UPDATED: The Bar Awards Bangkok has a weekend of events planned for you

Get some sleep now. The Bar Awards Bangkok’s just announced masterclasses and parties for April 21 to 24.

The Bar Awards in Singapore and Hong Kong used to be (relatively) placid, one-night-only industry parties where the winners were shouted out to the crowd at rooftop bars with the announcer standing on beer-crate stages.

This year though, with its upsized regional program, organisers Tron Young and Emily Seow from events agency Fun Size have seriously stepped up their game when it comes to delivering on their mission to elevate Asia’s bar industry. In Bangkok, they’ve partnered with Bangkok-based agency Kin Plus and bar consultant Boudy Ghostine, plus a slew of drinks brands, to put on a packed schedule of masterclasses and guest shifts to help you pre-game and party after the big awards on Sunday, April 23. Here’s what you can expect from the long weekend:

FRIDAY, April 21
3pm
Branding with Booze masterclass
Where: Vesper Cocktail Bar & Restaurant
Who: Angel Ng from PS150 (Kuala Lumpur) and Dictador – they’ll discuss the steps they took to build their own spirit and bar brands. To attend, register at thebarawards.com/rsvp.

7-9pm
Brent Lamberti guest shift
Where: Miky’s Cocktail Bar by Opus
Who: Elit by Stolichnaya’s global brand ambassador, Brent Lamberti, takes the stick at Michele Montauti’s eponymous bar.

9pm-midnight
Nutmeg & Clove
Where: Rabbit Hole
Who: Nutmeg & Clove founder Colin Chia and his team stage a takeover of Thonglor’s Rabbit Hole. 

SATURDAY, April 22
2pm
#TheBarAwardsPicnic
Where: Roots (K Village)
Who: 12 bartenders from around Asia take turns to shake THB200 drinks in hour-long shifts at Roots. Catch Yao Lu (The Union Trading Co Shanghai), Sven Maywald (1881 Bar & Restaurant) and Angel Ng (Ps150, Kuala Lumpur) at 4pm, Yodi (Rabbit Hole), Suraj Gurung (Stockton, Hong Kong) and Pongpak “Ton” Sudthipongse (Sorrento) at 5pm. From 6pm, Buntanes “Pop” Direkrittikul (Eat Me), Roger Yeap (Gibson, Singapore) and Pailin “Milk” Sajjanit (Zuma) hold the fort, before Glen Oliver (Jack Rose, Kuala Lumpur), Michele Montauti (Miky’s Cocktail Bar by Opus) and Sufi Hizrian (Nutmeg & Clove) sign on to shake drinks at 7pm.

3pm
Understanding DNA masterclass
Where: Roots (K Village)
Who: The team from Stockton in Hong Kong discuss how to develop your bar’s brand image, covering aspects such as your beverage program or how the hardware you choose to make and serve drinks helps drive your brand narrative. To attend, register at thebarawards.com/rsvp.

8-10pm
PS150 guest shift
Where: Teens of Thailand
Who: PS150’s Angel Ng serves up Dictador gin cocktails at the Chinatown bar.

8-10pm
Stockton guest shift
Where: Vesper Cocktail Bar & Restaurant
Who: Suraj Gurung, head bartender of The Bar Awards Hong Kong’s Best Cocktail Bar 2016, takes a shift at the handsome Silom cocktail spot.

9-11pm
The Union Trading Company guest shift
Where: Backstage Cocktail Bar
Who: Yao Lu, owner/bartender from The Union Trading Co in Shanghai. The man was named Bartender of the Year and his bar picked up the Best Cocktail Bar prize at DRiNK Magazine’s own Bar Awards in China in 2016.

9pm-midnight
Gibson guest shift
Where: The Bamboo Bar at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Who: Roger Yeap, bartender from The Bar Awards Singapore’s Best New Cocktail Bar 2016.

10pm-midnight
Jack Rose guest shift
Where: Bronx Liquid Parlour
Who: Glen Oliver from Jack Rose, a bar run by Oliver, Wholly Spirits’ Callan Green and Tequila Ocho brand ambassador James Estes that will be opening soon in Kuala Lumpur.

2-3.30am
Nightcap Session
Where: Backstage Cocktail Bar
What: An after-work industry party for the industry, held at Backstage Cocktail Bar.

SUNDAY, April 23
3pm
Masterclass with Brent Lamberti
Where: Miky’s Cocktail Bar by Opus
Who: Elit by Stolichnaya’s Brent Lamberti. To attend, register at thebarawards.com/rsvp.

6pm
The Bar Awards Party
Where: Zuma
What: The industry party we’ve been pre-gaming for all weekend. Witness the crowning of Bangkok’s first Bar Awards winners at Zuma Bangkok.

MONDAY, April 24
3pm
World Collaboration Menu masterclass
Where: Sorrento
Who: Indra Kantono, owner of The Jigger & Pony Group of bars in Singapore talks about the making of Gibson’s ambitious World Collaboration Menu with partner bartenders, Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn and Yao Lu. To attend, register at thebarawards.com/rsvp.

UPDATE [April 4 2017, 10.15am]: This article has been updated to include new information about the guest shifts happening during the weekend.