customary photo shoot for their social media accounts. Roxanne showing off her golf skills on the putting green at the Four Pillars booth Monkey 47 booth offers a jungle cocktail adventure Hendrick’s Gin Booth Cobbler’s Richie Cruz competing for Barstylez cocktail competition at the the Festival Lawn Latvia’s Deniss Trifanovs, one of the 23 competitors at the Singapore Cocktail Festival – Barstylez The Big Match WFA Grand Slam The Four Pillars Australian [Gin] Open Asia winners Rie Hidaka, (The Bar at Ritz-Carlton Tokyo) and Satoshi Sugiura (The Odd Couple, Shanghai) It was an evening filled with fun, drinks, and new experiences for both of our contest winners. “This experience has made us tremendously happy, and I’ll never forget it,” Roxanne shares. “Our favorite parts of the festival are the activities that have different kinds of samples. We were able to learn about the world of mixology and talk to different mixologists and bartenders from around the world. These are some unforgettable experiences for us.” Brewery and Distillery Tours The winners’ introduction to the Singaporean drinking scene didn’t end there. Together with DrinkManila.com team, the winners learned more about Singaporean flavors through tours at the Tiger Brewery and Brass Lion Distillery. The Tiger Brewery Tour took them through Tiger Beer’s history since 1932, the ingredients used for its beers, and the process of making the world renown beer. DrinkManila’s Tatum Ancheta and Icy Mariñas with Roxanne and Janice at the Tiger Brewery Janice and Roxanne at the Tiger Brewery Tiger Brewery Tour The brewery uses solar panels for a percentage of its electricity which produces around 72,000 cans, 48,000 bottles, and 350 kegs of beer an hour. Half of the products manufactured supplies the region while the other half is for Singapore consumers. We also got a crash course in pouring the perfect serve and sampled the variety of beers under the brand at the Tiger Tavern. TRIVIA: Tiger Beer got its name as homage to the legend of the last tiger shot in Singapore. Legend has it that a wild tiger that escaped from a traveling circus managed to enter the billiard room at the basement of Raffles Hotel. The tiger was killed by gunshots and it was the last of its kind ever to be shot in Singapore. The founders of the Tiger Brewery often met at Raffles Hotel and were inspired to name the beer after the tiger. Getting acquainted with Tiger beer ingredients Posing in front of the big Tiger Beer art at the brewery You can taste various brands at the Tiger Brewery Tavern after the tour Tiger Brewery Tavern Take home freshly bottled Tiger Beer after the tour Tiger Brewery Tour starts at $18 SGD during weekdays and $20 SGD for weekends. The tour includes a tour of brewery, a glass of fresh Tiger beer and a glass of Heineken at the Tiger Tavern. Click here to book your tour now. Brass Lion Distillery Tour The final stop for Roxanne and Janice’s tour of Singapore’s drinking scene is The Brass Lion Distillery, the first standalone micro-distillery in Singapore. Owner Jamie Koh gave DrinkManila team and the winners a private a tour of the distillery and shared her journey of making the gin. During the visit, she introduced their pot still called Nala (named after the character in The Lion King), went over the 22 botanicals used in Brass Lion Gin, and walked us through the flavors of Brass Lion Singapore Dry Gin, Butterfly Pea Gin, and Pahit Pink Gin (Bitters Gin) through a gin appreciation class. Brass Lion Distillery Pahit Pink Gin (Bitters Gin), Butterfly Pea Gin, and Brass Lion Singapore Dry Gin Brass Lion Distillery Tour is priced at $40 SGD which includes a welcome drink, a tour of the distillery, and three-gin flight for tasting. Click here to book your tour now. Jamie Koh introducing the botanicals used in making the gins Tasting the gins at the Brass Lion Distillery bar The tour comes with a welcome gimlet cocktail and gin flights for tasting Jamie Koh tours the group at the new Gin School where guests can distill their very own gin Brass Lion Distillery opens their gin school at the distillery where students can make their own mix of botanicals and use it for their signature craft gin Brass Lion Distillery Bar Jamieh Koh with Roxanne and Janice “We’re fortunate to be at Brass Lion Distillery,” Roxanne says. “We got the chance to meet the owner, Jamie, who was gracious to tour us around.” The tour gave them some insight into gin. “The whole experience made me realize that there’s more to the regular gins that we’re used to in the Philippines,” Janice adds. The winners’ trip to Singapore is their first, and it opened up their perceptions of the Lion City and what it has to offer. “I’ve had friends who go here, and my notion of Singapore is more of a ‘themed city.’ I usually hear about their experiences in Universal Studios, Sentosa, or Orchard Road,” shares Janice. “But this trip is different, because it’s more about the passion for drinks, for cocktails, and spirits.” “The experience made us discover the Singapore’s vibrant nightlife,” shares Roxanne. “It was surprising and amazing!” True to Singapore’s Passion Made Possible campaign, her passion for flavors also grew from this trip. “I also didn’t know that my passion for cooking would also evolve to tasting new flavors. Maybe even wanting to create new flavors using drinks, specifically gin and beer,” she shares. “Having been here to Singapore made us realize that Singapore is a melting pot of a lot of people,” Janice continues. “What I saw in the Singapore Cocktail Festival, even though they are from different parts of the world, one thing that made them come together, is their passion for cocktails, drinks, and spirits. I think that’s one experience that I will carry through, even after this trip.” The best part of the trip? “It’s been fun and the best part of the trip, is being together as friends and meeting new friends,” ends Roxanne. Check out the exciting nightlife and entertainment offerings awaiting you in Singapore! Visit www.visitsingapore.com/ph or follow them on Twitter @visitsingapore and Facebook at VisitSingaporePH, and @Visit_Singapore on Instagram for more information.