Insta Weekly: Celebrated International Rum Day with a Grog - Kronenbourg 1664 Wednesday - Monkey Shoulder Launched in Malaysia - The Glenlivet Guardians

Oh my. One of the most surreal experiences of the year happened last Friday. It never occurred to me that someday I'll find myself swimming in a pool filled with popcorn in a dress, but it happened. Read on to find on what on earth happened.

1. International Rum Day - 16 August.

Didn't want to make a common rum drink (daiquiri, punch, mojito) to "celebrate" so decided to make something called a Grog with Sailor Jerry spice rum in.

Insta Weekly: Cosmo - Nikka Coffey - Asahi - Vom Fass Whiskies - #MyTigerBites - Longrow - Beer Bourbon Bacon - 1K on Insta

Another happening week last week. So much so that I'm already getting a back log of event posts which I haven't  publish... oops! So without further ado:

1. The Best Cosmopolitan I've Ever Made

SATC made the Cosmo super popular way back when. It's actually not too difficult to make. All you need is some vodka, cranberry, cointreau and lime juice and an orange peel for its citrus scent. I prefer to put in a touch of sugar syrup for some viscosity. Also, if you don't have an orange peel around, 1-2 dashes of orange bitters work fine too.

Insta Weekly: Jagermeister remedy - Angostura Fling - Matusalem Rum Party - 44 Bar & BBB event - Beer Day - JW Gold - Singapore Sling

So as soon the the raya festivities ended, the parties came back. I don't suppose a long introduction is needed because last week was quite a happening week, so prepare yourself for a long update ahead:

1. Jager Hot toddy

Cantaloupe, Claret & Fuego Bars @ Troika Sky Dining

In conjunction with Fuego's August cocktails promotion, a few of us were invited for a #TroikaCocktailsCruise  event where we were introduced to Troika Sky Dining's bars by docking at each bar to sample their cocktails before cruising on to the next..... I loved this cruise even before it began. :p

For the uninitiated, Troika Sky Dining is located on the 24th floor of The Troika (along Persiaran KLCC) and is popularly known for its insanely gorgeous view of the KL twin towers and fine dining restaurants. It houses 3 restaurants which are segregated by cuisines: Cantaloupe for French, Strato for Italian, and Fuego for South American.

There are tonnes of reviews out there on its food and breathtaking views which Google can ply you with. But with me, you know we'll be paying particularly close attention to (or geek out at) the liquid side of the business, right? So let's get to it, shall we!

Bonjour Cantaloupe Bar!

Insta Weekly: Homemade Drink - Wedding Planning - Kampachi Birthday

I turned 35 last Sunday! Happy birthday to me!

It was a bit of a bummer because just a few days before I started coming down with the bug and had the full blown sore throat, flu and slight fever  - it was like I was going through a growth spurt but not quite... maybe sideways? :)

It was an excellent birthday. Spent it with loved ones. Had tonnes to eat and drink. Presents are always a great bonus. And lots of wishes on facebook too, lol. I loved it all!

So I went to bed early last night from a full day of festivities and still recovering from the bug.. which is why this post is a day late. I've lost my voice today and am coughing nonstop. :( Not a lot to update from last week anyway because haven't really been feeling very excellent - probably because the bug was coming, lol.

1. Bailey's + Jameson. 

Kampachi Sake Dinner Series feat. Izumibashi Sake

The 4 beautiful Izumibashi bottles in a row

Kampachi  celebrated Izumibashi brewery's first visit to Malaysia with a dinner series that took place in Troika last 16 June &  in their outlet at Equatorial Penang on 17 June.

The 9-course Japanese kaiseki menu, created by Kampachi's Executive Chef, Koji Tamaru, featured seasonal seafood sourced directly from Japan. The meal was to be paired with 4 Izumibashi sakes.

We were also graced by the presence of 6th generation brewery founder/owner, Yuichi Hashiba & sake sommelier, Shigeyuki Masaki, who imparted some nuggets of knowledge about the brand and sake. Who knew that there was such a thing as a sommelier for sake? And how do I apply? :)

Insta Weekly: World Gin Day, Kampachi dinner feat. Izumibashi Sake, P&C Bar, French Martini, Whiskey Sour

I'd like to share with you something interesting that happened to me last week.

I was at a bar for a quiet drink and bumped into some friends who knew that I enjoyed mixing drinks at home. Everyone was having fun and had quite a bit to drink... eventually I was asked to make a drink at the bar. Much to my reluctance, I did agree, but only after the bartender agreed to it as well.

Thinking back, I wondered how I could have handle that situation better. So many things could have gone wrong (since it wasn't a bar I was familiar with, and I'm actually not a bartender), but thankfully it didn't! Anyway, this experience made me realise a few things:

1. I really do enjoy working behind an actual bar - it's still such a thrill. How do I do something about that which is more feasible for my bank account? :P
2. I need to improve my mixing skills and confidence.
3. I need to learn up a wider repertoire of cocktail recipes.
4. I need to find a secret hide-away bar to drink in. :P
5. Don't get tipsy in a bar, just in case I ever get another opportunity like this again - since my "reputation" is at stake here haha!

That being said. Thank you all for the opportunity. You all know who you are! :)

So what else happened last week?

Glenfiddich's Valley Of The Deer Post-Event Report

(warning: picture heavy post)

Short of uprooting it from Dufftown, Glenfiddich replicated its distillery in Carcosa Seri Negara for 4 days from 27- 30 May 2015 to share the experience of an average working day there.  If you've never been to an actual distillery, this tour was a good representation. Also, it's probably THE biggest event of its kind in South East Asia!

Everyone was there. The who's who, the who who wants to be who, the has-beens, the wannabes, and of course people who were genuinely interested to see what a distillery could look like, because they actually took the trouble to purchase tickets.

Carcosa Seri Negara, Kuala Lumpur, turned into a make-shift distillery and bar for 4 days.

Insta Weekly: Diageo Worldclass Malaysia Finals, Tuak from Sarawak, Taps Beer Bar, Vom Fass Whisk(e)y Tasting, Glenlivet 50 Finale, Kitshcy French Wine.

Last week was filled with celebrations!

- celebrated 4 very talented bartenders who were chosen to represent Malaysia in one of the biggest bartending competitions in the planet.

- celebrated the winning bidders who bade a record-breaking RM96k for a bottle of rare 50 year old...whisky (hehe).

- celebrated a pair of good friends' baby's 1 year old birthday, where family and close friends got together to over-indulge in an awesome home-cooked BBQ meal... with some awesome drams of course.

- and celebrated the relocation of this wonderful, wonderful bread shop with some delicious wines.

What I'm trying to say is, there's always a cause for celebration. And those causes are usually the greatest reasons for a good drink... or two.... ;)

1. Diageo Reserve World Class Finals @ The Bee, Publika. 

Insta Weekly: Sommelier Championship 2015 & French Wines Trade Show, Nikka Event, Glenfiddich's #ValleyOfTheDeer, Omakase + Appreciate, Ardbeg Day

I made another resolution this year - to do something different every month. Better if it's something I've never done before. It could be something as simple as watching a musical, or it could be something as big as picking up a new skill. I figured if I didn't force myself to commit to it,  every day would just be like any other day, and I'd be living my life on autopilot. What a wasted life that would be, innit? I figured, since we're only given one life, I must make the best of it, the best that I can.

What have I done so far? In January, I completed my first ever 6km (more like 7.6 actually) cross country (which goes off-road!) run. I kinda copped out in February by merely going on a jungle hike at a nearby park. But March & April was quite a good one as it was my first trip to Siam Reap AND I participated in a 17km cycling tour there. What did I do for the month of May? Well, it's booze -related so you'll need to read on to find out. :)

1. 24H French Wines Trade Show & Malaysia Best Sommelier Championship 2015

Insta Weekly - Canadian Club Old Fashioned, Cheap Singha Beer, Singha Soda Water, Nikka in the Fridge, Auchentoshan 16 Years, Glenffidich #ValleyOfTheDeer, Whistling Duck Wine

Oh my goodness. I'm still not used to the idea of 2015 yet and June is coming (tiny GoT reference, anyone?). What on earth? Does time go by faster with each year with age? Or is it because of those dratted technological advances that makes us forget to slow down and enjoy the time we have on earth? 

I find myself spending too much being "connected". It is a terrible habit really, how the internet and technology has taken over our lives. At first I thought it was just a younger generation thing but no - the older folks (ie my parents) have now picked up the habit of constantly having their noses buried into their phones. For me, it's gotten so bad that now, I can't sleep if I don't spend at least an hour surfing on the net for pointless mindless entertainment to unwind. Sometimes I wonder if Wall-E wasn't a bit of a prophecy - human kind being too dependent on technology to the point we even forget how to WALK. Scary thought for me.

Which is why, since last year, I've been making resolutions to get disconnected more. I've taken myself out of chat groups, muted a lot of apps, and really trying very hard to be in the NOW. I have to admit, it takes a lot of effort to do this. More often than not, I find myself being drawn to the damn phone. I must make this habit stop. How bad is your tech habit? Do you even have one?

Slightly ironic that I'm talking about my bad tech habit on my blog, haha. Well, on to my favourite habit - talking about booze:

Insta Weekly: Valley of the Deer, Benromach, Marini's New Menu, Kaku Highball, Nikka Taketsuru 21 & Mizuwari

I went for something called "Glamping" last weekend. It's an interesting concept, where you take a holiday in a remote location (usually a jungle of sorts) with some comforts of luxuries you don't usually find when you're camping (eg: toilet, bed, shower...). Usually no forms of entertainment are provided though, so you have to find ways to entertain yourself. We read , drank a lot of wine and beer, and caught a movie marathon on the laptop.

Why didn't we go outside to enjoy the pretty cool jungle air, sights and sounds? Well, the weird thing is that the location of this place is actually on a building site, and it seems it's a work-in-process. So a lot of the natural beauty of the place has been hacked off and basically, it's just a muddy mess with nothing much to see. But the night sounds of the jungle nearby was a nice change, as sleeping in a tent with the rain hitting against the canvas, and showering with the freezing ice cold water because there was no heater provided.

The 3 things I always try to take on a holiday to make sure I have a good time 1) expect the worst 2) bring my own entertainment 3) and have lots of booze. Share with me your tips for a good holiday while we get on with what happened on my instagram ya!

Insta Weekly - Jura Whisky Highball, Hendrick's Booklet, Glenfarclas Tasting, The Bar @ Empire Damansara, Nobu KL's Cocktails & Chillean wine

It was a lovely 4-day weekend in Malaysia wasn't it? Didn't you wished every week was a 4-day work week with a long 4 day weekend? Well, I do. I think a long weekend is just about enough time to really recuperate from the office, spend time on your own personal projects to improve and learn, chores (yuck!) your friends, your family, and with sufficient time to rest. 

One can dream, I suppose. Or quit the corporate life and get your own thing going - which actually could be a worse option because you never sign out of your "office". Oh well! One can't have everything, but one can grab a quick drink and relax....and wait for the next long weekend holiday that's coming up soon! Yippee! 

Made a Jura whisky highball. Drinkable.... but maybe I'm not doing it right.

A highball is actually any spirit mixed with a mixer served in a tall glass. This is me experimenting with a whisky highball - using Jura & soda. A bit of a mistake going with the Jura as it's a little peaty. In fact, I shouldn't even be using single malts for this :p

Launch: Aka Chochin Izakaya @ Pavillion Kuala Lumpur

Aka Cochin wishes you Irasshaimase!

An Izakaya is a Japanese version of what we know as a pub or bar which has a decent accompanying food or snack menu. 

Izakaya literally translates as "to stay (in a) sake shop". It's historically derived from when the Japanese bought and drank their sake inside the sake shop. Today, this has become the Japanese version of a pub where people hang out after work to drink and unwind with food to snack in-between. 

Aka Chochin means "red lantern" - which is usually found outside an Izakaya.

Put these 2 words together and you have the name of the (relatively) new Japanese outlet in Pavillion, KL. Located at where Circus used to be, it's not too hard to find if you're familiar with Pavillion. 

Insta Weekly: DIY Moscow Mule - Ozzie wines - Mason Shaker - Botanist Gin - Marini's on 57 - Nobu KL - Sommersby's #thatweekendfeeling - Penang Trip

Apologies for the tardiness! I was away in Penang for the weekend and back only yesterday. Let's quickly get on with last week's recap:

Homemade Moscow Mule with Russian Standard & Smirnoff vodka

I continue with my Moscow Mule madness from the previous week - trying it with the different types of vodka I have at home - this time with Russian Standard and Smirnoff. It all works for me, at least with ginger ale it does. I just found out that there's nothing russian about Moscow mule except its name. The cocktail was actually created by a Smirnoff distributor in America, who was trying to boost sales. Yes, the copper mug guy was in on the marketing scheme too. :)

Insta Weekly: DIY Cocktails - Kronenbourg 1664 Wednesday - Glengrant Tasting - Rennie's - Gin Tasting

Hi! Sorry about the silence. Lots been happening lately and I find myself updating my other social media platforms more frequently than the blog. By other social media platforms, I mean my personal Instagram and Facebook Page. It's filled with booze-reated stuff, so feel free to follow them (just click on the links) if you're inclined to that sort of thing. :)

I really love updating stuff with these 2 platforms. You see, with instagram, I get to grab a quick picture of what I'm doing/where I am, and write a short explanation of what's going on. With Facebook, it's pretty much the same but instead of just personal experiences, I use it to update whatever booze-related stories I come across at a click of a button and a few type-written lines on my phone.. and it's out there. It's so fast how I can churn stuff out.

With the blog however, as much as I still enjoy it, takes more time. The crafting of copy, the editing of pictures, the re-editing of the entire post, and actually having to type in coherent, as-grammatically-correct-as-possible content. It's definitely not something I have the luxury of time to commit to on a frequent basis - though I still aspire to update it at LEAST once a week.

What I'm trying to say is this - I intend to do a weekly updates of what I've posted on Instagram. My gut feeling (haha) tells me that there are more people on the internet universe than there are on Insta (and even Facebook), so summarising the week on my blog makes sense (to me). It also makes my experiences more permanent and accessible to everyone else not on Instagram.

So, say hello to Insta Weekly posts!

The Bee's Heart of the Run Whisky Festival Post-Event Report

One of The Bee's event posters which I thought was cute and deserved a repost. :D

The Bee held (what was probably) the first (and biggest) whisky fair in Malaysia just last Sunday, 8 March 2015 at their Solaris Publika outlet.

If you had any interest in whisky at all and weren't there (without a good reason), kindly proceed to give yourself a nice good kick in the behind. And then read on while I explain to you WHY you deserved that nice good kick.

GAB Professional Solutions (GABPS) Academy National Finals

Yes, that's a LOT of words on the post title..... So let me try and break it down for you.

Firstly, a TLDR: A competition for Malaysian bartenders to pour the perfect pint of Heineken happened 2 weeks ago. The winner will represent Malaysia to compete against the rest of the world to be the best.. in the world.

Read on for the longer version! Give face la, I spent a lot of time typing this post up leh! :(

The stage at the event looked like it was setup for a huge concert and the contenders were the super Kpop stars. Nice.

Martell Celebrates its 300th Birthday.

Born 1715, Martell is 300 years old this year.

Of course a huge fabulous party was thrown, if I lived to 1/3 of that, I would too!

Just to put things into perspective for you, the (recorded) oldest human being that ever lived was 122 years old.

This means that Martell lasted at least 3 (human) generations!

Elegantology all decked up with exclusive limited edition martell bottles for the party. Did you know that Martell is the patron for Elegantology? Read it up here! (Picture credit: Martell)

Carlsberg 2015 CNY Celebration - A Smooth Sailing In the Year of the Sheep

5  clear signs that Chinese New Year is upon us:

1. McDonald's Prosperity burger set is available
2. Eu Yan Sang runs their cheesy hamper radio ads
3. Banks start giving out empty angpow packets
4. Malls put up loud red decorations and/or loud chinese new year songs
5. Beer boys organise Chinese New Year parties and start dropping prices of their 24-can packs in hypermarkets, coupled with chinese new year themed gifts.

Item #2 is what we're going to talk about today....... No I kid. of course I meant #5. Surprise surprise. It's the only sort of thing I'll ever talk about, on this blog, anyway. So let's go go go!

Did you know that Carlsberg was born in the year of the sheep waaaayyy back in 1847? Well, this 168 year old young man brand celebrated its zodiac-versary, with a HUGE party. And by huge, I mean, a 18 ft Chinese ship (sheep, ship, lol) in the middle of Ara Damansara Oasis HUGE.

See how BIG the ship was. I placed the entire Carlsberg management team, 2 lion dancers, 7 chinese drummer boys and 8 gods of prosperity there just for scale..