There’s a new secret in town and we’ve promised to #PleaseDontTell but we figured that you lovely cocktail enthusiasts shouldn’t miss out on the secret either…
The Bowery Group, in collaboration with Shawn Chong of Omakase + Appreciate, Tong Woh Enterprise and Spice Drops by Borneo Harvest has secretly launched Please Don’t Tell, an exclusive line of hidden handcrafted cocktails. Following the success of Bowery Kitchen & Bar’s opening earlier this October, a private secret party was held to mark the launch of Please Don’t Tell.
The party was attended by a mélange of guests including notable cocktail enthusiasts and members of the media. Guests were treated to soulful jazzy treats specially curated by The Bowery Group’s culinary team in a gorgeous setting that was a cross between Uptown Chic and Downtown Edgy.
The excitement quickly escalated when we were handed blank cards and handheld blacklights which we soon learned were the hidden menus written in invisible ink, only able to be read after scanning the blank cards with handheld blacklights.
Please Don’t Tell started out as an excuse for Bowery Kitchen &Bar’s “barkeep extraordinaire” Shane Sta Maria to collaborate with top bartenders in the region and to push the boundaries of modern cocktail creativity all while celebrating quality drinks and friendship.
For the inaugural Please Don’t Tell event, Shane Sta Maria and Shawn Chong designed a line of cocktails for the discerning palate – cocktails that are intricate in taste but yet simple in confection. Sta Maria opened and closed the event by paying tribute to his Portuguese heritage with Straits Old Fashioned and Sago Melaka 2.0 while Chong entertained the crowd in between with concoctions inspired by the Post Road, a system of mail delivery routes between Boston, Massachusetts and Bowery, New York City in the 1700s.
Post Road was a system of mail delivery routes between Boston, Massachusetts and Bowery, New York City in the 1700s. Chong kicked off the journey in Boston with the “Boston Tea Party”, loosely based on the infamous political protest in Boston circa 1770s and made with Citadelle gin, grenadine and fresh lemon juice which was uplifted by Moroccan Mint tea and Chai Spice Drops to stay true to its name.
Paying homage to main Post Road itself, Chong’s second drink “Post Road” is a luscious and effervescent cocktail with a splash of fresh lime whisked into a turbulent mix of Plantation 3 Stars White Rum, honey and ginger ale and perfumed with Orange Spice Drops.
To end the journey in New York, Chong finished off with “Big Apple” a wine-spiked Whisky Sour made with a very serious and respected Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Hemarries peach puree, apple syrup and lemon juice are added in together with Bowery’s house pouring red wine before embellishing the cocktail with an apple slice and drops of Cinnamon and Vanilla Spice Drops.
“Collaborating with The Bowery Group was a great experience,” said Shawn Chong, internationally recognized bartender and co-owner of Omakase + Appreciate. “The Bowery Group’s menus offer updated classics with a modern twist echoing the current trends of New York City, so when they approached me to work together on this exclusive line of handcrafted cocktails I was very excited. This line embodies my personal style, incorporating inspiration from the Bowery neighborhood in New York City all while preserving the essence of the spirits and Spice Drops used.”
Breakfast and the bar rarely mingle due to their opposing schedules. But if you believe that cereal is a meal best enjoyed without time constraints, then you’ll be absolutely jazzed to discover Sta Maria’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch–inspired cocktail. The simple formula for his Portuguese Old Fashioned cocktail? Fireball Cinnamon whisky and rich palm sugar (Gula Melaka) syrup topped with dried orange peel and rimmed with cinnamon sugar.
Sta Maria truly wowed the crowd with his Sago Melaka creation at the end of the evening. A dessert cocktail if you may, he drenches sago pearls with creamy coconut milk, Gula Melaka (rich palm sugar) syrup and a shot of Plantation Dark Rum. This well-balanced combination of rich palm sugar syrup and fragrant coconut milk mixes well with the Plantation Dark Rum – it’s sweet but not overwhelming, and refreshing enough to tempt you for a second serving.
Intrigued? Please Don’t Tell cocktails will be available exclusively at BOWERY Kitchen & Bar for two months from 14th December 2016. Just remember to whisper “Please Don’t Tell” to your waiter to view the secret menu 😉
Bowery Kitchen & Bar is located at Lot 35, Level G2, Publika Solaris Dutamas (The Square) and is open from 8.00 AM to 2.00 AM daily.
