Masters of Mixology @ Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong in June

The MO Bar at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong will host its fourth annual Masters of Mixology event from 13 to 16 June 2012.

This year MO Bar will up the ante by bringing six of the best international mixologists, including the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year, offering guests a truly global Masters of Mixology event.

For four nights only, the award-winning mixologists from New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Melbourne, and Tokyo will showcase the latest global trends and create memorable cocktails for guests.

With a different theme every night, each master mixologist will have a chance to showcase the specialties from their continent, using only ultra premium spirits and exceptional ingredients to create exciting flavour combinations.

Mixology Masters

Manabu Ohtake (Tokyo, Japan)

This mixologist may seem reserved when you first encounter him at The Tower’s Bar in Tokyo but once he starts creating the perfect cocktail, there’s no doubting why he won the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year award in 2011. This award is acknowledged by industry heavyweights as the most important international cocktail recognition a bartender can receive. It sets worldwide trends for mixology and encourages mixologists to create luxury experiences for guests. Like most Japanese mixologists, Ohtake is meticulous about technique and detail, but unlike most, he has perfected the theatre of mixology, bringing showmanship and flair to the simple shaking of a cocktail. A fan of seasonal produce, his cocktails are perfectly balanced, often featuring fruit, leaves and herbs.

Jim Kearns (New York City, USA)

Jim Kearns is a New York mixologist who has worked at some of the top bars in the city including Pegu Club, Death & Co, Mayahuel, and the acclaimed Rye House, which was crowned Best New Cocktail Lounge by Time Out New York in 2010. Kearns’s current projects include the flawlessly executed classic New York inspired cocktail list designed for the newly open Astor Room.

John Lermayer (Boston, USA)

Mixologist and TV personality John Lermayer made his name in Miami at Skybar and The Florida Room, wowing guests with his creative cocktails using fresh juices, surprise ingredients and complex laying of liquors. Lermayer was named one of the World’s Greatest Bartenders of 2009 by Travel and Leisure.

Eric Alperin (Los Angeles, USA)

Having honed his craft and won over New York’s cocktail-loving set through his time at Lupa, Milk & Honey and Little Branch, Alperin moved to Los Angeles and quickly made a name for himself there too. In 2009, he opened his own cocktail lounge, The Varnish, nominated as the “Best American Cocktail Bar” at the Tales’ Fifth Annual Spirited Awards (the so-called Olympics of the cocktail world). Alperin himself was nominated as the “American Bartender of the Year”.

Adam DelGiudice (Miami, USA)

During his time at Miami’s legendary Florida Room designed by Lenny Kravitz, DelGiudice started changing the cocktail landscape of Miami, bringing creativity and innovation with his twist-on-the-classics signature style. In 2011, he was named “Most Inspired Bartender” by US Bartender’s Guild in Miami.

Sebastien Reaburn (Melbourne, Australia)

With over 15-years experience, the award-winning Reaburn has worked at some of the best bars in Melbourne and London and is the owner of 1806, one of Melbourne’s most-awarded cocktail bars thanks to its unique cocktail list. Passionate about mixology, Reaburn was named “Australian Bartender of the Year 2008” and is releasing a book to teach people about the science of mixology and help amateur mixologists create the perfect cocktail.

Masters of Mixology - The Event

On Wednesday, 13 June 2012, Lermayer (Boston), Alperin (Los Angeles) and DelGiudice (Miami) will showcase the best of the East, West and South of the United States, featuring cocktails made from Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Tequila and Mezcal.

On Thursday, 14 June 2012, Ohtake (Tokyo) will create strictly Asian-inspired cocktails using Asian spirits such as Sake and Shochu along with Asian ingredients. Alperin (Los Angeles) and Lermayer (Boston) will draw on inspiration from Asia in creating their own interpretations of the quintessential Asian cocktail.

On Friday, 15 June 2012, Kearns (New York), Ohtake (Tokyo) and Reaburn (Melbourne) will compete for the guest vote on which nation has the best drinks. Will it be the USA, Japan, or Australia?

MO Bar will also host an additional night on Saturday, 16 June 2012 to showcase the “Best of the South” with DelGiudice (Miami), Reaburn (Melbourne) and Kearns (New York) creating Southern Hemisphere-inspired cocktails built around Cachaca, Rum and Pisco.

As usual, MO Bar’s experts will bring back the “Old Fashioned Experience” and create the eternal classic “Old Fashioned” cocktail using different ultra-premium brown spirits. MO Bar will also offer a special a la carte menu featuring finger foods to be paired with the various cocktails on each night.

Following the success of the cocktail pairing dinners last year, MO Bar will continue with the dinners in MO Bar’s intimate upstairs Shell area. During the five-course dinner for 12 guests, each course will be paired with cocktails from two of the masters who will stay tableside to create unique cocktails for the guests throughout the dinner.

With only one table for 12 guests (HK$15,000 + 10% service charge) available per night, those who wish to enjoy this original experience are advised to make advanced bookings.

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