ONE THING YOU can say about Johnnie Walker – he never gets boring. And, quite apart from the dependable kick of the booze itself, Black Label and Blue Label now come in cool new limited edition bottles available only in Thailand (and, okay, Lebanon).

Johnnie Walker Black Label Limited Edition is the same full-bodied, oaky and smoky whisky, but now it’s swapped its usual black attire for an all-white look in a bottle conceived by Italian designer Mattia Biagi.

Dubbed “White Eclipse”, the exterior is pure white, “camouflaging the essence of the ‘Black’ whisky”, the whisky maker says.

“Johnnie Walker is always processing and invests in new innovations to introduce new products,” says Paul Sirisant, marketing director at Diageo Moet Hennessy (Thailand). “And now we’ve made the classic Black bottle white for the first time, in a limited edition for collectors and those who enjoy the fine taste of Johnnie Walker.”

Born in Italy and based in Los Angeles, Biagi has done several designs for Johnnie Walker in the past that had “great feedback”, Paul says.

“His creative inspiration – in the human emotional reaction to physical objects that have superstitious associations – was a perfect match for us.”

“Only” 94,500 bottles of the new white Black are being sold in Thailand, at the usual price.

Meanwhile the premier Johnnie Walker Blue Label still looks the same as always, but now it’s in direct “communication” with tipplers thanks to NFC technology. If your phone or any other device is equipped with Near Field Communication, you can download the “Johnnie Walker Interactive” application from Android Play, buy this special bottle of Blue (a mere 500 are on sale), scan the cap, and prepare for some interesting stories.

“This is Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s way of showing its gratitude to its loyal customers,” Paul explains. “They’ll be able to access captivating stories about the brand, such as the Johnnie Walker legacy and history, and read about unique experiences that reflect the progressive luxury the brand stands for.

“It’s specially curated direct communication from the brand to the consumer. Johnnie Walker wants to bring to life the Johnnie Walker experience, matched to the convenience of your smartphone. It helps bring the brand and the consumer closer.”

Each “smart bottle” has its own unique ID and specific digital content, he says, so presumable if you were able to buy all 500 bottles available, you’d get 500 different sets of information.

And, in markets where counterfeit bottles pose an issue, the buyer will be able to detect if the bottle’s been opened or is still in its original condition.

Blue Label is pioneering this hi-tech approach – and to begin with only in Thailand. It too costs the same as the classic version.

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

THE LUXURY crystal wineware of Thai-owned Lucaris was last month again named the official wineglass of Vinexpo Hong Kong.

The top wine-and-spirits trade show in the region since 1981 saw fairgoers sampling wines from Lucaris stemware and also attending a master class in making the glasses, led by the brand’s design team.

“Lucaris is the only world-class, Asian-made crystal-glass producer that’s maintained this sponsorship,” said Silparat Watthanakasetr, deputy managing director of Ocean Glass Thailand, which makes the stemware.

“With wine consumption continuing to grow dramatically in Asia, Vinexpo Hong Kong is a must-attend event for importers, distributors and sommeliers. Lucaris crystal, which utilises the latest technology from Germany and Japan, is excellent in quality and design – and therefore a matter of great pride for Asia.”

Since its debut in 2009, Lucaris has taken on the long-established crystal-glassware brands, Silparat said.

“We’ve consistently made big investments to elevate our premium wineware to compete on the global stage, and meanwhile we also strive to increase our potential to respond to Asians’ changing lifestyles and palates. Mostly we want to deliver a world-class wine-drinking experience through our unrivalled lead-free, barium-free crystal glass, in which eastern expertise meets western know-how.”

The design of Lucaris stemware and wine accessories is a collaborative effort among Ocean Glass, Toyo-Sasaki Glass and Martin Ballendat of Germany. Their combined knowledge and skills have resulted in crystal glasses that are lead-free and yet share the same physical aesthetics as conventional lead-based crystal.

The key innovation is Aerlumer, the patented engraving of four curled lines at the base of the bowl, which encourages micro-oxidation and softens the wine as it’s swirled in the glass. The etching is intentionally subtle to avoid hampering assessment of the wine’s colour.

In Hong Kong, award-winning sommelier Sam Chong, a member of the design team, showed off the “master’s choice” collection, Desire, as part of a presentation called “The Unprecedented Glass Tasting Experience”.

“If you look at the appearance of all six glasses in the Desire collection, they don’t seem to even come from the same collection,” Chong said. “Desire is all about the functionality of the glasses, so we don’t care too much if they all look the same or be the same height. We want to ensure they have the best tasting effect.”

The Desire Sparkling glass is a flute with a flared mouth and the Aerlumer at the bottom.

“The optimal height of the glass allows bubbles to be released and softens punchy, spicy agents in the wine, while the flaring mouth fans the wine out to the sides of the tongue, bringing out the forward-fruitiness of the wine.”

Sparkling wine can be enjoyed as is or with extra fragrance if you activate the Aerlumer with a gentle swirl of the glass.

The are separate Desire glasses for white and red wine. Robust Red and Elegant Red are crafted to cover all the wine’s personal traits.

For the robustness of a young, full-bodied red, the glass has an oversized bowl as well as the Aerlumer to maximise surface space and aeration. The taller bowl softens the sharpness of the wine, making it subtler and more aromatic.

For aged and elegant wine, though, the glass needs to be shorter and flatter, allowing the nose to get closer to the wine to pick up the real notes of the aroma.

Full-bodied, creamy white is a good match for the Desire Rich White glass, with its larger but shorter bowl and Aerlumer. It encourages oxidation and enhances the bouquet.

“And Desire Crisp White, with its optimal height and smaller bowl, is designed for young, fresh wines, where the notes of green herbs are accentuated and the pleasant acidity is retained in the bowl,” Chong explained.

Desire Universal is suitable for both reds and whites. The medium-size bowl and Aerlumer allow for thorough oxidation while softening and rounding out the wood tannins of young wine. A more elegant, older wine should be sipped without swirling, though, lest the wine’s unique characteristics be lost.

TWO GRUELLING DAYS of bottles being flipped, fruit being juiced and countless cocktails being spurned or celebrated have ended with four young Bangkok men and women being chosen to carry the Thai flag on to the regional round in the quest for the world’s best bartender.

Groove at CentralWorld hosted the national elimination rounds for Diageo Reserve’s “World Class” competition, which involved a pair of challenges called “Night & Day” (one distinctive drink for each, please) and “Fruits, Plants & Spices” (noses and taste buds to the fore).

The key ingredients were Ketel One vodka, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, Tanqueray London Dry Gin and a selection of Diageo Reserve dynamite.

By Day 2 the 26 contenders had been ground down to 12 for an “Against the Clock” time-limited round in which they had to make at least six cocktails in eight minutes.

And finally there was “The Bangkok Shakedown”, which entailed showing you could run your own pop-up bar and build two different drinks – one for a lonely customer that would cheer him up about Bangkok and another that would take a group of punters “around the world”.

Trying to keep track of all this were the judges – globally renowned bartender Hidetsugu Ueno of Bar High Five in Japan and Lam Chi Mun, Asia-Pacific director of the Diageo Bar Academy.

A lot of sober thinking went into choosing the winners. The country’s hopes are now pinned to Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn and Kitibordee Chortubtim from the Backstage Cocktail Bar, Pinsuda Pongprom of the Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, and Pailin Sajjanit of Il Fumo.

Ronnaporn, the Thai champ in 2014, said he got into bartending not just to put smiles on faces but also “bring some diversity and variety to the bar scene”.

“I used all the experience I’d gathered from past competitions and from my travels around the world,” he said. “Being a great bartender isn’t just about what you know about spirits – it’s everything combined. And you also need to have a good fashion sense!”

Pailin, one of Thailand’s four representatives in the world finals last year, said she’d done a lot of research this time with the challenges in mind. “I practised a lot and I’m taking good care of myself – making sure I get enough sleep so I look healthy and presentable.”

Pinsuda won in her first attempt at the Bangkok contest. “I’m delighted and very grateful,” she said. “It’s been the experience of a lifetime!

“I spent a lot of time watching videos of past competitions and learning about the challenges. I practised a lot and read a lot of books about cocktails.”

The Thai quartet next heads to the Southeast Asia World Class Finals and Bar Show in Bali, Indonesia, on June 1 and 2. One of them will be chosen there to enter the World Class Global Finals in Miami in the US in September.

Diageo Reserve channel director Pornseak Pharksuwan pointed out that the trends in Thai alcohol consumption in recent years have been better appreciation for “fine drinking” and also more-responsible drinking.

“And that’s at the core of what our World Class competition stands for. We believe the programme has a positive impact on the alcohol industry in general and serves as a career boost for mixology talents, while at the same time spreading the knowledge of the art and culture of cocktail-making among the general public.”

Diageo Reserve senior brand ambassador Chennarong Bhumichitr said World Class celebrates “the craft and talent of bartenders”.

“Those who receive World Class certification |become synonymous with sophistication, impeccable |service and creativity.”

Venues whose mixers complete the programme earn the World Class title, a trademark indicating a “fine drinking experience” and exceptional service. And the cocktails the bartenders create during the competition are awarded the World Class logo.

 

TOAST THE SUMMER with a chilled glass of wine at Thailand’s first “Summer of Riesling” event being held at Riedel Wine Bar and Cellar on Thursday and featuring spectacular wines from various estates from Germany and Alsace in France.

Created by sommelier and restaurant owner Paul Grieco back in 2008, the “Summer of Riesling” aims to introduce wine drinkers to different styles of Rieslings and help them find their own “Riesling style” among the many different varietals on offer.

“Riesling is the ultimate summer wine because it’s refreshing,” says one of the organisers of the Bangkok event.

“This is because it’s delicate, moderate in alcohol, unwooded, with crisp acidity and complex aromas. It can be served very cold, out of the fridge, whereas some white wines such as Chardonnay don’t taste at their best when they are served too cold. Moreover, Riesling suits the hot climate and matches the Thai cuisine very well. Its high acidity can adapt to the powerful Thai flavours. The cool serving temperature of Riesling and its varying sugar levels can soothe the heat found in most Thai dishes.”

The perfumed grape varietal is believed to have originated in Germany’s Rhine region. Used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling white wines, Riesling is one of the few grapes that can produce wines in the complete sweetness range, from totally dry to extremely sweet, or anything in between, and still maintain its distinctive fruit character and fine structure.

And because of Riesling’s bright, pure fruit and elegantly poised structure, it has no need for the cosmetic enhancements of new oak, malolactic fermentation or high alcohol. The best Rieslings are only pure fruit, vinified as simply as possible to reveal the true character of the vineyard. Typical fruit flavours in a cool-climate Riesling can range from citrus and green apple to peach, apricot, mango and guava. Some Rieslings have a little bit of everything, drenching your palate with layers and layers of fruity delight.

On Thursday wine lovers will get to taste over 20 labels of Riesling from Germany and Alsace such as Van Volxem, St. Urbanshof, Diel, Donnhoff, Leitz, Dreissigacker, Friedrich Becker, Pauly, Egon Muller and Keller. All served in Riesling-specific Riedel “Veritas” wine glasses, guests can also relish artisan canapes, Riesling blind tasting challenges and enjoy the stunning surroundings of the newly opened Riedel Wine Bar & Cellar.

Three wine talks will be held throughout the month with experienced sommeliers and experts discussing different themes. On May 19, the talk will be about “pradikat levels” – the German wine classification system and is recommended for those with an intermediate level of knowledge about wine. It’s priced at Bt2,000 per person.

On May 23, those with a little more experience can join the advanced level talk on Grand Cru sites and learn more about the regional wine classification and its significance. It costs Bt2,500 a head The last wine talk session is on May 31. The “Treasure Chamber: The Jewels of Germany” session, which is priced at Bt3,000, takes you to Germany’s finest estates to explore some of the best wines of the world.

Not sure if you’ll like Riesling? Head to the cellar and explore the varying world of Riesling with eight different wines served by the glass in three pouring sizes – 30ml, 75ml and 150ml – throughout this month.

Bangkok Summer of Riesling is on Thursday from 6 to 9pm at Riedel Wine Bar and Cellar at the second level of Gaysorn Shopping Centre. It costs Bt1,800 per person. Call (02) 656 1133.

NOW IN ITS third successful year, Mekhong Elite Table returned recently with the first in its cocktail pairing feasts for 2016 at So ASEAN Cafe on Ratchadapisek Road featuring three stellar dishes from Southeast Asia prepared by Thailand’s renowned chefs.

Sansiri Yodmuangcharoen, senior manager of Thai Beverage Marketing, was obviously delighted that the campaign was back, noting that this year’s edition would be highlighting artistic pairings between Thai cocktails and Asian food.

“This should resonate well with the new generation whose lifestyle revolves around having food and drinks that go together at parties and events. Moreover, the campaign highlights Thainess as well as the drinking and culinary cultures of each of the Asean members.”

Dinner kicked off with the fragrant, nutty and delicious chicken rendang, prepared to perfection by Tanarak Chuto.

“This is a favourite dish in both Indonesia and Malaysia,” the chef said as he prepared to cook the curry dish right in front of the guests.

“This is where we Thais get our recipes of massaman and panang curries, so what you can expect is the combination of both.”

The rendang paste is lightly fried with oil to allow the herbs to release their aromas, and is then joined in the pain by chunky chicken thighs and coconut milk. The dish is served with the Indonesian-style condiment sambal, a mix of chilli, tangy lime and savoury shrimp paste.

Accompanying the creamy, peppery and rich curry was a Mekhong Mantra, a light and cleansing blend of Mekhong, lime juice and ginger ale that refreshed the palate and enhanced the aroma of the dish with ginger.

The next dish, lah pet, prepared by chef Chumpol Jangprai hails straight from the streets of Myanmar. This super healthy, crunchy and tasty snack is a salad of mixed nuts, chilli, pickled tea leaves and seasoning that is well-rounded and appetising. Because it is heavy on herbs and seasoning, the pairing cocktail should not overpower but rather subtly complement the dish. Selected for the job was the delicate and herbaceous Mekhong Thai Sabai – a Thai-style whisky sour drink with Mekhong, simple syrup, lime and sweet basil to garnish.

Chef Parida Teerapong was last to present her creation, Osha Ocean & Floral Salad, a Thai fine dining dish. The visually stunning offering is a deconstructed salad that sees flower petals served with fresh scallops. The highlight is the use of sweet gourd juice. The creamy, orange squeeze from the fruit is high in vitamins and beta carotene and an excellent base for spicy Thai-style dressing with fresh lime, chilli and garlic. The scallops get the sweet gourd treatment too, soaked in the juice until the texture is salmon coloured and guaranteed to melt in the mouth.

Such a flavourful and spicy dish needed something soothing and light and the Mekhong Hanuman proved the perfect match. A simple recipe of Mekhong and fresh coconut juice soothed numb tongues while at the same time lightening the heavy seasoning of the dish. The fragrance of the coconut water helped ease the potent alcohol and made it very easy and pleasant to drink – not a bad choice if you’re not totally into Mekhong’s unique fragrance and mouthfeel.

The specially crafted Mekhong Elite Table menu and the list of Mekhong cocktails are available at So ASEAN Cafe at The Street Ratchada, Vivarium by Chef Ministry on Rama IV Road, OSHA Bar & Restaurant on Wittayu Road and Paste at Gaysorn Plaza.

Check out the next dates for Mekhong Elite Table at http://www.Facebook.com/ MekhongThailand.