For the first time ever Tatler Dining brings you Philippine Cocktail Festival, which will gather some of the city’s top mixologists for a two-day extravaganza of spirited imbibing, combined with great food.
Taking place at Shangri-La The Fort, Manila, Tatler Dining’s Philippine Cocktail Festival will not only offer a range of phenomenal cocktails, but also a spread of delectable bar chow for guests to enjoy with every tipple. This festival is designed to raise a glass to the Philippines’ colourful, and playful bar scene.
Tatler Dining is dedicated to promoting local talent and flavours; this festival is a celebration of cocktail culture, offering a true taste of the Philippines in a way that has not been done before!
Get to know the talents who are driving the cocktail scene forward. Whether they've perfected age-old techniques or are creating new sensations out of thin air, these are the bartenders redefining what it means to have a good drink.
Frequenters of Poblacion favourite Oto may recognise this friendly face. With experience in a range of competitions for the past nine years, JV Naive has steadily climbed the ranks at this well-known watering hole, and currently leads the bar as its newly minted head bartender—an impressive feat, considering Oto is among Asia’s Best Bars 51-100 list.
This talented mixologist wasn’t always found behind the bar—in fact, Dan Santos first embarked on his beverage career as a barista in 2016. In pursuit of his brewing fascination with cocktails, he learned much of his bartending know-how from The Curator Coffee and Cocktails—a celebrated destination featured in Asia's Best Bars 51-100 list, where Santos presently serves up delicious drinks.
Capping off our roster of 12 top mixologists is World Class Philippines 2022 Bartender of the Year, Claude Delima. While Delima can often be found at The Spirits Library whipping up inventive cocktails to suit whatever you fancy, the reigning champion has been out and about on tour, fulfilling guest shifts in top bars across Singapore and Hong Kong, with more exciting events to come for the talented mixologist.
Now the chief mixologist at Salt and Ice, Abby Quilal-lan holds time-earned experience at popular bars such as ABV and Bar-10—not to mention, she was crowned champion at the Don Papa Cocktail Competition 2017 and La Maison Cointreau 2019. Leading Visum Ventures’ dedicated craft cocktail bar, Quilal-lan tantalises guests with her adventurous and innovative creations that keep you coming back for more.
Formerly found behind the bar at Samba and Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar, Kent Llorico is now the senior bartender at The Back Room, Shangri-La the Fort, Manila’s snazzy speakeasy. Featuring a hidden gin laboratory, a collection of unique homemade infusions, and even its own Bee’s Knees gin, the Prohibition-themed bar is consistently top of mind among serious cocktail drinkers thanks to the tasty tipples by Llorico and the team.
Diageo World Class, La Maison Cointreau, Glenfiddich Most Experimental Bartender—these are just some of the country-wide competitions Faye Fernando has joined, advancing to the finals in each. Formerly spotted behind the bar at The Curator and Cove Manila, Fernando is now the head mixologist at Solaire Resort, leading the teams at the luxury destination’s many bars.
As the cook-turned-mixologist behind the innovative bottled cocktails at Some Young, there’s no doubting Royce Pua’s creativity and expertise. Formerly the 2017 Diageo World Class Philippine champion as the bartender at 12/10, Pua has since worked as beverage consultant for Made Nice and can now be found at Recraft, a quaint but thriving neighbourhood bar in New Manila.
As the executive bartender of Southbank Café + Lounge, Kevin Corales draws from his unique culinary background to create unconventional drinks with surprising flavours. While he may be among the freshest faces on the scene, his commitment to his craft is undeniable, inspiring him to curate memorable experiences for his guests with every sip. In fact, though he had just started bartending in 2019, Corales went through to the top six finals of Diageo World Class Philippines 2021.
Any discussion surrounding bars in Metro Manila must include Blind Pig: one of the country’s oldest, honest-to-goodness speakeasies, which opened its braille-laden wooden doors back in 2011. Tog Exconde is among the institution’s first roster of bartenders, and the last of the cohort still working the bar. Trained by Michael McIlroy of Milk & Honey, the famed New York City speakeasy that inspired Blind Pig, you can rest assured you’re in for a treat with Exconde around—he’s even trained and consulted for a slew of bars throughout the city.
Jason Nuqui started out as a self-taught mixologist on a cruise ship in 2000, picking up bartending books he’d encountered in ports across the globe. Fast forward over two decades later and Nuqui can now be found at the ever-popular Bank Bar—a tenure that has enabled him to hone his craft under Marek Vojcarcik and learn from collaborations with some of the world's top talents, including Agung Prabolo (Penicillin), Alex Pun (Whisky & Words), and Otis Florence (formerly Attaboy).
Boasting a colourful resume that includes bar manager at The Cufflink Club (Singapore), consultant for Dusit Thani and Hilton hotels, and business development manager for Campari Southeast Asia, Aaron Goodall is currently the program development manager APAC for Don Papa Rum. Captivated by the young but promising F&B industry in the Philippines, the half-Australian, half-Filipino talent has been steadfast in championing the proudly local beverage since joining the brand in 2020. More recently, Goodall has taken this drive across the world, illuminating the wonderful world of Don Papa Rum on a global scale.
Drawing from 15 years of beverage industry experience (and counting!), Clayton Munar consistently stuns his guests with innovative, well-made drinks that open up a new world of cocktails. Currently the beverage manager at Alibi Lounge & Bar, a speakeasy tucked within Crimson Hotel Filinvest City Alabang, Munar was previously the beverage manager for Makati Shangri-La and brand ambassador for Destileria Limtauco.
At this ticketed event, open to the public, there will be 12 featured bartenders from the country’s top bars, all of whom will be concocting innovative and exciting tipples featuring local ingredients and a dash of global flare.
Your ticket will grant you 6 cocktails, allowing you to choose your favourites from the 12 stations. There will also be heavy bar chow throughout the festival for all ticket holders to enjoy while relaxing to the tunes from our DJs and meeting the best mixologists in town.
Location
Bonifacio Hall, Shangri-La The Fort, Manila
30th Street, corner 5th Ave, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila
When
March 23 & 24, 2023
Time
6:00pm-10:30pm
Don't miss out on the biggest gathering of cocktail lovers in town.
Your ticket will grant you 6 cocktails, allowing you to choose your favourites from the 12 bartender stations. There will also be heavy bar chow throughout the festival for all ticket holders to enjoy while relaxing to the tunes from our DJs and meeting the best mixologists in town.
Guests in attendance must be at least 18 years of age.
Ticket holders will not be allowed to purchase more than 6 cocktails from the booths, but can partake in the other selection of pass-around beverages: wine and bubbly.
Yes, there will be heavy bar chow throughout the festival for all ticket holders.
Yes. Guests need only present the unique QR code that corresponds to their ticket to enter.
Yes. However, any refunds must be requested at least 72 hours before the event. In the final 72 hours leading up to the event, your ticket will be non-refundable. To request a refund, please email your proof of payment and ticket to tatlerdiningph@gmail.com, with the subject PHILIPPINE COCKTAIL FESTIVAL 2023 REFUND REQUEST_(YOUR NAME). Please note that refunds will not be processed immediately. Processing fees are non-refundable.
Yes. Please email your request to tatlerdiningph@gmail.com with the subject as PHILIPPINE COCKTAIL FESTIVAL 2023 TICKET DATE CHANGE_(YOUR NAME)
Yes, if you buy a ticket for each respective night.
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