In a treat for cocktail lovers, one of Asia’s most famous bartenders is serving at the InterContinental tonight. Arijit Bose, the man currently leading the way at Singapore’s renowned 28 Hongkong Street, voted number one in last year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars, is in Tsim Sha Tsui shaking up a storm from 6pm-11pm to promote a specially devised cocktail menu featuring cult product Monkey 47 gin.
An upscale tipple from Germany’s Black Forest region, Monkey 47 has garnered quite a name for itself in the drinks scene courtesy of the three months the distilled spirt is rested for – compared to less than a week for a cheaper gin – and the 47 botanicals used in its creation. Bose tells us, “Being in the Black Forest they have a lot of herbs and spices, a lot of local flora and fauna that’s available. About two-thirds of the botanicals are from Germany and nearby areas.”
For his special menu at the InterContinental Bose has created four cocktails:
• Knicker Bocker Gambit (Monkey 47, Mancino Rosso, Mancino Dry, Curacao, raspberry syrup, orange juice, lemon juice), a fierce gambit where, in Bose’s words, ‘the gin punches through at the back of the palate’.
• The Schwarzwald Sour (Monkey 47, Suze, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white), a converted white negroni, which uses Lillet for a more mellow, floral effect compared to vermouth.
• The Young Earl (Monkey 47, earl grey tea and thyme syrup, fresh lychee, lemon juice, sparkling wine), a less intense spin on a French 75.
• The Monkey’s Secret (Monkey 47, Chartreuse, Orgeat, green apple juice and pear juice, lemon, tonic water), an almond-tasting cocktail that’s perfect for the summer months.
Although Bose is only mixing drinks tonight, the cocktails will remain available at the InterContinental’s lobby bar (all priced $165 plus 10 percent service charge) until August 31. And if Bose’s awesome concoctions fail to win you over, there’s always that gorgeous harbour view...
The lobby bar at the InterContinental Hong Kong