MO Bar in HK to Host Sixth Masters of Mixology Event in June

The MO Bar at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, will host its sixth annual Masters of Mixology event on 10, 11 and 13 June 2014.

Taking this signature MO Bar annual mixology concept to the next level, the Tippling Club from Singapore will make its first appearance in Hong Kong by taking over the upstairs Shell room for a pop-up cocktail pairing restaurant, pairing cocktails and its ultra-progressive cuisine just hot off this year’s S. Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

Known for its experimental and whimsical creations, the acclaimed Tippling Club is one of the World’s 50 Best Bars by Drinks International and Miele Asia’s Best 20 Restaurants.

As the chef-owner of Tippling Club, Ryan Clift managed to build a reputation for his restaurant as one of Singapore’s top restaurants within just two years. Over the course of his 20-year career, Ryan has worked with some of the world’s best chefs, including Marco-Pierre White, Peter Gordon, who owns the Providores and Tapa Room in the UK, and Emmanuel Renaut, the Grand Chef of Relais & Châteaux in France. In 2009, he was handpicked by 10 of the world’s greatest chefs of today, as the gastronomic superstar of tomorrow in the 2009 cookbook, “Coco” by Phaidon.

Zachary de Git’s passion for cocktails drove him to gain mentorship under the likes of Barry Chalmers and Greg Sanderson, respected bartenders and brand managers of well regarded spirits throughout the world. Zachary has received the crowns of Diageo Singapore World-Class Bartender of the Year and the Mediterranean Mastery Challenge.

Three Themed Nights and Three World-Class Mixologists

Tuesday, 10 June – Stirred or Shaken

Mixologists will bring you a mix of their favourite stirred or shaken drinks using a variety of our favourite spirits.

Wednesday, 11 June – Hong Kong Wet Market to Shaker

All local guests know that there are so many different flavours and spices to be found in Hong Kong’s wet markets. Guest mixologists will hand pick a variety of ingredients from these famous markets to leave drinkers’ taste buds tingling.

Friday, 13 June – All the Way Down South

Every cocktail lover adores spirits from the wonderful sun drenched areas from Mexico to the Caribbean and South America. This will be a hot evening for guests as they take delight in a selection of rum, tequila or even pisco-based cocktails.

The Masters of Mixology

Dohwan Eom (South Korea): With more than 10 years of experience working in top cocktail bars, Eom is truly a Korean heavyweight in the world of mixology. Prior to opening his own bar, Le Chamber, Eom was the Captain of the Ritz Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul. Eom has made a name for himself as the first Korean mixologist to climb up to the second ranking in the Diageo Reserve World Class 2010, the biggest international bartending competition with more than 9,000 world-class bartenders participating in regional preliminaries. Being the winner of the “Market Challenge” made him shine amongst the crowd, where contestants were given 40 Euros and asked to create two cocktails on the spot by buying ingredients from a local market. His passion for exploring and experimenting with flavors and food-based ingredients has led him to receive accolades which include the first place in 2010 World Class Korea, the winner of the 2010 G20 Signature Cocktail and 2012 Bols Around The World Korea.

Natasha David (USA): Natasha David has worked in a number of the top bars in New York including Maialino, Pulino’s Bar, Vandaag, Maison Premiere and Woodson & Ford, where Natasha worked under the tutelage of Lynette Marrero and Jim Kearns. Natasha has a true passion for mixology and even passes on her knowledge of cocktails, spirits and the fine craft of mixing cocktails to the next generation at Heaven’s Kitchen. Natasha then took a leap of faith and opened her own bar Nitecap with business partners where she also acts as Head Bartender. Additionally, Natasha is running a cocktail consulting business with her husband, You and Me Cocktails, dedicated to creating exceptional cocktail lists. Her distinctive cocktails have been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Wines & Spirits Magazine and Timeout New York, to name just a few.

Takumi Watanabe (Japan): Being crowned as one of the best bartenders in Japan, Takumi Watanabe ranked the 9th position amongst 90,000 contestants in Diageo World Class 2010. In 2013, he won both the Casa Noble Cocktail Competition and Absolut ELYX Cocktail Competition in Japan. Armed with more than 20 years of bartending experience, Takumi Watanabe has been working as the Head Bartender at The Sailing Bar, a private members’ bar situated in Sakurai City in Nara, Japan, since 1994. The mixology guru believes that “seeing is believing” – Watanabe has a knack for creating miraculous cocktails inspired by guests’ conversations and expressions of guests. His signature cocktails include a Green Tea Martini, a Green Carpet, the Botanical Garden and a Red Thorn Cocktail, the crowd pleaser that has been handpicked as one of the 101 formulas that are deemed to be the most outstanding new cocktails which were featured in gaz regan's 101 Best New Cocktails, Vol lll.

The Event

Two seatings will be available per night this year at MO Bar’s Masters of Mixology shell area: first seating at 6:30pm, and second seating at 9pm.

Guests can opt for a five-course dinner including four tasting cocktails at HK$ 1,588 per person, or an eight-course dinner including six cocktails at HK$ 2,188 per person.

With only one table for twelve guests available per seating, those who wish to take advantage of this rare chance to get up close to the guest mixologists are advised to make advance bookings.