Celebrate Old-Fashioned Month with ten unique cocktails in collaboration with Woodford Reserve’s The Wonderful Race!

CONTENT: Yiew Kai Jie

In celebration of Old-Fashioned Month, Woodford Reserve has partnered up with bartenders from several iconic bars to showcase their raw talent in mixology in “The Wonderful Race” cocktail competition.

The shortlisted bartenders have been specially selected based on ingenuity, performance and interaction with their guests along with their flair and passion for their unique concoctions by adding their own unique twist to a classic Old Fashioned cocktail.

On November 5th, 2023, the bartenders will gather at PLUME, at the newly renovated Pan Pacific Singapore. The event aims to showcase the essence of the city’s cocktail culture as each aspiring bartender will present their unique tipple to a distinguished panel of judges, that includes Brown Forman Asia Marketing Director, Christian Ozzati, Advocacy Director for Europe & Emerging International, Nidal Ramini & Asia Ambassador, Holly Graham.

The Wonderful Race will involve a total of ten bespoke concoctions from ten different bars and we got taken on a short bar crawl for a quick preview of what guests can expect!

Here’s what we tried:

1) Otis Rock – Potato Head Bar

Presented by bartender Daniel Fong, his rendition of an old-fashioned involves spicy and tangy notes of jalapenos blending alongside sweet notes of coffee and chocolate that finds a delicate balance that will astound seasoned cocktail enthusiasts.

2) B.M.W aka Burnt Maple Woodford – Burnt Ends Bar

Aptly named after his favourite automobile brand, bartender Edwin Lopez simply enhanced the flavours of the bourbon by aging beer in a Woodford Reserve old fashioned barrel for two weeks and blending the solution with popcorn and maple syrup to reduce it to a sweet syrup. To top it all off, an orange oleo saccharum infused with vanilla bitters to enhance the hint of citrus on top of the tipple.

3) Double Down- Employees Only

Aiming to paying homage to the brand’s key ingredients of rye, barley and corn, bartender Jude Joseph went back to basics by creating an intense extract of rye bourbon to capture its distinct notes of cinnamon and anise and shaking it with an in-house butter popcorn syrup infused with salt and pepper. A small side of unflavoured popcorn is encouraged to be paired to be paired with the tipple that brings together all the different textures and flavours into one harmonious experience.

4) Milk and Honey Old-Fashioned- Maison Ikkoku

Cocktail lovers with a sweet tooth will surely warm up to this aromatic tipple. Curated by bartender Ming Shan, the cocktail skillfully balances the harshness of bourbon by incorporating the tantaslising taste of lavender honeycomb with a quick shave of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as a garnish for an extra touch of decadence.

5) Catwalk Old-Fashioned- MO Bar

Saving the best for the last, bartender Kim Junghoo’s Catwalk Old-Fashioned is probably the most intricate and captivating tipple on this list. Taking inspiration on how Woodford Reserve’s bourbon is made using water, corn, rye, and barley, Kim has made a slow-drip cocktail made from five ingredients: orchid tea with mango, dehydrated orange, oak from an old wooden barrel, chinese barley and corn.

After an infusion with a homemade syrup and corn bitters for a smoother and velvety smooth taste, the old-fashioned is served on the top of a bourbon barrel. The intricate act is due to Kim’s belief that while elements are important, the crucial selling point is how everything comes together to be presented to the audience. Almost akin to how models spend countless hours to walk a fashion runway back in his home country.

The other five cocktails are The Prosperity Cocktail by Brooklyn Bar, American flower by Junior The Pocket Bar, Tropic Wood by Sago House, Not too Conventional by Sugarhall and Does Size Really matter by Wine Creek.

All cocktails will be made available at their respective bars until the end of November.