Find out who’s on shift where this month. By Holly Graham.
Zoltan Konczol (Campari Brand Ambassador) at Vida Rica (Macau)
Zoltan Konczol kicks off Negroni Week at Vida Rica in Macau’s Mandarin Oriental. His shift will begin with an aperitif, bitters, Campari and Negroni masterclass, in which guests can learn to make their own perfect Negroni.
When: June 4, 8-9.30pm.
Where: Vida Rica, Mandarin Oriental Macau, Avenue Dr Sun Yat-Sen, Macau.
Suraj Gurung and Kshitiz Gurung (Stockton, Hong Kong) at The Ritz Bar & Lounge (Shanghai)
The boys from Stockton in Hong Kong – currently ranking at 11 on Asia’s 50 Best – will be taking over The Ritz Bar & Lounge at Shanghai’s Portman Ritz Carlton. For five nights and a brunch shift, they’ll be serving cocktails from their “Minds Undone” menu that pays tribute to some of the world’s best literary figures.
When: June 5-9, 8.30pm-1am. June 10 brunch shift 10.30am-2.30pm.
Where: The Ritz Bar & Lounge, The Portman Ritz Carlton, 1376 West Nanjing Road, Jing’an Qu, Shanghai, China.
Enrico Gonzato (Dandelyan, London) at 1515 West Chophouse Bar (Shanghai)
As well as a visit from Stockton, Enrico Gonzato of Dandelyan in London will also be guesting in Shanghai. Super slick Dandelyan, founded by Ryan Chetiyawardana, was awarded World’s Best Bar at the Spirited Awards 2017 and Gonzato will be bringing the bar’s botany-inspired cocktails to 1515 West Chophouse bar for four nights.
When: June 6 to 9.
Where: 1515 West Chophouse Bar, Shangri-La Jing’an, 1218 Yan’an Middle Road, Jing’an Qu, Shanghai, China.
Rohan Jelkie (The Bar Back Collective, New Delhi) at Indulge Bistro and Marco Polo Lounge (Taipei)
Rohan Jelkie runs bar and beverage consultancy business The Bar Back Collective – a company Arijit Bose is also a partner in – as well as Perch Wine & Coffee Bar, both in New Delhi. He’ll be hitting Taipei with a double whammy starting at Aki Wang’s Indulge Bistro, followed by a shift at the Marco Polo Lounge in Taipei’s Shangri-La the next night. He’ll also be delivering a presentation on native Indian brews and spirits to the two bar teams to give them a glimpse into India’s relatively unknown regional alcohol.
When: Indulge Bistro – June 8, 8-11pm.
Marco Polo Lounge – June 9, 8.30-11.30pm.
Where: Indulge Bistro, 11, Lane 219, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Marco Polo Lounge – Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, 1, Section 2, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Aki Eguchi (Jigger & Pony Group, Singapore) at The Ritz Carlton Bar & Lounge (Macau)
Aki Eguchi, bar program director at both Gibson and Jigger & Pony, will be bringing his creations for the groups to stratospheric heights at The Ritz Carlton’s 51st floor bar and lounge.
When: June 13, 10pm-1am.
Where: The Ritz Carlton Bar & Lounge, 51/F, The Ritz-Carlton Macau, Galaxy Macau, Estrada da Baia da Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, Cotai, Macau.
Luke Whearty (Operation Dagger, Singapore) at Red Sugar (Hong Kong)
Luke Whearty is set to take residency at the Kerry Hotel’s Red Sugar to bring Operation Dagger’s Asia and World’s 50 best ranking concept to Hong Kong. With a love for fermentation and natural flavours, Whearty’s cocktails feature Cabbage Wine – apple juice fermented into a natural wine and the Red Sugar exclusive Hong Kong Milk Iced Tea Punch – Plantation pineapple rum, condensed milk, lapsang souchong tea, citric acid and pineapple juice. A food pairing menu will also be available including dishes such as steak tartar and bone marrow mousse with flaxseed, passion fruit and coriander.
When: June 14-16, 6pm-onwards.
Where: Red Sugar, 7/F, Kerry Hotel, 38 Hung Luen Road, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Maxim Schulte (The Ritz Carlton Bar & Lounge, Macau) at Rabbit Hole (Bangkok)
Maxim Schulte, bar manager of The Ritz Carlton Bar & Lounge – the first bar to feature on Asia’s 50 Best Bars from Macau – will be heading to Bangkok to take over Sukhumvit’s Rabbit Hole for the night – another new entry on this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars list.
When: June 16, 8pm-midnight.
Where: Rabbit Hole, 125 Sukhumvit Soi 55, Thonglor, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand.
Karl Too (Omakase + Appreciate) at M Bar (Hong Kong)
Karl Too of KL speakeasy Omakase + Appreciate will be serving the bar’s omakase style cocktails for three nights at the Mandarin Oriental’s M Bar. With stunning views over Hong Kong, the speakeasy element may be lost but Too will still be creating tailored cocktails based on guest’s spirit and flavour profile preferences.
When: June 21-23, 7-11pm.
Where: M Bar, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong.
Jad Ballout (Central Station Boutique Bar, Beirut) at Origin Bar (Singapore)
Beirut’s Central Station Boutique Bar ranked 26th on the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2016. Though the bar dropped off the list last year, it’s iconic nonetheless. Bar manager Jud Ballout – winner of World Class Bartender of the Year Lebanon in 2013 and runner-up at the global Bacardi Legacy final in 2014 – will be slinging drinks at Origin Bar in Singapore’s Shangri-La hotel for three nights.
When: June 27-29, 7pm-midnight.
Where: Shangri-La, Lobby Level, Tower Wing, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350.
Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn (Backstage, Bangkok) at Vida Rica (Macau)
The many who goes by many names (Ronny, Neung, Pornstar) will be bringing his charisma and cocktails from Bangkok’s theatre themed Backstage to Vida Rica bar in the Mandarin Oriental Macau.
When: June 28-30, 7pm-onwards.
Where: Vida Rica, Mandarin Oriental Macau, Avenue Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, Macau.
Chris Moore (Coupette, London) at Lobster Bar (Hong Kong)
From the mean streets of East London comes Coupette, all the way to Hong Kong’s Lobster Bar at the Island Shangri-La hotel. Founder Chris Moore will be serving the bars signature cocktails with a French nod for three nights.
When: June 28-30, 6-11pm.
Where: Lobster Bar, Island Shangri-La, Level 6, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Central, Hong Kong.
If you have further details of other guest bartender shifts in July or August, please contact holly(at)drinkmagazine.asia.