Who’s on shift: Guest bartenders in Asia this June

Find out who’s on shift where this month. By Holly Graham.

The World Class Cocktail Festival (Bangkok)
Diageo World Class regional and global winners will be popping up all over Bangkok across four days to showcase their award-winning skills. All shifts run from 8pm onwards.
When: June 5: Daniel Schofield (Coupette, London) at St. Regis Bar
June 6: Lester Ligon (The Curator, Manila) at Moon Bar
June 6: Parom Leo Malakul (Backstage, Bangkok and Copper Dog ambassador) at Backstage
June 7: Kaitlyn Stewart (Royal Dinette, Vancouver) at The Speakeasy
June 8: Simone Rossi (Darkside, Hong Kong) at Vesper

Aki Wang (Indulge Experimental Bistro, Taipei) in Manila
Aki Wang tours Manila, conducting two masterclasses and three guest shifts in which he’ll serve Martin Millers gin cocktails.
When: June 5: Rambla Salcedo, 7-11pm; masterclass 3-4.30pm
June 6: Mistral, Raffles Makati Hotel, 6.30-10pm; masterclass 3-4.30pm
June 7: The Curator Coffee and Cocktails, 8pm-midnight

Antonio Lai (Quinary, Hong Kong) at Rooftop Bar (Tokyo)
The legendary Antonio Lai brings a taste of Hong Kong’s first multisensory cocktail bar to 52nd floor Rooftop Bar for three nights. He’ll be whipping up innovative cocktails using seasonal fruits and premium tea.
When: June 6-8, 7pm-midnight

Takamitsu Nasu (Pusser’s New York Bar, Munich) at Gibson (Singapore)
Takamitsu Nasu is the head bartender of Pusser’s New York Bar in Munich, the oldest classic cocktail bar in Germany, open since 1974. Takamitsu will be sharing the history of Pusser’s Rum – the oldest rum brand in the world from the Royal British Navy and serving Caribbean-inspired cocktails at Gibson for one night only.
When: June 12, 8pm-midnight

Supawit “Palm” Muttaratana (Vesper, Bangkok) in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur
Supawit “Palm” Muttaratana, group bar manager of Vesper in Bangkok, will tour Singapore and Malaysia serving four Phraya rum cocktails inspired by the four elements: earth, water, fire and air.
When: June 12: Native (Singapore)
June 13: Jigger & Pony (Singapore)
June 27: Coley (Kuala Lumpur)
June 28: Locker & Loft (Kuala Lumpur)

Tom Egerton (Proof & Company, Hong Kong) at Honi Honi (Hong Kong)
Tom Egerton, Spirits Evangelist for Proof & Co Hong Kong, will be delivering a masterclass entitled “Practical sustainability and the future of sustainability” in the afternoon, before a guest shift of Diplomatico rum cocktails later in the evening.
When: June 13, 6-10pm; masterclass 2-4pm

Josh Ivanovic (JungleBird, Kuala Lumpur) in Macau
Josh Ivanovic takes KL’s rum haven JungleBird on a three-day tour of Macau, spreading tiki love across the SAR. All shifts run 10pm-1am.
When: June 13: Whisky Bar (Starworld)
June 14: Bar & Lounge (Ritz Carlton)
June 15: Macallan Bar (Galaxy)

Arlene Wong (The Pontiac, Hong Kong at Vibes (Hong Kong)
Arlene will be serving up Lillet cocktails including concoctions such as theGNT Blonde, Lillet & Rouge, and a classic Negroni Bianco with a twist of Lillet in the open-air bar.
When: June 14, 8pm-midnight

Nicole Roche (Dyspatchr, Singapore) at Senor Taco Clarke Quay (Singapore)
Nicole will be serving daiquiris made with David Cordoba and Arijit Bose’s The Lovers Rum and ARC Negronis all night for the bargain price of SGD$16.
When: June 15, 6pm-3.30am

Pailin “Milk” Sajjanit (008 Bar, Bangkok) at Qui Cuisine (Ho Chi Minh City)
Pailin “Milk” Sajjanit, bar manager of 008 Bar, will be serving special Mekhong and Phraya rum cocktails in Vietnam’s capital for one night.
When: June 16

Noppasate “Depp” Hirunwathit (Rabbit Hole, Bangkok) at Indulge Experimental Bistro (Taipei)
Noppasate “Depp” Hirunwathit, senior bartender of Rabbit Hole in Bangkok will be serving will be serving special Mekhong and Phraya rum cocktails for two nights in one of Taipei’s best – Indulge Experimental Bistro
When: June 17-18

Michele Mariotti (MO Bar, Singapore) in Manila
In celebration of Philippines’ Independence Month, Michele will immerse himself in the country’s culture and get behind the bar at three of the capital’s top cocktail bars.
When: The Curator Coffee & Cocktails: June 17, 8pm–midnight
Yes Please (Manila): June 18, 10.30 pm–1.30 am
Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen: June 19 June 2019, 8pm-midnight

Jane “Jan” Keawyod (Sorrento, Bangkok) at Omakase + Appreciate (Kuala Lumpur)
Jane “Jan” Keawyod, head mixologist of Sorrento will head to KL to shake up Mekhong and Phraya rum cocktails.
When: June 20

Suwincha “Cha Cha” Singsuwan –(Rabbit Hole, Bangkok) and Davide Sambo (Havana Social, Bangkok) at The Odd Couple (Shanghai)
Bangkok legends Suwincha “Cha Cha” Singsuwan, head bartender of Rabbit Hole and Davide Sambo, beverage manager of Havana Social, take over Shingo Gokan and Steve Schneider’s The Odd Couple, serving Mekhong and Phraya rum cocktails.
When: June 20

Peter Lin (Flor De Caña) at Honi Honi (Hong Kong)
Peter Lin, rum ambassador for Flor De Cana, will be shaking up rum cocktails at Honi Honi after his masterclass earlier in the day.
When: June 20, 6pm-late; masterclass 2-4pm 

Attaporn De-Silva (Q&A Bar, Bangkok) at Madame Fan (Singapore)
Attaporn De-Silva, head bartender of Q&A Bar, heads to Singapore’s Madame Fan to shake up Mekhong and Phraya rum cocktails.
When: June 21, 6-10pm

Louis Eom and Travis Lee (Le Chamber, Seoul) at Vida Rica Bar (Macau)
Louis Eom and Travis Lee will bring a slice of one of Seoul’s best bars – which is currently at 19 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars to Macau for two nights.
When: June 21 and 22, 9pm-late

Sebastian Robinson (Seedlip) at IB HQ (Singapore)
Sebastian Robinson, Hong Kong and China brand ambassador for Seedlip, will be serving up no/low abv cocktails as part of a food pairing menu at Singapore’s IB HQ.
When: June 22, 7-11pm

Filipino Bar Takeover at MO Bar (Singapore)
To celebrate the Philippines Independence Month and pay tribute to the Filipino community in Singapore, MO Bar will host four renowned Filipino bartenders Kalel Demetrio (Agimat Foraging Bar, Manila), Erwan Heussaff (Yes Please and The Fat Kid Inside, Manila), David Ong (The Curator Coffee and Cocktails and OTO, Manila) and Mel John Chavez of Singapore’s own Tippling Club.
When: June 23, 7-10pm

Andrew Loudon (Tippling Club, Singapore) at Lavo (Singapore)
As part of the The Dalmores’ “Decadent Digestive Cocktail Competition”, Andrew will be serving his winning drink Yolande at Lavo’s rooftop bar.
When: June 24, 9-11pm

Hyacinthe Lescoet (The Cambridge Public House, Paris) at Lobster Bar (Hong Kong)
Opened earlier this year, The Cambridge Public House specialises in cocktails and homemade British food, aiming to bring a high standard of British pub to France by combining the relaxed and friendly ambience of a pub with the service and knowledge of a cocktail bar. For one night only, Hyacinthe Lescoet will be bringing this “cocktail pub” to Hong Kong’s Lobster Bar.
When: June 26, 7-10pm

Mitch Wilson (Plantation Rum) at Honi Honi (Hong Kong)
Maison Ferrand’s APAC ambassador Mitch Wilson heads to Honi Honi to share some rum love through a Plantation masterclass followed by rum cocktails in the evening.
When: June 27, 6-10pm; masterclass 2-4pm

Ashish Sharma and Emirul Muhammed (Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur) in Manila
Ashish Sharma and Emirul Muhammed will be serving Diplomatico cocktails in their guest shift, and Sharma will also deliver a masterclass on honey, bartending and building a world class bar experience.
When: June 26: Buccaneers Rum and Cocktails, 8pm-midnight
June 27: The Back Room, 8pm-midnight; masterclass 3-4.30pm

Charmaine Thio (Hendrick’s Gin) in Bangkok
Hendrick’s SEA brand ambassador Charmaine Thio will be bringing some quirky gin fun to Bangkok for two nights in two different venues.
When: June 27: Liberation, 8pm-midnight
June 28: The Loft at the Waldorf Astoria, 9pm-midnight

George Steven Hunter and Cameron-Leigh Henning (Saint and Marble, SOuth Africa) at Tippling Club (Singapore)
Tippling Club welcomes George Steven Hunter and Cameron-Leigh Henning, bar manager and head bartender of Saint and Marble and global winners of the 2018 Absolut Invite competition. The pair will be serving six different cocktails throughout the night.
When: June 27, 8pm-late

Sim Sze Wei (Singapore) at Moon Bar (Banyan Tree Bangkok)
Sim Sze Wei, whose CV includes stints in Singapore’s Atlas and Caffe Fernet, as well as at coming second in La Maison Cointreau 2018 and ranking in the top 16 global finalists at Bacardi Legacy 2018, will be serving some up modern tiki cocktails at Bangkok’s Moon Bar for a “Sky High Tiki Night with Bombay”.
When: June 28, 8pm-midnight.

The Old Man pop-up at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Agung Prabowo, James Tamang, Roman Ghale and team will be alternating shifts over the coming months at The Old Man’s temporary home in the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. This is no half-measure pop-up – the space is fitted out with The Old Man’s signature features, including a capital-I shaped bar and abstract mural of Ernest Hemingway watching over the venue. Thai imbibers can try out some of Asia’s Best Bar’s experimental cocktails made using culinary techniques.
When: From now until August 31