The St. Regis Bar Macao has become a regional landmark in just four short years.
Not only is the Manhattan-inspired drinking den the leading jazz venue in Macao, it’s also the city’s sole entry on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars this year – single-handedly flying the flag for Macao on the cocktail map.
The bar recently marked its fourth anniversary with its iconic Art of Mixology series, where acclaimed bartenders from across the region teamed up with the bar’s mastermind Kevin Lai behind the counter to bring their inventive libations to Macao.
In true St. Regis style, the bar team went all out last weekend with a celebratory The Art of Mixology event. The Macallan’s 200th anniversary, also this year, gave rise to the theme of Where Craft Meets Class – and many of the drinks created during the Art of Mixology event featured the iconic single malt scotch.
[See more: The St. Regis Bar’s Kevin Lai (officially) makes the best cocktails in Macao]
The lineup included mixologists Tom Liu from Taipei’s Tei by Obond and Michito Kaneko from Nara’s Lamp Bar, who teamed up with Lai behind the counter on 15 November, followed by Joash Conceicao from Singapore’s Offtrack (ranked 25th on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list) the next night.
One of the most highly anticipated shifts was by Hong Kong-born Shelly Tai from Singapore’s Nutmeg & Clove. Recognised on both the Asia’s 50 Best Bars and World’s 50 Best Bars lists, the bar pays homage to Singapore’s rich history, documenting its journey from trading outpost to cosmopolitan hub.
Lai and Tai took time out ahead of the event to talk about trends, the guest bartending event and the local bar scene.
What’s the latest cocktail trend in Asia?
Kevin Lai: We continue to make changes to classic cocktails, adding ingredients we haven’t tried before to explore new flavours and using technology such as distillation.
Shelly Tai: It’s difficult to pinpoint a certain trend because the industry is so diverse. You get different concepts at any time. But I feel that classics and modern classics will always have a place.
You both helm award-winning bars. What does an establishment have to do to make the grade?
Kevin Lai: It’s definitely about the story telling. The St. Regis brand has a rich history spanning 120 years, and we weave that legacy into our cocktails along with local elements.
Shelly Tai: The bare minimum is the cocktails have to be great, but it’s more about the whole experience: the vibe, the service, and storytelling behind the menu, so that guests can understand both what we’re doing and why we are doing it. For Nutmeg & Clove, we want our guests to discover Singapore through their drinks.
How do your approaches to mixology compare?
Kevin Lai: Shelly and I share similar philosophies on cocktails. We both experiment with new things and reinterpret classic cocktails. The St. Regis Bar serves a Macao and Portuguese egg tart-inspired cocktail, while our signature Bloody Mary, Maria do Leste, combines the spices found along Portugal’s old maritime trade routes.
Shelly Tai: I think most bartenders have similar approaches. We get inspiration from the things we see, experience and eat. That’s fundamental in order to create. Singapore’s history, architecture, and its different neighbourhoods also inspire me.
Nutmeg & Clove is ranked no. 6 on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars and no. 28 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. What helped elevate the bar to this level of acclaim?
Shelly Tai: My boss founded the bar 10 years ago and we’ve been consistently on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars and throughout those years we’ve stayed true to our core value, which is to tell stories of Singapore. Last year we refreshed the whole Nutmeg & Clove brand, which strengthened the way we communicate with our guests. The bar has a casual vibe but offers fine drinks and top-notch service.
How does Nutmeg & Clove incorporate Singaporean elements into its cocktails?
Shelly Tai: To celebrate our anniversary last year, we decided to split our menu into two parts – 10 years of Singapore, highlighting key moments in its history, and 10 years of Nutmeg & Clove, so everyone in our team went and did their research. We highlighted historic moments, like Singapore’s 50 years of independence with the Golden Jubilee cocktail, garnished with a gold bar-shaped chocolate, but also our own milestones as well as the top cocktails from past menus.
How did you decide on the cocktails to present during The Art of Mixology?
Shelly Tai: We wanted to showcase drinks that capture the flavours and scents of Singapore, different from what you see in Macao and Hong Kong. We chose the King and Queen, a milk punch that we make with The Macallan whisky, pandan, durian and Singaporean coffee. We blend it all together and clarify it with milk and lemon. It’s super velvety with a hint of durian, and even guests who don’t like the fruit enjoy the drink.
Another cocktail is the Temasek Ubah. The inspiration behind it is Singapore’s heritage as a spice trading port, so we incorporated spices like fennel, with fennel tea, and coriander seed, giving it a nice herbal, spicy flavour.
How has The Art of Mixology series benefitted the profession locally?
Kevin Lai: We have hosted many guest mixologists since we kicked off the series last year. These are bartenders that our local bartenders look up to, and it’s a great opportunity to get to know professionals from different places and facilitate the connection between people in the industry. The St. Regis Bar’s beverage programme gets showcased too.
When we do guest shifts abroad, we can also expand our customer base and attract more guests to our bar.
How about the guests?
Kevin Lai: Many Macao residents don’t drink cocktails very often, and a lot of our guests come from places like Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, and further afield. The Art of Mixology series helps us gradually introduce people in Macao to the full spectrum of what we do as mixologists – and we see more and more local residents coming to our bar to enjoy the results.
Together, we’re building Macao’s cocktail culture and it’s been a beautiful thing to witness.
