On November 14 2020, with its third edition, Gin Festival Saigon has established itself as the reference event on the cocktail scene in Vietnam. The Caravelle Hotel ballroom was buzzing with over 600 guests in attendance and more than 3,000 cocktails served by bartenders showcasing 20 of the most creative and innovative bars in Saigon.
On top of free flow cocktails in abundance, guests were also given the opportunity to learn more about the craft of making gin via the Gin Festival Masterclasses. They covered specific and highly specialized topics that were keys for all to understand how gin conceived, why all brands bring something different, and how to make them shine with cocktails. Some of the discussed subjects were: vapor infusion with Bombay Gin, the infusion of Vietnamese botanicals in the making of Lady Trieu, the cold distillation process of Oxley Gin, and how Mashed Up was created through up-cycling hops and craft beer to create a very unique gin flavor.
During the Gin Festival Saigon, the crowd was also masterfully entertained by Petey Majik and his ability to make bottles of gin appear out of thin air. And all the socialite Saigonese party lovers were treated with local funk and soul masters Zunkbomb, who kept them dancing all night long.
Gin Festival Saigon also encompassed a competition sponsored by Fever Tree and their wide range of premium mixers. The People’s Choice Award for best cocktail of the evening went to Kiddy Kawaii from the Rabbit Hole and her creation called Tea Ku Gami. Blending a perfect balance of Roku Gin, Fever Tree Ginger Ale, genmaicha and yuzu & fig puree, her cocktail was overwhelmingly popular.
The People’s Choice award for Best Gin of the evening went to the newcomer on the Vietnam Gin scene: Lady Trieu and their Mekong Dry Gin and Dalat Flower Bomb Gin. Anh Doan, Brand Manager of Lady Trieu said “the festival was an awesome opportunity for Vietnam to finally showcase its capability of producing world class gin. On behalf of the Lady Trieu team, we look forward to building our reputation in Vietnam and around the world. We also pay tribute to our community of farmers, growers and artisan botanists, who provide us with such wonderful locally-sourced botanicals to make our gin so special. Watch this space for further developments.”
In the wake of the massive success of this year’s Saigon Gin Festival there is rumor of a Whisky Cocktail Festival being planned in the coming months. Stay tuned for more details.
You can pre-order Lady Trieu gin at sales.admin@alchemy-asia.com
