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: Martin Miller's Gin, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Whisky Fling @ S&A, Revisiting WIP, Ippudo's new Geikkeikan Sake, Negroni Week @ Hyde, Nikka Taketsuru 12

Man, after last week, I thought I would go easy on the drinking and whiskies but apparently, I'm made of tougher (and more idiotic lol) stuff. This week's summary is a little late because I just came back from spending the weekend in Melaka for a friend's wedding which was also a great excuse to stuff my face with food along the way (sorry about all that food spam on my insta today lol).

I love Chinese banquet weddings. Bonus if the first four (out of 8, usually) dishes tastes really good (usually the appetiser, soup, white meat & fish) because I'm usually too stuffed to have anymore (after that it's commonly the prawns, vegetables, rice and dessert). Even bigger bonus if there's loads of booze about - this one had a whole lot of beer, wine and whiskies. Back in the day (I'd say about 10-15 years) ago - chinese banquet dinners predominantly featured brandy and at the most, blended scotch. These days? Single malt and Japanese whiskies are all the rage. Attending a chinese wedding dinner is really a good gauge of what the current beverage trend is. :)

1. Martin Miller's Gin

Had this at O&A last week. Hmm, seems like I'm really into my gins now. :D This one tastes like it's in between your london dry & botanicals. Stuff like this reminds me why I love the beverage industry so much. You think you've tried a lot and then something new comes along to surprise you. I wish I could easily get one of these but unfortunately, it's not easy to get, and also in the premium category like your Botanist (which is already RM2XX duty free, by the way). I think I will invest in more gins, while the whole region is still mad with their whisky. Rums too. Once, the whisky craze dies down, it's likely we'll take to rum or gin. Let's see. :)

Launch: Inch (and Plates) @ Jalan Muntri, Penang

So, I mentioned in passing on my Insta Weekly update that I was invited for the official launch of Inch (and Plates) over a couple of months ago to check out their new place. Let me give you a quick tour of the place before we dive into my favourite topic - their beverage menu.

Located at one of the popular tourist / backpacker areas, 44 Muntri Street in Penang; Inch and Plates (which are sibling restaurants conjoined by the bar), are the newest ventures by one of the owners from The Bee, Adrian Yap.

As you can see from the entrance, it's a pre-war shop lot and is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can't miss its striking red door against its pretty sky blue painted walls. They took the effort to maintain quite a bit of the original structure - especially the wooden bits. I suspect that the tiles at the entrance is also an original peranakan design too (correct me if I'm wrong).

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

Plaza Premium Lounge (PPL) has everything you need to live in an airport.

(Note: Plaza Premium Lounge kindly allowed a group of us to experience all their amenities mentioned below without charge.)

The terminal, starring Tom Hanks. One of my favouritest movies.
Image credit: artsentertainmentbaba.com/

Do you remember the movie The Terminal starring Tom Hanks? Man, I loved it so much I must've watched it a hundred times. It's a story of this guy who was stuck living in the airport for a while because his country was at war and his passport wasn't recognised. It looked like he was having a good time living in the airport, making friends with everyone who worked in the airport. And he even managed to get part time job in there... albeit he was roughing it out a little. I've always wondered what that felt like, seemed fun!

What a treat it was that we kind of did get that experience...  Except we didn't  have to rough it out in the airport like Tom's character did with Plaza Premium Lounge being around. They fed us, quenched our thirst, and after all that, even gave us a comfortable night's stay at KLIA 2 just before our insane 6am early morning flight to Siam Reap the next day. Since this is (mostly) a booze blog, I'm going to spend a little more time sharing with you about the liquid side of things, and then quickly touching base on the other services and facilities.

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: Soju - Hexa Lounge - The Great Beer Bar - Sangria - 44 Bar

Last week was a relatively quiet week. Nice change actually. Too much imbibing feels a little... indulgent and unhealthy. So when my body nudges me to take a break, I do take it. :)

Chum Churum soju by Lotte - do you like this stuff? I don't know how to.

I've never liked Soju. Tried it again last week and I find that..... I still don't like it. It's basically a Korean version of vodka, usually distilled from grains or starch with some sweetener added into the final product and Koreans drink it like their lives depended on it. HOWEVER - when soju is mixed is baekseju to become osipseju it is a whole different drink together and I LOVE IT. I wrote about this mix 2 years ago here and I highly recommend you to try it the next time you have Korean food. Take care though, the end product is a total of 2 x 360ml bottles so best to share among 3 or more pax. Definitely NOT for the weak hearted. :)

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!

Launch: Ippudo (yes that yummy ramen shop!) Bar @ Bangsar Shopping Centre

Firstly, let me get this out of the way - I LOVE Ippudo ramen. It is the best after-drinks food EVER. Nothing beats a pipping hot bowl of noodles swimming in a pool of delicious broth of pork after you're high from slightly over-imbibing. So what I'm going to say after this may be SIGHTLY biased. :P

I was so excited to find out that Ippudo launched a new bar in BSC last week - especially since it's going to be a full-fledged Japanese concept bar.

Sure you say, BSC is FILLED with bars. Do you really need ANOTHER bar?

Yes I say. Hell YES. A million times YES.

Some psychedelic lighting was happening at the launch party - but we were assured that on normal non-event days, it will be cosy & non-intrusive.

It's Beerday, Everyday

For some of us, there's nothing better than looking forward to an ice cold mug of  refreshing golden liquid goodness to wind down after a long, hard, tiring, shitty day at work.

Just look at the frost on the glass tempting you.

Now tell me you don't look forward to a taste of THAT.

Love in an ice cold mug. Nothing can ever substitute that satisfaction. Not a nice warm hug from your partner who smells so intoxicatingly good, or even a silly little overly-eager dog wagging its tails at the first sight of you at the door.

Because Cold beer will always love you. Cold beer never needs you to love it back. Cold beer is easy to get. Cold beer makes you happy. Cold beer will never cheat on you or lie to you. Cold beer will always be there for you. Through thick and thin. For better or for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. Until death to us part.

Stop wars and famine. Have a cold beer.

Pictured above is a cold one from 42East at TTDI. 3 pints of Tiger were going at around RM50+ for 3 after 9pm. (RM40+ during happy hours starting at 4pm). 

Grimbergen's In Town!

Here's a blonde with good head - Grimbergen Blonde (6.7%)

Did you know that Luen Heng Sdn Bhd. (a subsidiary of Carlsberg) was the champion that had the foresight to bring in Hoegaarden into this market eons ago when it was literally unheard of in this market? While it has now become a very popular, hip, drink to be seen with these past few years,  it is THE BEER that made me change my mind about beers almost 10 years ago. So that's my way of saying, I liked it before it was even cool to like it (/kiasu).... and also indirectly admitting that I'm kinda.... old. :(

So, these guys at Carlsberg and Luen Heng have been very busy bees. Over the past couple of years, they've been bringing in other really awesome imported beers like Kronenbourg 1664, Kronenbourg Blanc, Asahi, Little Ceatures, among others, and just last week, Grimbergen ..... on TAP. YEAY!

Victoria Bitter, Revisited

A Bottle of Victorian Bitter, All By Its Lonesome.

Studying in Sydney, Australia (a shout out to all the crew from IHMA, Sydney!) was when I truly had my first real experience of alcohol - Toohey's, shitty cheap wine from a carton boxes, whiskey Coke, Kahlua milk, XXX, Victoria Bitter and a taste of some other cocktails and shots.

Don't need to say how I felt about the shitty cheap wines because I believe it's a universal understanding that they truly SUCK, but I can tell you back then I had no love for beer in any form. It won't be an exaggeration to even say I hated it. My virgin tongue couldn't stomach the bitter after-taste at all. I especially hated Victoria Bitter because it was especially ... bitter.

However, fast forward (more or less)10 years to today, you can safely say that I now drink pretty much anything - beer, wine, spirits. But I'm using the words "pretty much" very, very loosely (give a girl her artistic license can ah? :p )

True Story, Bro

Seen on the back of a Craftbrews' staff's tshirt:

Love Yourself. Stop Drinking Crappy Beers.

Word.

Happy new week!

Ice Cold Taps

Brussels' Ice Cold Taps

If I were the king of the world, I would mandate all draught taps AND glasses be frozen. Simply because everything tastes heavenly that way.

I know a place in Singapore that does this - Ice Cold Beer (specially the one along Emerald HIll). My second home while I was there. Every other day, I would park my butt at the bar and order myself an ice cold Hoegaarden just to wind down, washed down with their delicious chicken wings or hotdog. Do you have any idea how good ice cold beer in an ice cold mug feels after a long, long day at work in Singapore? Words can't describe. And oh how much I miss it!

Back in Malaysia, we do have some places that HAS frozen taps. The taps illustrated above are from Brussels. It really makes a difference to my drinking experience. But I haven't had the chance of coming across bars that serves ice cold beer in ice cold mugs. It's usually one or the other and the experience is just NOT COMPLETE.

Please god! Bring Ice Cold Beer to Malaysia! Please please please!

GAB's Special

The Tavern's Special

Man, I hope I'm not breaking any rules here by sharing this.

This awesome testing concoction is made out of..... half a pint of Cider mixed with....

Guinness.

And did I say that it is awesome? It's awesome!

The cider's sour acidity is balanced out by Guinness's bitterness. So it's really easy to drink.

This easy to drink smooth, slightly malty and tangy mix is something the guys at GAB like to call  "The Special".

If you ever get the privilege of checking out the Tavern, try to ask for one at the friendly bartender while you're there.

It's a glassful of Yum!

Snow Beer

A Glass of Snowy Goodness

Somewhere deep inside Cheras, lies this frozen beauty awaiting to be consumed at some ah pek coffee shop called 1008.

What's so special about it? Well, the bottle's frozen, and so is the drinking glass. Once in contact with the glass, the beer turns into bits of ice. Ice blended beer - who would've thunk?

Once you pick your chin up from the floor and get over the novelty, the beer goes down so quickly and before you know it, you're asking for another bottle. And another. And another.

Paired with the in-house special, sinfully delicious glazed fried pork - it's like a little bit of heaven on earth.

Your wallet won't thank you (about RM18 per btl of large frozen Heineken), but your taste buds sure would. It's just a matter of prioritising ain't it? Are you really going to allow your screaming wallet to boss you around? No, I don't think so.

Hic.

Sapporo on Tap

Had a hankering for Asahi on tap in an ice cold mug. Something which Singapore has loads of but in Malaysia, NADA. NONE. MEI YOU. TAKDE. YILEK!

However, luckily for me, someone from either the top floor or the bottom one heard my cries and Bar Madrid @ Jaya One has a something almost as good - Sapporo on tap. Apparently it's the Only joint that does that in Malaysia.

For RM38++, you get 2 mugs for the price of one before 7pm. 1.5 mugs for the price of one after 7pm. Is that awesome or what?

The beer did not taste like water. The mug was chilled (would prefer it FROZEN though, why don't people do that here? This really is mind-boggling since it's really not rocket science why it should be done = make your customers happy = more orders = more money = owner happy!). The perfect beverage to refresh yourself with after a long, hot, humid day. What more could a girl ask for? (apart from the perfect man, diamonds, a sports car, expensive holidays..... but let's be realistic - a mug of ice cold beer's easier to get. :P)

FA + Cold Beer = Lots of Happehs

Do you know why I'm wearing a shit eating grin? That's because I am batshit happy.

Yamseng!