Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Resolutions are inevitable every new year. As drinkers, there are certain things we promise to do (like pacing our drinks) — and never do again (like downing a tray of shots)! To cap off 2020’s first month, we asked our friends in the industry to share their resolutions. From drinking more water to never drinking baiju again, check out the drinking promises they intend to keep. Icy Mariñas | co-founder and mixologist, DrinkManila.com I’ve got a lot planned for this year. I took the WSET Level 2 course last year and will take another course this year to focus on saké. I’m in love with saké right now and I’m excited to learn more about it. I also want to make my own brew and will start brewing my own rice wine and ginger beer. I’m looking forward to sharing sweetening alternatives this year as well. It’s been tasty and fun using all sorts of syrups to balance my cocktails, but I would also like to find more natural options to replace sugar. Aaron Aw | co-founder, DBWY and business development manager, Destileria Limtuaco & Co. Inc. For 2020, I will finally release the gin I’ve been working on for the last two years. We’ll continue to create more events for bartenders through DBWY (Drinks Be With You) to showcase what the Filipino bartender can do. What I never want to do again: Drink baiju (Chinese grain liquor). Rian Asiddao | brand ambassador, Diageo Reserve I’ll continue to help build and highlight the Philippine bartending scene through World Class and other fun platforms like DBWY. As a personal goal, I will eat and drink healthier and lose some weight. I would also love to see more of the Philippines this year. Kathryn Eckstein | brand ambassador, Philippine Craft Distillers Now that I’ve become a mom, it’s so much easier to say no to projects that don’t value my time or don’t contribute to my growth as a bartender and beverage innovator. I’ll continue doing that this year because clients that value family are more transparent and don’t call for meetings that eat away at your time, when they know a phone call is just as efficient. As for drinking, my resolution is not to drink less, but to drink smarter! Which means drinking quality, FDA-approved spirits and making sure to hydrate in between. Aaron Goodall | business development manager, Campari Group Philippines and regional brand ambassador, Campari Group Asia Since joining Campari, I have been into Americanos and Campari and Soda. And for 2020, I think I’m going to stick more on the low-ABV side of drinking. This means I now wake up without a shocking hangover like I used to a few years back. I will also drink more water. Niño Cruz | brand ambassador, Bacardi Philippines There are things that I would like to change this year in terms of my drinking habits. I want to cut down on spirit-forward cocktails so I can cover more bars when I make the rounds. Since it’s part of my job to drink, I’ll focus on drinking low-ABV long drinks, like G&Ts, flavored highballs, and spritzes. Simon Côté | founder and managing partner, Apotheke Craft Spirits We’ve got big plans this year. We’re growing our team and bringing more spirits in. I’ll continue to learn something new every day, read industry-specialized magazines and blogs. Learning is an ongoing investment for ourselves. I’ll also prioritize education above all for our colleagues and industry partners. I’m going to stop saying “yes” to everything. Learning to say “no” is also an art and a defense mechanism. I will spend more time with my family, as they are a big reason why I’m in this world. I will give back more to causes that I believe in. What happened in Taal provided us with an opportunity to help the people around us. Jorge Joseph | area sales and marketing manager, Philippine Wine Merchants I’m making it a point to learn more about Japanese saké this year. I also want to promote the saké culture here in the Philippines. We are importing more than 15 saké brands and we have launched our new saké group www.sakesociety.ph. We will also continue to host saké masterclasses twice a month. I’ll continue ‘My Vegan World’ events this year to promote the vegan-friendly wines, spirits, saké, and beers. Frank Shrope | owner and founder, Liquor.ph I’d like to travel outside the Philippines this year and visit a whisky distillery. I’ll continue to do more whisky-tasting classes and keep spreading the love of great craft and boutique spirits. I’ll be more open and not be a snob in dealing with other craft spirits. I’ve looked down on vodka for the longest time but then I tried Tito’s Handmade Vodka with ice and was blown away with its taste and mouthfeel. Cyrene de la Rosa | content creator, columnist at Metro.Style Buzz and Bites and ANCX contributor I realized last year that as one gets older, one’s drinking days are numbered as a lot of my peers have already retired from drinking. That’s why I now plan to limit my social drinking to high-quality libations only to ensure that I’ll still have more years to enjoy drinking. And one can only usually do this by patronizing the places that work hard to serve only the good stuff. May these kinds of establishments live long and prosper!