SINGAPORE — As the Singapore Cocktail Week (until March 14) picks up steam, curious imbibers are pondering the opportunity to sample some of the island’s sweetest intoxications — shaken, stirred and, in some cases, re-distilled. Of course, you can also savour exclusive renditions from 10 of the world’s best mixologists as they make guest appearances at some of our favourite watering holes. Believe it or not, there are legit reasons to hit the bars early in the week — and ones the wife - if she has not already made plans for a girl’s night out — will approve. In case you need a little help pouring over the highlights, we had some of the pros fill us in.

YOU CAN ORDER MILK. Well, bartender Tom Hogan’s Milk Punch, to be precise. The drink will be showcased throughout the week, said Hogan, the head craftsman at Fairmont Singapore’s Anti:dote, and requires some prep work and demonstrates some unexpected techniques. “With cognac as the base and utilising the flavours of orange and coriander, the technique (in question) is curdling the milk whey by adding citrus and combining it with cognac, sugar and the flavoured ingredients,” he said. “This is a technique that not many people know how to do and has been lost along the way (no pun intended). When you taste it, you don’t expect to get the milk protein solids and still have it so refreshing.”

SHERRY IS COMPLEX AND COOL. People have forgotten that sherry is as drinkable as a glass of wine and some bartenders may have forgotten to use it, shared Hogan. “We’ll be talking about first trying to dispel the rumours and misconceptions, followed by a brief history and then an in-depth tasting of 11 sherries from the Gonzalez Byass collection. In addition, I will be making two cocktails with sherry to demonstrate its versatility, flavour and complexity.”

He added that a lot of people see sherry as a “one-trick pony” with some exclaiming how they don’t want something sweet when he offers the option at the bar. “People are surprised to find that there is such a range in sherry that can suit almost any meal, time of day or season. I’ve recently discovered the combination of cachaca with oloroso sherry. I love to play with savoury items, herbs and anisette-flavoured liqueur, then offset those with more bright, fresh ingredients such as citrus, mint, lemon balm and basil. Another way to think of sherry is less as a flavour component and more as a structural requirement to a cocktail. This is where I use sherry to finish a cocktail, giving it its length and a richer depth of complexity.”

COCKTAILS ARE ELEGANTLY NOSTALGIC. “Our owner/mixologist Antonio is well known for his multisensory flair on cocktails,” shared visiting bartender Amanda Wan of The Envoy in Hong Kong. She famously became the first female bartender to clinch the title of DIAGEO World Class Bartender of the Year when she won the competition in Athens in 2010. What you can expect from Wang and her team is a lot of familiar flavours “presented through a variety of methods including re-distillation, carbonation, clarification”, all using new technologies to “excite the senses of the drinker”.

She added: “We will be showcasing a few cocktails from our menu (such as) the Old Streets cocktail, using Monkey Shoulder, sous-vide pandan (screw pine leaf) syrup, lemon and egg white, served with a quintessential Hong Kong street snack, a maltose sandwich cracker. “Inspired by the flavours of kaya (Wan is from Malaysia), we took the caramel and buttery notes from Monkey Shoulder and paired it with a pandan syrup produced through low heat to get that richness without using coconut or cream. The garnish comes from a flavour memory of two nostalgic elements from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.”

SPEED CAN BE DECEIVING. Steve Schneider of Employees Only. Schneider earned the title of fastest bartender in six different speed competitions held around the world. He will be bringing Employees Only’s “fun, free-pouring style to the mix”, but added that the first step to being that fast and good is having the desire to be fast and accurate at what you do. “Step 2 is to practise hard at your craft. I still practise my pouring several times a week,” said Schneider, who started bartending 12 years ago,

Efficiency behind the bar, he emphasised, is important. “Knowing where everything is and developing a system is the most important part. If you look at me, it doesn’t look like I am moving that fast, but if you time me, my drinks come out faster than (others’). It’s all about being fluid and being jazz-like.” He added: “Sometimes bartenders are moving their bodies faster than their mind and it looks like rock and roll at a jazz club — so much aggression and wasted motions. I look to make fluid motions — one step to the next and the next. Making it look effortless is most challenging, but when delivered, it is the most rewarding experience for the guests.”

SINGAPORE’S COCKTAIL CULTURE ROCKS. As if you didn’t already know. “Singapore is becoming increasingly well-known as a small city with many quality cocktail bars that every aspiring bartender and connoisseur should visit,” said Wan. “I see Singapore as a fertile training ground for many new talent in the industry. With so many notable bars and professionals, there is so much to learn and so many who are eager to share and develop the community - it’s only going to get more and more exciting!”

Nathan Beasley, Australian Bartender Magazine’s Bartender of The Year last year, said you don’t have to travel too far to realise this. He is one of the bartenders at Melbourne’s Black Pearl and is new to our island city, but his has “many bartending friends from Australia who now call Singapore home”. “They are fantastic. Judging by the little I’ve seen locally so far, the standard is already of a very high calibre,” he said.

THE SECRET TO BEING A GOOD BARTENDER IS ... To be genuine, said Wan. “If you are genuinely interested in your craft and genuinely interested in your guests, you will be able to deliver remarkable results, regardless of limitations or circumstances.”

Schneider concurred: “If you really want to make great drinks and if you really want to make your guests happy, then you’re going to find a way to get it done. No one is going to push you either - you’ve got to put in the effort and have the discipline to be the best you can be. If it were easy, then everyone would be able to do it.”

For more information on Singapore cocktail week, visit http://www.singaporecocktailweek.com.sg.