[ruby_title]Thomas Ke, The Cannery[/ruby_title]
Winner of the Best Gin & Tonic in Shanghai
Thomas moved to Shanghai from Henan in 2010, first to work in a kitchen at an Italian restaurant, before stumbling into bartending by chance. On a busy night, he was asked to help make a drink, and that first Dry Martini set him on a career path behind the bar. In the seven years since, he’s taken a two-year break to set up a business with family, before following his heart back to stints at clubs, hotel bars, British pubs, Japanese bars and American restaurant bars. He’s now bartender at The Cannery, and Shanghai’s first ever East Imperial Gin Jubilee Best Gin & Tonic winner.
Cocktail
Purple Aura (click here for the recipe)
A cross between an Aviation and a G&T, he substitutes violet liqueur with a blueberry-sage cordial for a herbaceous bite.
Why he won
“I won thanks to the support of my friends and customers, and I’m confident that my drink was popular because it looked beautiful and was truly tasty. At the Gin Lane party, my stand was next to the DJ booth, so I ended up really enjoying the music and atmosphere – that probably helped with keeping pace and with interaction with my customers. I think they felt relaxed and happy when they came to me for drinks, and that probably helped them like my drink more.
I was also very heartened when a foreign bar owner came to get a neat pour of St George Botanivore Gin – which I used in my cocktail – and chat with me about its origin and flavour first, then ordered my G&T with his friend. After trying the G&Ts by a few other bartenders, he returned to me to tell me mine was genuinely delicious. I felt so recognised!”
