KNOW THERE’S a funny person hiding away behind your straight-faced interior but unsure how to let it out? Then drop in to the Comedy Club Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 tonight, look for Canadian funnyman Drew McCreadie and ask him about the next improv comedy workshop he’ll be hosting.

An actor, playwright, director and improviser, McCreadie has an impressive CV. He’s a member of TheatreSports in Vancouver, The Second City, Urban Improv and Rock Paper Scissors and has taken the stage in comedy clubs throughout Canada and the US. The winner of the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Male Improviser made his way to Bangkok and co-founded Bangkok’s first English language comedy venue in September 2012 and continues to bring in globally renowned comedians to perform every weekend while raising the bar of the local comedy scene with open-mic sessions and improve comedy workshops.

We had a chat with him about how to be funny.

SO COMEDY CAN BE LEARNED?

Nope! There is nothing that can be done if you are not funny. Humour is a natural instinct, you either have it, or you were a good-looking child. But what can be taught is how to do funny things on stage! Improv is a team sport, and as such, there is a built in surprise that comes from the fact that you don’t know what the other player is going to say next. And comedy is all about surprise, so if you do certain things on stage, the amount of surprise is heightened, and the chances that something funny will drop out of your unfunny mouth increases.

WHAT DO YOU TEACH IN THE WORKSHOP?

The improv workshops are as much about unlearning as they are about learning. There are things we do in our normal, boring, non-improv lives, that are very useful for getting through the tedium that is the average non-improviser’s banal existence. However, those same things often get in the way of making us exciting, interesting, and ultimately funny people when we get on stage. We like to block ideas in real life, say ‘No’ to things first, and then allow life to convince us that we should have said ‘Yes’. It is a natural habit that most of us have. On stage you need to do the exact opposite. You need to say ‘Yes’ first. That is way more interesting.

WHAT IS IMPROV COMEDY?

Improv comedy is a group form of comedy, where a team of improvisers will take a suggestion from the audience and turn it into a hilarious scene. It differs from stand-up which is one person on a mic, telling a bunch of pre-written jokes. Improv involves the audience in a totally different way than stand-up. Improv is non-combative. The performers and the audience work together to create the fun. That’s why I love it so much.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Improv comedy is about ‘being in the moment’, which means listening to what has just been said, not trying to force a pre-planned story, reacting to what has just happened, not worrying about how things will be perceived or received the split second after you say something. Being in the moment is letting go of all fears by focusing very, very intently on the current moment, forgetting any judgement about the past, and not worrying about how you will be judged in the future. You get to a place where you can trust that something funny will come out of your mouth.

WHO ARE YOUR STUDENTS?

Students for improv workshops fall into three very clear categories. There are those who are interested in becoming performers, those who want to work on their self-confidence and public speaking skills, and those who just want to have fun. The good news is that it is fun for everyone. And you learn a lot without even feeling like you are learning!

WHAT WOULD THEY BE LIKELY TO PULL OFF AFTER ONE WORKSHOP?

One workshop will open your eyes to behaviours that you have that you were not even aware off. You will notice how often you say “no” to things as a first response. You will also have a clearer understanding of why certain people are funny. You will begin to see the things they do that make them funny and interesting.

HAVE ANY OF THE STUDENTS MADE IT TO PROFESSIONAL LEVEL SO FAR?

Almost all of the performers at the Comedy Club Bangkok have come up through the workshops. And now they are performing regularly in front of a live audience.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A GOOD COMEDIAN?

A good comedian makes you see something that you have seen a thousand times before in a completely new way. A good comedian can see the absurdity of life, and make the tangential connections that we all have made subconsciously, but were not aware of. A good comedian is also great in bed – just saying.

Joking Apart

– Find out more at http://www.ComedyClubBangkok.com.

 

THAILAND’S Pailin Sajjanit has been named Southeast Asia World Class Bartender of the Year, out-mixing 28 other contenders from six countries in the region plus Taiwan in a competition hosted by Diageo at Alila Seminyak in Bali.

Three days of intense shake-offs saw the crown awarded to Pailin, who is group bar manager for Vesper and Il Fumo in Bangkok. She became the first woman bartender to earn the regional honour and goes on to compete in the global finals in Miami in September.

The Thai quartet of contenders in Bali together won the team competition. Waving the flag along with Pailin were Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn and Kitibordee Chortubtim from the Backstage Cocktail Bar and Pinsuda Pongprom from the Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental.

Represented at World Class mixing events since 2011, Thailand has moved fast, with credit going to its vibrant fine-dining scene.

The dual titles this year certainly make the Kingdom stand out on the Southeast Asian map even more.

In the individual round, Pailin caught the judges’ eyes (and palates) right from the start with a confident performance and great understanding of the flavours needed to make an outstanding tipple.

“This is a dream come true,” she said, adding a perhaps-unintended pun: “I’m still quite shaken from the whole experience!

Pailin said winning the title was “very humbling” because she was competing against the best in the business and being judged by “some of my heroes in the industry”.

“But I was inspired by the high standards of the talent around me and I can’t wait to represent Southeast Asia and showcase my creations in the finals later this year.”

She’s been to the regional round twice before, ending up 16th in her first attempt in 2014 and getting into the final four last year. This time she blew the judges away, also winning the Local Flavours Challenge with the dazzling creative drink Thai Thai, made with Ketel One Vodka, dry vermouth infused with fermented rice (khao mak), coconut oil, osmanthus flower and kaffir lime. It perfectly encapsulated the unique tastes of Thailand.

“My style isn’t so much about presentation, such as using smoke, ornaments and whatnot,” she said. “What I really care about is the flavour and getting it right, so that the cocktails are truly memorable.

“I also like making classic cocktails a lot – they’re very interesting and have a lot of fun elements to work around.”

Pailin graduated in hospitality management at Bangkok University and planned a career running hotels, but then she fell in love with bartending.

She took a few courses and was soon behind the bar at such high-profile establishments as the W Hotel and Sofitel So Bangkok.

Now 28 and working at Vesper and Il Fumo, she’s been identified as one of the scene’s fastest-evolving newcomers, with superb knowledge of cocktail culture to match her managerial know-how.

“To be a good bartender you need experience and exposure, besides the passion, of course,” Pailin said. “You can only learn so much in school. It’s the experience that shapes your career and really hones your skills.

“That’s why I tried World Class, even though I only had a year or so of experience. I wanted to get out there and see what was going on in the global scene and learn from world-class professionals. I always get a lot of useful advice from the judges, who are world-renowned mixologists and cocktail gurus.”

AFTER 40 YEARS of wizardry at Australia’s Jacob’s Creek, chief winemaker Bernard Hickin is passing the baton at the end of this month to Ben Bryant to carry on the brand’s world-renowned legacy.

Hickin’s departure has meanwhile inspired Bryant to create an exceptional tipple, the 2010 Limited Edition Shiraz Cabernet, to honour Hickin’s four decades of dedication in maintaining the trusted quality and style that has earmarked Jacob’s Creek wines since 1976. A mere 250 bottles have been made available around the world of this plush and complex blend of Shiraz from Barossa and Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawara.

We raised a glass with “Bernie” ahead of his big farewell party at the winery.

HOW DID YOU FIRST START MAKING WINE?

I was inspired to become a winemaker after visiting a winery in Adelaide as a young adult. I was totally captivated by the aromas of the fermenting grapes and the comforting smell of oak barrels, and to see how the humble grapes were converted into this delicious, complex drink. Pretty soon afterwards I enrolled in an oenology degree course at Roseworthy College in South Australia, and I haven’t looked back since.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS YOUR FINEST MOMENT IN 40 YEARS AT JACOB’S CREEK?

I suppose one of my biggest achievements was our sparkling wine, which was first released in 1990. Until then Jacob’s Creek had really only been famous for its table wines, but I felt there was a great opportunity to release a sparkling wine that had the same great balance, varietal expression and easy drinking style.

I was right – our sparkling wines achieved great success and still do, and Jacob’s Creek remains one of the only brands that are successful with both still and sparkling wine.

HOW DID WINEMAKING ART AND SCIENCE CHANGE DURING YOUR CAREER?

The interaction of art and science in winemaking is a wonderful thing, and it hasn’t changed much. Science has long been the backbone of modern Australian winemaking – ensuring the vineyards are managed properly and that the fermentation conditions are optimised – but art remains at the heart of winemaking.

For some winemakers their art is to express their own personality through the wine they make. At Jacob’s Creek our art is to express the personality of the grape itself – the true character of the grape variety, as well as the place where the grapes were grown. So the art is seeing the grapes in the vineyard and imagining how that can be captured in the wine, and then coaxing the grapes through the winemaking process to achieve that vision.

WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT THE JOB?

The way each vintage is unique. We are at the mercy of the seasons, and each year we wonder what the next vintage will bring. Grape quality depends on the conditions in the growing season, including the rain, the wind, the sun and the temperature. We have little control over how the vintage will be until we receive the grapes into the winery. It’s as terrifying each year as it is invigorating!

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE VINTAGE?

The 2012 was our best during my decade as chief winemaker, and followed probably our most difficult vintage, which is probably why I found it most memorable. That was a year when perfect weather conditions were seen across South Australia, and almost every parcel of fruit that came into Jacob’s Creek was of exceptional quality. I said at the time I thought it was the best vintage in 25 years. But 1986 and 1996 were also outstanding years, and more recently 2002 and 2004 produced high-quality wines.

WHAT MAKES JACOB’S CREEK WINES |STAND OUT?

Our philosophy has three pillars of excellence: varietal expression, quality and balance. Varietal expression means that our goal is to reflect the true character of the grape variety in the wine. Our Shiraz tastes like Shiraz should, and our Chardonnay tastes as Chardonnay should.

As for quality, we strive to make the best-quality wines every year and we visit every vineyard during vintage to ensure the grapes are picked at their optimal time. In terms of balance, one of the calling cards of Jacob’s Creek wines is that they’re approachable and easy to drink. This is no accident – it reflects the effort we go through to ensure the wines are in perfect balance.

HOW BIG IS YOUR OWN PRIVATE CELLAR?

It’s a fairly substantial underground cool cellar, about three by four metres holding a thousand or so bottles. I have one old bottle of Cote de Nuits Pinot Noir Burgundy that’s probably valued at about US$1,000, should I ever wish to sell it – which I won’t, since wine is made to drink and enjoy.

I think it might be a good wine to crack on Day 1 of my retirement!

EXPECT A CRUSH at the door ahead of Japanese DJ Krush’s show in Bangkok tomorrow night because word’s gone round about his inaugural appearance here four years ago.

Homebass Communications and Dubway Sessions are bringing Hideaki Ishi back due to popular demand following that phenomenal debut in 2012.

With a career spanning three decades, Krush is a master at creating groundbreaking music, but genius takes its time and he’s kept fans waiting almost 10 years for a new album.

The wait is forgiven now that “Butterfly Effect” has been released, another fantastic celebration of hip-hop rhythms mingled with the sounds of nature and industry and samplings of jazz and soul.

DJ Dragon, Bangkok’s own superstar underground DJ and founder of Dubway Sessions, had a chance to compare notes with Krush.

HEY, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO GET “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” OUT?

I did release some tracks on digital, but yes, it’s been over 10 years since my last album. I kept touring all over the world and took a long time to sum up all my images and concepts from those trips, and from my life. But now finally it’s released!

YOU ALSO DREW INSPIRATION FROM THE 2011 FUKUSHIMA EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI.

There are many problems for people all over the world and, sure, the Fukushima problem is still one of them. A lot of people are still missing and living in temporary housing.

I witnessed that in my country and of course it inspired my new songs. The only thing I can do is make music, so I hope that this might be some sort of help to people.

KOJI MORIMOTO DESIGNED THE ALBUM COVER. DOES HIS WORK IN TURN |INFLUENCE YOUR MUSIC? HOW DID YOU GET HIM ON BOARD FOR THIS PROJECT, |ANYWAY – IS HE A FAN?

I’m a long-time fan of Koji Morimoto and he also listens to my music a lot. So I was very glad to be working with him on this. I explained my album concept to Koji and sent some sample tracks, and from that he designed the cover, which I’m very pleased with!

YOU HAVE FREE THE ROBOTS – AMERICAN HIP-HOP SPECIALIST CHRIS ALFARO – CO-PRODUCING THE ALBUM. WORKING WITH ANOTHER PRODUCER ISN’T AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS MAKING A BEAT AND GIVING IT TO AN MC TO RHYME OVER. WHAT WAS THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN COLLABORATING ON INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS?

I’ve known him a while and I like his original, freeform style, and I thought it would fit my new material, so I offered him the job.

The process involved sending him rough concepts, and then he’d add his ideas and send them back to me, and we just kept repeating this process. I had a great time working with him, and even with him being in the US, there was no stress to it at all.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE TITLE, |”BUTTERFLY EFFECT”?

The album’s message is about the flow of time, both from present to future and present to past.

People need to go forward, but they don’t need to be unreasonable about it – they should just go forward little by little. You are always you!

ONCE YOU’VE FINISHED TOURING BEHIND THIS ALBUM LATER THIS YEAR, CAN WE EXPECT ANOTHER ONE REALLY SOON?

Yes, I plan to keep recording.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT COMING BACK TO THAILAND?

I can’t wait – I’m really looking forward to playing in Bangkok again. I hope everyone will keep an open mind and feel my world. See you there!

Catch DJ Krush at the Dubway Sessions party at Live RCA tomorrow.

Admission is Bt700.

Find out more at http://www.Facebook.com/ DubwayBKK.

Bangkok has finished feting its second participation in Negroni Week, the global campaign where bars around the world serve negroni and give the proceeds to charity, gathering together the most bars taking part in any Asian city and raising Bt64,000 on the opening night alone.

Initiated by Imbibe magazine in the US, the first Negroni Week took place in May 2013 with mainly bars in the US participating. In 2014, Imbibe took the campaign to promote Negroni a level higher, teaming up with Campari, the Italian aperitif brand, to present Negroni Week on a global scale. This year again, Campari acted as the presenting sponsor and committed to donating US$10,000 to the charity chosen by the bars and restaurants that raised the most money during Negroni Week.

Probably the grandest Negroni Week in the campaign’s brief history, the 2016 event saw 6,043 participating venues across the world, 49 of them cocktail bars and clubs around Bangkok.

The opening night was hosted by The House on Sathorn, who chose to support Operation Smile Thailand, a non-profit organisation that provides reconstructive facial surgery to indigent children and young adults. The party, which had “vintage red” as its theme, kicked off with funky jazz and some interesting twists to the classic cocktail.

Overall proceeds from Negroni Week Bangkok have yet to be announced, but judging by the number of participating bars, it seems very likely that the event has raised quite a lot of money for good causes.

Among this year’s participating bars were Vesper, Backstage Cocktail Bar, Rabbit Hole, Hunts Eatery and Bar, Octave, Lady Brett Tavern, U.N.C.L.E, Hyde and Seek, Belles’ Room and Zuma. Each brought its personal touch to the traditional mix of gin, Campari and vermouth, exciting cocktail lovers with modern and conceptual twists that included a bottle-ageing technique, the addition of lemon juice and egg to create a hybrid recipe of negroni and whisky sour, as well as negroni with truffle, berries and other unexpected ingredients.

With its perfect balance of flavour, the negroni is an all-time classic and has the distinct advantage of being easy to make. It’s itself a hybrid, an adaptation of the Americano, which is a simple blend of Campari, vermouth and soda. The story goes that the drink was invented in Florence in 1919 when Count Negroni asked for a slug of gin in his Americano in place of the soda. So the aromatic and dangerously alcoholic Negroni was born, and thence adopted by Italians as an appetite-building pre-dinner drink, or a palate-cleansing settler for afterwards.

The drink has rarely been tampered with over the last 100 years. It’s now a trendy choice in hipster pubs and cocktail bars, where whole Negroni menus are emerging, but the basic blueprint remains the same – one part gin, one part Cinzano vermouth rosso and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel.

Cheers!

Drink up

Negroni Week will return next year. Keep updated at http://negroniweek.com.

In an age when technology is interlaced with every aspect in our lives and mass production is the norm, products made with local wisdom and in traditional ways are more appreciated than ever. In the single malt world, The Balvenie from Scotland is one of the very few distilleries recognised for staying totally true to traditional whisky-making methods. Scotsman Neil Strachan, The Balvenie regional brand ambassador, was in town recently to talk about The Balvenie’s “five rare crafts”, which make it one of the most decorated single malts in the market today.

“Our vision for The Balvenie is for it to become the malt enthusiast’s favourite,” Strachan told guests at an exclusive tasting event at Cohiba Atmosphere on Ruamrudee Road.

“The Balvenie is unique in the world of masterfully produced single malts because of the distillery’s five rare crafts. It is one of the few distilleries that still grows its own barley at a farm adjoining the distillery, which is then floor malted in the traditional way to add complexity. The Balvenie’s in-house coppersmith and coopers oversee the upkeep of the still and maintain the casks that provide much of the character. Lastly, the distillery has David Stewart, the malt master, at the helm of the production to ensure the tastes of the whiskies.”

Each year the distillery sows barley on the 1,000-acre farm, Balvenie Mains, overlooking the distillery. The only concession made to the 21st century is the use of a combine harvester when the crop is ripe for harvesting. Apart from that, the barley is grown the same way as it has been for time immemorial.

After steeping the grain in spring water sourced from hills above the distillery, the grains are spread across the traditional malting floor where the malt men turn it by hand up to four times a day until it’s ready for the kiln.

Of all the things that affect the taste of The Balvenie, the shape and size of the stills are two of the most important. The distillery employs veteran coppersmiths to maintain the gigantic copper still. A skill that relies on pure art and no science, the knowledge is passed on through the generations, equipping the malt makers to detect the health and condition of the still by just a tap on the side, and knowing exactly what to do to keep it in shipshape condition.

The casks are also very important to the taste of The Balvenie. The distillery entrusts preparation and maintenance only to its on-site team of coopers. It’s quite a skill and requires four years of training to become a professional cooper. Every day the coopers repair, rebuild, fill and seal casks. Just like all crafts, it takes years of experience to keep everything “wind and watertight” every time.

The last, though far from least, rare craft is the industry’s celebrated malt master, David Stewart, who pioneered the whisky-finishing technique where whisky is matured in one kind of barrel, then finished or “flavoured” for a shorter period in another type of wood. Born in Ayr on the west coast of Scotland in 1945, Stewart was appointed the distiller’s Malt Master in 1974 and his renowned ability to identify the finest casks of whisky for maturation has helped William Grant & Sons earn the Distiller of the Year accolade an unprecedented eight times.

Strachan then introduced guests to The Balvenie’s three iconic single malt labels: the mellow and uniquely honeyed The Balvenie Double Wood 12 Year Old aged in American oak casks then finished in sherry oak; the highly lauded rum-finished The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old; and The Balvenie Double Wood 17 Year Old that is given an extra five years of sherry cask ageing for extra depth and finesse.