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SMILE
CALAMANTINI
INGREDIENTS
45ml Beefeater Gin
25ml fresh calamansi juice
15ml calamansi shrub syrup
15ml Manille Liqueur de
Calamansi
10ml Martini Extra Dry
10ml pandan syrup
1 drop Jerry Thomas Bitters
Put all except the bitters
in a cocktail shaker. Shake
vigorously for six seconds.
Double strain into a coupé glass.
Add one drop of the bitters.
Garnish with a dehydrated
calamansi candy. Serve.
If
Smile
walked into a bar,
what cocktail would she
want? Icy Marinas of Hooch
whips up a fun drink for us
3
THE BLIND PIG
227 Salcedo St, Legaspi Village
(next to Stockton Place); tel: +63 2 478
6990 or 917 549 2264
This is the one that started it all, the place
that made it easy — at long last — to find
a sublime cocktail in Metro Manila. The
Blind Pig only uses high-quality spirits
and ingredients. The sweet scotch-
based Smokey Old Bastard (PHP700)
and whiskey-based Goldrush (starts at
PHP370) are popular choices.
2
THE CURATOR
COFFEE & COCKTAILS
Cnr 134 Legaspi St and Don Carlos
Palanca St (inside CyranoWine Bar),
Legaspi Village; tel: +63 916 355 4129
The Curator makes a habit of tweaking
drinks in accordance with its customers’
preferences. For summer, wax poetic over
Ode to Pamela (PHP350), a Tom Collins
variation featuring the use of a watermelon
granita instead of ice. If you’re a rum-and-
coke loyalist, try Papa Libre (PHP450).
1
HOOCH
G/F, V Corporate Center, 125 LP
Leviste St, Salcedo Village; tel: +63 927
375 9467 or 927 778 7371
Hooch takes its cocktails seriously, making
its own house-infused liquors and creating
two new signature cocktails every week.
Try the trendy Hoochside LN2 (PHP350),
which is served upside-down, and the
refreshing Salcedo Ave (PHP350), which
manages to combine the flavors of citrus,
lemongrass, cilantro and ginger.
4
EXIT
Corinthian Plaza, 121 Paseo de
Roxas, Legaspi Village
From the same people responsible for
The Blind Pig, Exit is essentially its younger
sibling — more easygoing, and, well, more
about beer. But beyond its impressive list
of brews is a selection of cocktails that hit
the spot. Try the rum-based Golden Lion
(PHP190) and the refreshing, bourbon-
based De Rigueur (PHP200).
5
FINDERS KEEPERS
Warehouse 5, La Fuerza Plaza, 2241
Don Chino Roces Ave; tel: +63 917 821
9761
Finders Keepers isn’t all that easy to find
but once you pass through the warehouse
door and try one of its painstakingly
crafted cocktails, you’ll know you’ve found
a keeper. Try the Spice of Life (PHP340), a
Cuervo-vodka-Cointreau mix, and Tanq &
T (PHP290), its take on a gin and tonic.
Want to shake up top-notch cocktails worthy of the guys behind the bar
at The Curator? “There are several aspects of being a good bartender:
technique, cleanliness, speed and learning how to build on flavor,”
Jericson Co of The Curator says. Students learn all that along with other
cocktail-making fundamentals in the bar’s monthly cocktail classes.
Classes are typically limited to six students to ensure that everyone gets
hands-on training, learns all they can and has fun. Classes are held on
the first Sunday of each month. Cost: PHP3,000 per student.
COCKTAIL CLASSES
