Hendrick's Cucumber Currency Exchange is Back on 14 July

That's right - for one night only, over 60 bars in Kuala Lumpur and Penang will accept cucumbers as payment for a Hendrick’s Gin & Tonic (T&C: 1 drink per person,  40 drinks redeemable per outlet or while stocks last!).

Head over to the website for the full list of participating outlets... or here's a snapshot (click on image to enlarge!):

Ki No Bai Arrives to Malaysia

Irasshaimase Ki No Bai! That's right folks. The Kyoto Distillery has brought its first-of-its-kind plum and berry liqueur to Malaysia!

This new expression is the distillery’s interpretation of British Sloe Gin and inspired by the Japanese umeshu, featuring locally sourced ingredients, such as haskap berries from Hokkaido and ume plums from Kyoto.

World Martini Day with The House of Suntory

In conjunction with World Martini Day on 17 June 2023, The House of Suntory embarked on a month-long celebration dedicated to this legendary drink with Roku Gin and Haku Vodka. While martini is traditionally crafted with gin, using vodka is also common (for example, the James Bond "shaken not stirred" martini is famously made with vodka). 

 

14 bars throughout Klang Valley, Johor Bahru, and Penang will showcase their own interpretation of the martini featuring Roku Gin and Haku Vodka from 12 June to 28 July. Check them all out and don't say bojio:

 

Pahit
Ginger, Perfect Martini, Yuzu (RM50)

 

Location & Reservations:
3, Jalan Sin Chew Kee, Bukit Bintang, 50150 Kuala Lumpur
t: +603  2110 0776
https://www.instagram.com/barpahit/

 

Gin Jubilee Kuala Lumpur is Back!

After a 3-year hiatus (no thanks to the pandemic!), Malaysia's (arguably) biggest gin event is back and will take place from 15 to 27 May 2023.

This year’s Gin Jubilee will feature 10 gin brands and a total of 20 bars.

Marcy Sakuma at Three X CO and the KI NO BI Edition G

We had the pleasure of catching Marcy Sakuma, Manager of the House of Ki No Bi of Kyoto, who took over Three X Co to showcase the range of Ki No Bi gins in cocktails recently.

The guest shift also introduced the limited-edition Ki No Bi Edition G, the brand’s first cask-aged Kyoto dry gin, which was officially released in 2019 in selected markets. 

Celebrating Spring Harvest with Roku Gin

From 6 April to 26 May 2023, Roku Gin is collaborating with some of the trendiest cocktail bars in Klang Valley to create cocktails that celebrate the "Shun" spring harvest - the Sakura, Grapefruit, Apricot, Kumquat, Plum and Honeydew.

"Shun", (旬 , pronounced shoon) in Japanese means seasonal ingredients that are harvested at its peak - when it is at its very best, most succulent, and flavourful.

Penrose will feature grapefruit cocktails that pairs with the fruit's citrus, tart and bitter flavours.

Rising Sun, The Sakura’s Calling, Momoiro (RM 55)

For more and reservations:149, Jalan Petaling, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan
M : +6016 230 0905
www.instagram.com/penrose.kl/

Four Pillars Fresh Yuzu Gin Now Available in Malaysia

I know some people would instantly grab any edible and drinkable item with the words "MADE WITH YUZU" on its label, so here's one more to add to your buy list! 

  

The Australian brand, Four Pillars, has been known to feature home-grown products in their gin, and this variant is no different.

Sui Gin Now Available in Malaysia

The House of Suntory recently introduced Sui in Malaysia. Developed to be clean and refreshing tasting, Suntory wants anyone and EVERYone to be able enjoy its new gin at any meal, anytime.

World Gin Day with Caorunn and Jay Gray

Caorunn kickstarted a 3-day celebration of this year’s World Gin Day (which falls on the second Saturday of June annually) with Jay Gray, bartender and co-founder of Sago House, Singapore.

Jay Gray at the trade masterclass

 

Four Pillars Gin Now Available Online in Malaysia

Four Pillars Gin is a craft distillery founded by three friends in 2013 based in Healesville, Melbourne’s Yarra Valley. Four Pillars took Australia and the world by storm when the first ever gin they developed - the Rare Dry Gin - won awards just one year after the distillery was founded, making the distillery a fast cult favourite and one of the most beloved gin brands in Australia.

GinRum.Me 2020

Covid-19 has been a huge downer ... BUT rain, shine or virus, we must keep our spirits (glasses) up!

GinRum.Me is back in its third year with a new format for the new normal featuring 9 weeks of spirits experiences with gins, tequila and a mezcal across 8 bars in Klang Valley and even 4 in Ipoh!

Sorgin, The Bewitching Gin

Image: Sorgin

Most gins are distilled from grains. However, Sorgin is made from fine Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Not just any grapes, but grapes from the vineyards of Francoise Lurton, the 4th generation wine producer from one of the biggest Bordeaux wine families, producing wines since 1897.

Sorgin is the first spirit created by him and his wife, Saabin, after he diversified the family's business by relaunching the distilling activity his great-grandfather, Léonce Récapet, had inherited in 1880. Sorgin was designed to be a link between his new venture into spirits and his family''s heritage in wine.

Apart from juniper berries (mandatory for gin!), it also has pink grapefruit, lemon, lime, violet, broom (cinnamon), blackcurrant buds. The finished product of 43% abv  has a fruity, tangy notes while the nose has a hint of wine (thanks to its grape base).

Sorgin means witch in Basque french, an ode to its French South West origin.

Single & Available brings it in. While it is only exclusively available at Mr Chew's for now, I am told that this will eventually be available from year-end onward.

For more: http://sorgin.fr/ or https://www.facebook.com/sorgin.fr/

- Jon

The 4th East Imperial Gin Jubilee 2019 @ Malaysia

Gird your liver. Gin Jubilee's back - bigger and better. How?

13 participating Gin brands!

1. The Botanist 
2. Caorunn
3. Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin
4. Four Pillars Rare Dry
5. Gin Agricolo Blagheur
6. G’Vine Floraison
7. Hendrick’s
8. Napue by Kyro Distillery Company
9. Monkey 47
10. Rock Rose
11. Scapegrace
12. St. George Terroir
13. The West Winds Cutlass

Image: Wholly Spirits

26 participating outlets!

1. 61 Monarchy
2. Bar Shake
3. Bar Trigona
4. Beta KL
5. BotakLiquor
6. Coley
7. Elements
8. Flying Monkeys
9. HYDE at 53M
10. JungleBird
11. Knowhere
12. Mari Gin
13. Mezze
14. Mrs Jones’ Parlour
15. Pacific Standard Bar
16. Pahit
17. Pinchos Tapas Bar
18. PS150
19. Soma
20. The Locker & Loft
21. The Pawn Room
22. The Sticky Wicket
23. The Vault
24. Three x Co
25. Tickets
26. Woo Bar @ W Kuala Lumpur

Image: W KL's Wet Deck

Lots of fun between 8-12 Oct 2019!

• Kick-off party at W Hotel's Wet Deck on 8 Oct 2019
• Bar crawl through participating bars to vote for your favourite Gin & Tonic between 1-12 Oct 2019. Each post MUST include the hashtags #EastImperial, #GinJubilee2019 and also the Location of the bar.
• Catch guest shifts, masterclasses and workshops between 8-12 Oct 2019. For updates, follow https://www.facebook.com/ginjubilee
• Catch Gin Jubilee's finale party- the Gin Lane on 12 Oct at the Sentul West Depot for RM25 g&ts all night by all the participating outlets and gin brands!

For more check out https://ginjubilee.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/whollyspirits/

J

Mrs Jones' Parlour @ section 17

A little foodie enclave in Section 17 has popped up on radar. There are a few grub-worthy makan places in those tinyrows of old 2-storey shoplots with a variety of choices. Parking availability is notoriously scarce but that has not been a deterrence.

The only thing missing here, was a drinking joint.

Enter Mrs Jones’ Parlour. Opened this October and is at this time, the only cocktail bar in the area. There are no clear signboards to this bar, so look out for Tujoh cafe.

The second you step into the parlour, deja vu. It brings us back to the late 70’s with its furnishing and deco. Ah FA said that it reminded her of her late granddad's home. Very nostalgic and cosy.

This is related to the speakeasy bar in TTDI, the Pawn Room and sister wine bar, The Private Room.

With gins from Australia, the UK,  Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands. Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand and USA, you'll be quite spoilt with choices.

Mrs Jones’ parlour meanwhile, is a gin bar with a small selection of wine. There's also a selection of gin-based cocktails and homemade infused gins too.

4 types of gin infusions.

Drinks and bottles are generally well-priced. Their happy hours are from 5-8pm where you get 2 glasses of gin (and tonics) for RM40 nett.

All the happy hour gin choices you can choose from - not bad.

Schweppes is used for happy hour but there are 2 premium tonic brands you can choose from with various flavours. 

G&T FTW.

There are bites to go with the drinks as well by Tujoh cafe downstairs.

Food is available until Tujoh closes. Creamy (tom yum? spicy?) soft shell crab was DA BOMB. 

I can see people just coming out here to chill with friends, while waiting for queues for the eateries downstairs to clear.

Amoi Melon (RM 35) - Tanqueray, Midori, lemon, agave, watermelon juice, beaten egg white.
There are 4 cocktails to choose from now - easy-drinking sweet gin-based concoctions from RM35-RM45.

As for me, I plan to catch their happy hour G&Ts as frequently as possible.

- Jon

The Majestic Hotel's Tribute to Hollywood's Golden Age: Bogart Spirits

“ Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine”

That's Humphrey Bogart’s famous quote from the movie Casablanca. Before Marlon Brando and later James Dean perfected the art of mumbling while looking suave and sophisticated, it was Bogart that started it all.

The Bogart Spirits is a collection of 4 spirits - rum, gin, whiskey, vodka, by ROK Drinks Company (US) in collaboration with The Humphrey Bogart Estate.

The introduction of its gin, vodka and rum was held at the Majestic Hotel’s Cigar Lounge, a masculine, classy location truly appropriate for someone like Rick Blaine (Bogart’s character).

The gin is juniper forward with floral and fruity notes of lavender, citrus, macadamia cucumber and coriander.  The rum delivers flavours of  almond nuttiness and coconut. The vodka,
distilled 7 times, is clean and dry, with a light fruity body and spicy finish. I wished we could've tried the blended Irish whiskey which sounded like an interesting blend of single malt and grain whiskeys, matured for at least 3 years in ex-bourbon American oak casks.

To commemorate the launch, Johnny, the head bartender of The Majestic made 5 Hollywood cocktails - Ginger Rogers (gin based), Mae West (brandy based), Jean Harlow (rum & vermouth), Coco Chanel (vodka based) and The James Bond (aka Vesper) (a twist of the gin martini). With the exception of the ‘Vesper’ which is actually a classic cocktail, the other 4 named after actual famous icons of the past.

Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers,  Coco Chanel

The James Bond

Mae West

This collection is exclusively available  at The Majestic's The Smoke House and goes for RM45 a glass and RM600 for a bottle.

For more on Bogart Spirits: http://www.bogartspirits.com/
For more on Majestic's Smoke House & Gentlemen's Club: http://www.majestickl.com/smokehouse.html

- Jon

(Images: The Majestic Kuala Lumpur)

Lone Wolf Gin Comes to Malaysia!

A few of us had a sneak preview of this lovely gin, which has recently pounced its way into the Malaysian gin market - making us their first market in Asia to enter. Yeay!

MyBeer (of Taps Beer Bar fame), who is likely one of the largest importers of craft beer in Malaysia brings this in. Why is a craft beer importer bringing this in? Because: they bring in BrewDog and BrewDog makes this gin.

With so many gins in the market, what sets this new product apart is with the brewers at BrewDog’s distilling their grain spirit from scratch (50% wheat, 50% barley) - unlike some gin brands that outsources their grain spirits.

The botanicals include juniper, Thai lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaf, coriander, pink peppercorn, almond, fresh lemon peel, mace, fresh red grapefruit peel, and Scottish pine needles.

Bottled at 44% ABV, the higher than industry standard 40% ABV packs just a right punch to allow its botanical to shine especially when gin is married with it and even upon dilution with melting ice.

Creamy with citrus on the nose and spiciness in the end, this gin is delicious.

Lone Wolf will be made available on retail .... soon. We're keeping an eye out for the Lone Wolf tonic as well, which is formulated to pair with their gin like ketchup on fries. There's even a canned G&T at 8.8% ABV - which FA approves:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on May 26, 2018 at 4:15am PDT

There are other planned canned booziness too but we'll have sit tight and watch out for it.

- Jon

The Hidden Tropicana Bandar Utama trifecta: Maze, Lavo and Chaze

There is really not much to shout about for fun in Bandar Utama with the exception of the 2 malls, One Utama and Centrepoint. So where would you go if you’re knackering for an adult beverage? If you’d ask me that last year same time, I’d tell you to head to Taman Tun.

But much to my delight, there are now 3 legit watering holes at Menara Lien Ho, Tropicana Bandar Utama under the M Group of companies. They are:

Maze

In the afternoons, Maze is a chic afternoon hi- tea / Coffee saloon that resembles the decadent 70s and when the sun goes down and the lights go up it transforms into a gin parlour. Maze boasts 200 Gin focused labels and gin cocktails. The ambience befits the arrival of certain super spy in a dapper suit that would casually sit down on one if the plush couches and say, ‘Martini, shaken, not stirred”.

Maze got in Adam Westbrook, Esq, previously the head bartender of the Skullduggery group, to revamped beverage menu. So there's a new set of gin-based cocktails ranging from the fruity and easy-drinking to the spirit forward, featuring local ingredients and localised flavours.

There will over 200 available labels to try, and 70 labels to order by shot like whisky. If you order a bottle of gin, a push cart of cocktail condiments and garnishes comes with it for you to customise your own G&T.

Maze also has a not-so-secret door that leads you into...

Chaze

With Maze being chic, Chaze is the the masculine counterpart with its dim lighting, leather lounge and a back bar filled with whiskies. Bar bites, beers and signature cocktails are also served here but opening bottles is very common here too.

Different themes and DJs are the feature daily within a week. What's extra - a ping pong table placed smack right in the middle of the dance floor in the early hours of the night.

Lavo

Strategically located on the ground floor of Menara Lien Ho, Lavo is a resto bar that serves a delightful menu of western, local delights and bar bites while boasting an extensive wine list of more than 1000 labels. They also have brands from the Heineken Malaysia on tap, cocktails and spirits to boot.

While Maze seems posh, Lavo is the chilled sibling and is kid-friendly. Smoking is only allowed outdoors and a kids eat for free weekend promo is available.

Lavo also caters to events and special requests.

Stay tuned on this spot. As you read this, another outlet is in the pipeline to open soon. .....oriental style tapas anyone?

- Jon

East Imperial's 5th Annual Gin Jubilee 2017 has arrived in KL

Celebrating everything G&T, participated by over 100 bars across Singapore, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Shanghai and Auckland, the Gin Jubilee will be in KL starting tomorrow.

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on Nov 26, 2016 at 9:54am PST

So what’s in store for you, dearest KL-based imbiber?

1. 21 variations of the gin and tonic... from 21 participating bars in KL from 13- 16 September 2017:

Using Kyrö Napue:
Insan Nurull from Pahit
Mattman Joseph from Skullduggery

Using St. George:
Golam Kibria from Jack Rose
Alvin Au Yong from Birch

Using Fords Gin:
Ali Aye from PS150
Desmond Yatigammana from JungleBird

Using Gin Mare:
Alvin George (Loco) from Coley
Kelvin Lee from Bonfire Restaurant & Bar
Erik Fiza from Suzie Wong

Using Bombay Sapphire:
Kay (Khir Johari) from Virgin & Throne
Jovilane Maghanoy from Opium KL

Using Hendrick's:
Roymark Arusab from The Pawn Room
Jiffy Madredijo from Ril's Bangsar

Using Death's Door:
John Buxton from Encore by The Vault
Ebony Hogg from Sticky Wicket

Using West Winds:
Nik Syafiz from Locker & Loft
Anand Pirinyuang from Shelley Yu's

Using Citadelle:
Osmund Bernard from IKKI
Kazi Tanbir from Hyde at 53M

Using Botanist:
Joe Ngui from Omakase + Appreciate
Mitchell Raymond from 61 Monarchy

Say hello to your 21 friendly participating KL bartenders!

2. Win an all-expense paid 3-day trip to Singapore:

To vote for your favourite g&t and stand a chance to win a free holiday :
1. You'll first need a public Instagram account.
2.  Follow @eastimperial on Instagram
3. Post a picture of your favourite bar’s Gin & Tonic
4.Tag @eastimperial.
5. Post up the bar’s name, and use the official hashtag: #GinJubilee2017.
6. Accompany it with a clever caption
7. Make sure you post between 13th to 16th September.

Your vote counts because KL's favourite G&T from the winning bar/bartender will then go on to compete with winners from the other 6 countries for the ultimate title of “Asia’s Best Gin & Tonic” at the jubilee grand finale in Singapore this December.

3. Attend guest shifts and masterclasses by brand representatives from various gin distilleries and international bartenders.

Check out the jam-packed schedule of activities here:  http://ginjubilee.com/calendar

DRINK ALL THE G&T

4. A Big Gin Lane Finale Party with RM25 G&Ts all night!

Date: Saturday, 16 September
Time: 6pm – 12.00am
Venue: Plaza Batai, Damansara Heights

Don’t say I Bojio!

For more: http://ginjubilee.com/

A Most Unusual Wedding Dinner

This is a long procrastinated official thank you post.

2nd Aug 2017 was officially our 2nd wedding anniversary and not coincidentally also my FA's birthday. How time flies when you are having a great time (no, she didn't put me up to say this, really).

Insta Weekly: Maruhi Sakaba - The Great Beer Bar - #MyTigerBites - 44 Bar Promos - Neroteca Brunch - DIY Old Fashioned

Last weekend, a good friend proposed that I should consider migrating from blogspot to wordpress, because it's more flexible and the layout allows me to come up with a very sleek, magazine-like feel.

He showed me a test site, which I really like. But I'm not sure if I have the time/energy/intelligence to toggle around with the coding. Wordpress, while is infinitely more moudable than Blogger, requires quite a bit of HTML knowledge to mess around with. I find myself not having enough time to even update this blog more than once a week (which I should because I have quite a few feature posts in the back burner argh!).

But I know that with Wordpress, readers would enjoy my blog more simply because it will look better, plus there are even more awesome, cooler usable widgets that comes with it. Oh man. How do I account for the opportunity cost of time vs traffic?

Let me mull over it for a bit more. I'm a really slow thinker. Meanwhile, here, the weekly update which I make myself to commit to (at least!):

1. Maruhi Sakaba - an Iazakaya that doesn't break the bank.