November is Old Fashioned Month, a month-long celebration honouring the timeless classic cocktail.
To kick off the celebrations, Woodford Reserve has announced the first Asian-wide bartending competition The Wonderful Race to showcase the finest talents in the bar scene. Bartenders in Singapore and Malaysia were invited to add their own unique twist to the classic Old Fashioned using Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Woodford Reserve has a distinct complex taste, making it the ideal foundation for imaginative concoctions. It comprises more than 200 detectable flavour notes, from bold grain and wood, to spice and floral notes.
In Singapore, ten bartenders from popular bars MO Bar, Sugarhall, Employees Only, Burnt Ends Bar, Potato Head, Brooklyn Bar, Junior The Pocket Bar, Maison Ikkoku, Sago House, and Wine Creek have been shortlisted.
They demonstrate their skills by incorporating unique ingredients and flavours into their bespoke Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned. Think lavender honeycomb and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in Maison Ikkoku’s Milk and Honey Old-fashioned; beer syrup reduction infused with popcorn and maple in Burnt Ends Bar’s B.M.W aka Burnt Maple Woodford; and charred pineapple cordial, chilli padi and soya sauce in Brooklyn Bar’s The Prosperity Cocktail.
The ultimate winner will be chosen on Nov 5 at Plume. Each bartender will present their unique cocktail creation to a panel of judges, including Brown Forman Asia marketing director, Christian Ozzati; advocacy director for Europe & Emerging International, Nidal Ramini; and Asia ambassador Holly Graham. The judges will evaluate each cocktail based on its taste, creativity, and ability to showcase the Woodford Reserve brand.
But whiskey lovers won’t have to wait. The competition drinks are available at the respective bars from now till the end of Nov. Would you prefer the classic or the new concoctions?
Stay tuned for updates on the winning creation here.
