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Time Out
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
How to experience the World Class Cocktail Festival in Singapore
The challenges As the first phase of the competition, Singapore's top bartenders kickstarted with a high-stakes shake-off on April 2, challenged to craft two showstopping cocktails in one day. The first was a tequila-based creation using Don Julio, followed by a rum-based concoction featuring Zacapa. The Don Julio challenge called for bold tequila-based drinks using both local and Canadian-inspired ingredients – a nod to the grand finals in Toronto. Think pandan and gula melaka meet maple syrup and Hawaiian pizza – a wild, multicultural flavour ride. But it wasn't just about taste – bartenders had to bring storytelling, technique, and creativity to the table, paying homage to Don Julio's legacy dating back to 1942. Then came Zacapa's dreamy Above the Clouds challenge, featuring Asian ingredients like kaya, Japanese yuzu, and even Himalayan sea buckthorn. We saw everything from using dry ice to create a foggy effect to fluffy foam that mirrored the puffy clouds. Sitting on the judging panel were the global winner of World Class Bartender of the Year 2019, Side Door's Bannie Kang, and two-time World Class Bartender of the Year Singapore winner, Jigger and Pony's Aki Eguchi. They were joined by industry leaders, including the director of Diageo Bar Academy Asia Pacific, Lam Chi Mun; the brand ambassador of Diageo Philippines, Rian Asiddao; Bar Convent Berlin's Henry Stonham; and Augustman's Indran Paramasivam. The competition was fierce, the cocktails phenomenal, and the crowd were full of excitement. Now, the top 20 are prepping for round two – taking on Tanqueray and The Singleton – before the next challenge with Johnnie Walker. Here are the top 20 bartenders: Tryson Quek – Side Door (winner of the first challenge and the Don Julio category) Marco Maiorano – KOMA (standout in the Zacapa category) Sam Pang – Night Hawk Josiah Chee – Bar Bon Funk Colin Chng – Bar Bon Funk Kelvin Saquilayan – Republic Bar Mate Csizmadia – The Bar at 15 Stamford James Dela Rosa – WAKUDA Cherry Lee – Origin Bar Anton Gornev – The Mirabilis Bar Ooi Foo Giap – Last Word Lam Ho Yung – Last Word Orman Bag-ao – CUT by Wolfgang Puck Qing Ting – Madame Fan Zana Mohlmann – Manhattan Jeeivan – The Elephant Room Kim DongJe – The Backdrop Valerie Natasha Valentine – Atlas Gabriel Gan – Gibson Joel Accad – Silly Goose SUSHISAMBA stirred up some serious love from fans, earning it March's World Class Cocktail Festival Experience of the Month. The bars to check out during the festival Now it's your turn to drink in the action – literally. The World Class Cocktail Festival is the perfect excuse to bar hop between some of Singapore's most stylish, talked-about, and downright delicious drinking spots. Whether you're partial to dimly lit speakeasies tucked behind unmarked doors or love the vibe of plush hotel bars, each venue is pulling out all the stops for this city-wide celebration. And the fun doesn't stop with the top 20 contenders. Bars all across town are joining the party, including SUSHISAMBA, WOOBAR, Sugarhall, Plume, MO Bar, and many more. Each serving up their own inventive festival-exclusive cocktails featuring the heavy hitters of the spirits world: Don Julio, Zacapa, Tanqueray, The Singleton, and Johnnie Walker. It's a full-on flavour fest – and the perfect chance to catch these cocktail maestros in their element, shaking, stirring, and serving up liquid gold right at their home bars. The festival's exclusive cocktails to try Now, let's talk about the drinks. These aren't your average cocktails – they're masterpieces crafted exclusively for the festival, and you won't want to miss any. Spice things up with The Backdrop's Pho-ntastic Ensemble ($27), a tequila-based concoction with lemongrass, kaffir lime, and a fiery chilli twist. Or, sip on Plume's PaJANGma ($25), a bold mix of Don Julio Reposado, grapefruit liqueur, gochujang, and lime for a smoky-spicy kick. For something truly unique, The Elephant Room's Indian Lion ($25) is a must-try, blending The Singleton whisky with tandoori nectar, fenugreek vermouth, and pickled onion for a savoury surprise. If you're dreaming of your next holiday, let Bae's Jungle & Single ($26) whisk you away to a tropical paradise with The Singleton whisky and vibrant passionfruit, or take a trip to Japan with KOMA's Hanami Dream ($25) – a delicate and fruity fusion of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, lychee, sakura, and peach soda. For creamy spins of Ron Zacapa 23, Last Word's Banana Punch ($27) delights with banana, Branca Menta, yuzu, and milk, while Night Hawk's milk punch-style The Hollow Glass ($25) does so with fermented honey syrup, black tea, lemon-pineapple blend, and balsamic vinegar mist. Side Door's Tiramisu ($25) – a decadent rum-based treat featuring Zacapa 23, brownie, coffee, and Baileys – and SUSHISAMBA's Velvet Pursuit ($20) with The Singleton 12, cherry, vanilla, coffee and lemon are set to perk you up. And that's just the beginning. With so many festival-only creations waiting to be discovered, the only real challenge is deciding which to try first. Pro tip: Ask for the World Class Festival menu when you visit the participating bars. Cast your vote for a chance to win a prize As if sipping exclusive cocktails wasn't rewarding enough, you also get to support your favourite bar by voting for it. Cast your vote, and you'll be automatically entered into a lucky draw with some seriously enticing prizes – think bar vouchers perfect for your next night out with friends. The voting refreshes every month after each challenge, giving you another chance to support your favourite bartender (and score more goodies). Just remember: it's one vote per month, so make it count. Haven't voted yet? Time to get started here. This is it – the cocktail event of the year, and it's one no cocktail lover in Singapore should miss. Check out the full list of participating bars and locations here, and get ready to toast to an unforgettable festival. Cheers!
CBC
29-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Under tarrif threat, social media-savvy N.B. business sees surge on both sides of border
A Moncton lip balm manufacturer says the tariff threats from the United States have been a roller coaster ride — but it hasn't been all bad. "Last November, not long after the U.S. election, I started to worry, because it would have a lot of ramifications for us, depending on how it came about," said Sylvie Roy, co-owner of Eclair Lips. "At the time ... about 60 per cent of our customer base was in the U.S." That U.S. customer base comes from the company's social media presence — 247,000 YouTube subscribers and 141,000 followers on TikTok. Roy launched Eclair Lips in 2015 to share her love for making lip balm, but everything changed in 2022 when the videos she posted online, showing how she made them, went viral. But this year, as the possibility of tariffs on Canadian goods became more certain, Roy said an "uh-oh" moment turned into a surge of support from Canadian buyers who switched from U.S.-made products, along with American supporters, too. "That's been really touching to see that, and to see that people still have good feelings about Canada despite what's happening with politics," she said. Most U.S. buyers are still able to purchase her products without worrying about tariffs, she said, because of a duty-free exemption uo to $800. "As long as a U.S. customer isn't buying $800 worth of lip balm, they are good." Made by hand Roy's interest in lip balm started when she was about 10 or 12 years old. After finding out as an adult that she's autistic, it started to make sense why lip balm was always soothing for her — the sensory qualities of the balm helped keep her calm, especially in social situations. But as she got older, Roy wanted to have a more natural product that still had fun flavours and the right texture, so she started messing around in her kitchen and came up with her product. The balms include flavours such as banana cream pie and vanilla buttercream, and there's Beaver Butts — a maple-flavoured one that came from a social media comment accusing Roy of using beaver butt in her products. Rolling with the punches, she launched her new, Canadian-inspired flavour. After starting the business in 2015, Roy said it quickly became a full-time job, even before that was sustainable, because of everything that was involved with getting off the ground. A few years after launching, Roy's husband Mario joined the business, too. "People will ask me about, 'oh, was it hard to make lip balm?" said Roy. "And there's a lot of stuff involved, but it's harder to sell lip balm." Around 2016, through a provincial government program, she was able to start doing the business full-time. And despite the family's newfound social media success, the Eclair Lips warehouse still gives off a small-business vibe. "It's not any big machines or anything for the time being," said Roy. "It's just all done by hand. "If we really want to, we can make a couple thousand in a day."
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Chef' Season 22, Episode 2 recap: 'Schitt's Creek' star Sarah Levy joins for poutine, maple challenges
Top Chef Season 22 continues in Toronto with more Canadian-inspired challenges for the remaining 14 chefs to tackle. Host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio, and Canadian judge Gail Simmons, were joined by Schitt's Creek star Sarah Levy (daughter of Eugene Levy, sister to Dan Levy), and iconic chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud, to judge this week's dishes. A reminder from last week, Vincenzo "Vinny" has immunity in the elimination challenge, after his big win. While the rest of the contestants cook to the best of their abilities to stay in the competition. Levy appeared a special guest for the Quickfire Challenge this week. With all but one chef based in the U.S., the competitors were tasked with putting their spin on poutine. "Making a poutine that's better than the real thing, I don't think it's possible," Massimo, the Montreal-based chef in the competition, said on the show. From plantain to yucca, paneer to cheddar cheese, there were a lot of different variations for the judges to taste. But of course, some interpretations of poutine were better than others. Sarah told Bailey that the fries in her Korean shrimp arrabiata poutine, with potatoes and mozzarella, got lost with all the other components of the dish. For Henry's scallion yucca pancake with gruyere cheese sauce and chili oil, Gail said the sauce was great, but found the pancake "spongey." And Paula's seco poutine with plantains, sofrito and cotija cheese had good flavour, but Kristen found the seco "too wet" for the french fry. Massimo's potato roulade, sauce mornay and beef reduction was among the favourites, with Sarah saying it had the beloved flavours of poutine in a "very beautiful package." Kat's poutine was the most traditional and Gail praised the mushroom sauce over the crispy potato, smoked soy and cheese curds. But Shuai was the ultimate winner, who made a perfect soy sauce fondant potato, according to Kristen's feedback, with a three cheese sauce. He won $5,000 in Quickfire quick cash. Moving along to the elimination challenge, legendary chef Boulud arrived. Inspired by Canadian sugar shack meals, the contestants were separated into two teams of seven. Each team was tasked with creating a brunch menu, with each team member responsible for one dish, and every dish needed a maple component. Boulud also gave a little hint about his personal preferences, saying that he loves a soufflé dish for brunch. The teams had two hours at Café Boulud to cook, with one chef from the winning team being named the ultimate winner of the challenge, and one chef from the losing team would be eliminated. While the teams were each given $2,500 to shop, Kristen surprised the chefs by giving them an extra $50 per team to purchase additional ingredients at the St. Lawrence Market. But there was a catch, each team was shopping for ingredients for the other team. Kristen also revealed the winning team would receive $35,000. That's when ingredients like candy, cooked pizza and lasagna came into the equation for the chefs to work with and integrate into their brunch plans. The menus for each team and the feedback from the judges went as follows: Lana — Maple cured salmon, maple vinaigrette, meyer lemon, everything bagel spice — Tom was a fan of the integration of maple in a way that wasn't too pronounced Shuai — Toad in a hole with maple togarashi-cured yolk, béchamel, miso maple butter and pizza — Daniel enjoyed the togarashi on the bread and Gail said the pizza "wasn't bad" in the dish César — Pouched lobster, curry biscuit, maple hollandaise — Tom said the lobster was beautifully cooked, but the biscuit was "dense" Zubair — Tandoori maple fried chicken, scallion corn cake, spicy maple butter, sweet maple yogurt — All the judges agreed that the chicken was delicious, and Tom added that the maple and spices worked well together Corwin — Rum maple tamarind glazed pork belly, chawanmushi with sesame seeds and scallions — While Gail's chawanmushi was set nicely, that wasn't the case for Daniel, and Kristen said her mouth went "numb" with so much clove Tristen — Maple jerk strip loin, dukkah and maple jus, rice grits — Tom and Kristen were in agreement that the meat was "beautifully" cooked, and Kristen highlighted that the seasoning helped the maple in the dish Paula — Maple peach french toast, candy corn crème anglaise and peach gummy Italian meringue — Daniel thought the dish was "very, very sweet," but "satisfying," and Tom and Gail loved how the candies were incorporated Kat — Congee with maple bacon chili crisp and soy maple jammy egg — Sarah said the dish was delicious, and Tom highlighted that the heat played off the sweetness well Katiana — Maple cured salmon tartare with whipped silken tofu, housemade furikake and daikon maple leaves — Gail wanted more maple in the dish, Tom added that it was "subtle" compared to everything else they were served Anya — Syrniki with macerated strawberries, whipped maple syrup and Siberian pine cone jam — Tom said it tasted like cheese cake and he liked the lemon in the background Henry — Fried chicken, polenta, chicken gravy, maple chili ginger honey — Daniel wished his chicken was more moist, but liked the gravy, and Kristen found the chicken coating particularly dry as well, while Tom was looking for more maple flavour, and Gail didn't get enough gravy Massimo — Steak and eggs with wild spinach and maple lasagna bordelaise — Gail said the egg was cooked beautifully and the dish was "delicate" for steak and eggs, but Tom thought it lacked maple Vinny — Maple and cheddar soufflé with truffle oil — Daniel said it wasn't too eggy and the truffle oil wasn't a problem, and Gail highlighted that she could taste all components in a balanced way Bailey — Maple tart with shipped yogurt, pine nuts and maple brown butter pineapple — Sarah and Tom said the maple wasn't coming through, and Kristen highlighted that the tart was underbaked Overall, the judges were impressed with how everyone did, but the Brown team won the $35,000. Kristen said the win came to them because that team used maple the best. And the individual winner of the challenge was Zubair, who has immunity in the next elimination challenge. While Henry and Bailey were identified as the chefs with the worst dishes on the Green team, the ultimate decision was that Bailey was eliminated from the competition, heading to Last Chance Kitchen for a shot at redemption. Chef prep came up in this week's episode, with Shuai revealing that he practiced making a dish similar to poutine, assuming it would be part of the Destination Canada season of Top Chef. So how much prep can the contestants actually do before heading on Top Chef? Less than you may think. "When they come, ... they don't have access to their phones and computers, because they could look up recipes," showrunner Doneen Arquines told Yahoo Canada during a set visit in Toronto last year. "So when they hand that stuff over, we give them a blank notebook, and then anything they've memorized to that point they can write down, but they have no opportunity to research."
