LAST week, 15 of the Klang Valley’s most creative young bartenders rolled up their sleeves and showed off their skills at the third annual Opihr Spiced Gin 2019 Cocktail Competition Malaysia Finals, hosted at Knowhere Bangsar.
The competition is organised by Sunrise Wines & Spirits, and tests contestants’ ingenuity in crafting cocktails using Opihr Spiced Gin, a favourite amongst local gin connoisseurs due to its layered, spicy, cardamom-heavy flavour, and smooth, refreshing taste.
The judges had a hard time picking the winner, but eventually settled upon the magical concoction by Harry (@rusho_hasan), head bartender at Kuala Lumpur bar PS150. He will now
represent Malaysia at the OPIHR GIN Global Cocktail Competition 2019 later this year.
First runner up was Justin Ho (@justshinji87) of Berjaya University College, who took his inspiration from Peranakan cuisine for his creation.
He added asam syrup and calamansi juice to the gin to create a flavour similar to that of the iconic asam fish, and included kaya toast with the cocktail to complete the theme.
Sunrise Wine representative Nicole Chua said that Opihr had been served in Malaysia for the past four years, and is best paired “with ginger-based or spicy food.”
Opihr Spiced Gin
Justin Ho of Berjaya University College was the 1st runner up
