The world’s best bars are coming to Manila — and you’re invited
Cocktail lovers and bar hoppers, mark your calendars—the first Philippine Cocktail Week is happening from Feb. 5 to 8. Twenty-eight of the world’s best bars are making their way to Manila and taking over your favorite local bars for four nights of collaborations. Can you handle it?
Legendary bartenders from internationally acclaimed establishments will be working with the finest Philippine bars and presenting drinks and experiences that you can enjoy for just one night.
Four nights, four neighborhoods
Each night is dedicated to a different neighborhood, making bar-hopping a breeze. Feb. 5 focuses on BGC, with Vietnam's The Enigma Mansion taking over The Back Room; Japan's Virtù (one of my favorite bars) doing a guest shift at The Attic; Malaysia's Reka:Bar taking over Southbank Cafe + Lounge; Indonesia's The Golden Tooth at Somewhere Quiet; India's Boilermaker at Lit; and Taiwan's Wu (Nothingness) at No Entry.
Feb. 6 takes everyone to Legazpi Village and Makati Cinema Square. Full disclosure: This is my hood and our bars are so ready to welcome Ethan Liu from CMYK, Kiki Moka from The Cocktail Club, and the Penicillin team including founders Agung and Laura Prabowo plus John Vermann Coronado, Abbi Magar, and Jacob Laxamana.
Penicillin (Hong Kong) will be at Fat Cat, CMYK (China) will be at El Gato, and The Cocktail Club (Indonesia) will be at Cattery—and the three bars are just steps away from one another at Makati Cinema Square. Thailand's G.O.D. will be at The Curator Coffee & Cocktails (also my favorite); Singapore's Bar Bon Funk at The Grasshopper (also a fave); Vietnam's Use Bar at Big Fuzz; while Hong Kong's Mostly Harmless will be at From Management.
Feb. 7 will also take place in Makati—this time Jupiter and Poblacion. Craftroom from Japan will be at The Bar at The Peninsula Manila; COA from Hong Kong will take over Problem Child (I love this bar); Barc from Nepal will be at Banter and Jive; Thailand’s Vesper at The Jury; Origin Bar from Singapore at OTO; Hope & Sesame from Guangzhou; China at Opal Bar; and Artifact from Hong Kong at The Spirits Library.
Sunday sessions
Feb. 8, which brings us to San Juan and Quezon City, is an all-day affair. Sunday Sessions takes over Corner House in San Juan from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., bringing together even more local and international bars for an open-air afternoon of great drinks and live DJ sets courtesy of Spotify. The list includes Opal, Polilya, After Hours, Last Chance from Siargao, Cebu's Lost Unicorn, Hello Sailor from Boracay, Bar Hometown from Subic, Southbank Café + Lounge, Southside Parlor from Korea, Night N' Day, Merry Dessert and NOT Bar from Taiwan, and Reka from Malaysia.
There will also be panels featuring industry heavyweights.
Jessica Constantino, David Ong
Keith Motsi from Japan, Beckaly Franks and Agung Prabowo from Hong Kong, and Demie Kim from Korea will be discussing building respect behind the bar in a session moderated by 50 Best Bars academy chair Nick Coldicott.
Julie Tu will be moderating a panel on how women are defining the future of the bar industry, featuring Taln Rojanavanich from Thailand and Ezra Star, Laura Prabowo, and Shelley Tai from Hong Kong.
What keeps the lights on? Listen to Jay Khan of Hong Kong, Philip Bischoff of Thailand, Terry Kim of Korea, and Nick Wu of Taiwan discuss the decisions, discipline, and long-term thinking behind bars that endure in a panel moderated by Jaffee Hsu.
World-class bars start locally. Moderated by Colin Chia, this panel brings together Aum Veecharat (Thailand), Paul Hsu (China), Yi Che Liao (Taiwan), and Abhishek Tuladhar (Nepal) to share the stories and hometown perspectives that put local bars on the map.
Then on the evening of Feb. 8, a final round of guest shifts: Moonrock (Taiwan) at Three Dots; Alice (Korea) at Sa’min; Dry Wave Cocktail Studio (Thailand) at Malagihay Cocktail Club; Obsidian (China) at Raion; Mius (Hong Kong) at AKA; Epic (China) at After Hours; Zest (Korea) at Gaea; and Bar Us (Thailand) at SkyBar at Solaire North.
Here’s your guide to the first Philippine Cocktail Week, happening Feb. 5 to 8: who’s coming, where to go, plus tips to make the most of it.
Philippine Cocktail Week is the brainchild of veterans, legends and champions of the Philippine bar scene including Jericson Co, David Ong, Bernice Tiu, Patrick Leyble, Wendy Esteban, Kevin Jerrold Corales, Rian Asiddao, Cyrene de la Rosa, Gela Gorriceta, Pepe Torres and Jessica Constantino.
Tips:
The event is presented by Maya Black. Bring your Maya Black card to enjoy a 20-percent cashback on drinks at participating bars.
Here are a few more tips so you can make the most of Philippine Cocktail Week:
- Gather your friends—but if they flake on you, don’t be afraid to go alone. Flying solo might even make it easier for you to grab a seat at the bar.
- Plan your route wisely. Take note of the guest shift start times. Create a Google Maps list of your stops so you can visualize how close the venues are to one another. The bars won’t be taking reservations on Cocktail Week—if one place is full, hop to another one before going back. That’s the beauty of having everything happening in one neighborhood.
- Wear comfy shoes and enjoy the walk to the different bars.
- Don’t be shy—savor this rare chance to get to know the visiting bartenders and enjoy having the world come to you.
- Pace yourself and stay hydrated. Philippine Cocktail Week is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Don’t drink and drive. Grab is a supporting presenter so make use of the code PHCOCKTAILWEEK to get 30-percent off GrabCar rides to and from participating bars.
Philippine Cocktail Week at a glance
Get ready to sip your way across the metro. Here’s where to be and when.
FEB. 5 — BGC
7 p.m.: The Enigma Mansion from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (No. 93 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at The Back Room (Shangri-La The Fort, Manila, 30th Street corner 5th Avenue, Taguig)
8 p.m.: Virtù from Tokyo, Japan (No. 18 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and No. 45 World’s Best Bars 2025) at The Attic (ground floor, Park West Residences, 7th Avenue, 36th St, Taguig)
8:30 P.M.: Reka:Bar from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (No. 47 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Southbank Cafe + Lounge (World Plaza, 5th Ave, Taguig)
9 p.m.: The Golden Tooth from Jakarta, Indonesia (No. 98 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Somewhere Quiet (The Palace BGC, Taguig)
9:30 p.m.: Boilermaker from Goa, India (No. 30 Asia’s 50 Best Bars) at Lit (Unit 1C10, ground floor, Serendra, 11th Ave, Post Proper Northside, Taguig)
10 p.m.: Wu (Nothingness) from Taipei, Taiwan (No. 66 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at No Entry (ground floor, Unit G-4B, One Neo, 3rd Avenue corner 26th St, Taguig)
FEB. 6 — Legazpi and Makati Cinema Square
8 p.m.: Use Bar from Hanoi, Vietnam at Big Fuzz (Creekside Mall)
8:30 p.m.: G.O.D. from Bangkok, Thailand (No. 26 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at The Curator Coffee & Cocktails (134 Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village, Makati)
8:45 p.m.: Mostly Harmless from Hong Kong (No. 88 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at From Management (110 Rada St., Legazpi Village, Makati )
9 p.m.: Bar Bon Funk from Singapore at The Grasshopper (OPL Building, Don Carlos Palanca, Legazpi Village, Makati)
9:30 p.m.: Penicillin from Hong Kong (No. 27 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Fat Cat (Makati Cinema Square)
10 p.m.: CMYK from Changsha, China (No. 16 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at El Gato (2nd floor KFC Makati Cinema Square)
10 p.m.: The Cocktail Club from Jakarta, Indonesia (No. 12 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024) at Cattery (KFC Makati Cinema Square)
FEB. 7 —Poblacion and Jupiter
7 p.m.: Craftroom from Osaka, Japan (No. 58 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at The Bar at The Peninsula Manila (corner of Ayala and Makati Avenues, 1226 Makati)
8 p.m.: COA from Hong Kong (No. 17 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and No. 38 World’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Problem Child (Unit 107, ground floor, 369 Executive Building, Jupiter St., Makati)
8:30 p.m.: Barc from Kathmandu, Nepal (No. 35 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Banter and Jive (3rd floor, 5650 Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati)
8:45 p.m.: Vesper from Bangkok, Thailand (No. 29 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at The Jury (58 Jupiter St. Makati)
9 p.m.: Origin Bar from Singapore (No. 60 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at OTO (5883 Enriquez St., Poblacion, Makati)
9:30 p.m.: Hope & Sesame from Guangzhou, China (No. 7 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and No. 29 World’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Opal Bar (5773 Ebro St., Poblacion, Makati)
9:45 p.m.: Artifact from Hong Kong at The Spirits Library (4963 Guerrero St., Poblacion, Makati)
FEB. 8 — Quezon City and San Juan
6 p.m.: Moonrock from Tainan, Taiwan (No. 42 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Three Dots (6th floor, GH Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan)
6:30 p.m.: Alice from Seoul, Korea (No. 13 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Sa’min (Wilson Park Square, 195 Wilson, San Juan)
7 p.m.: Dry Wave Cocktail Studio from Bangkok, Thailand (No. 5 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and No. 88 World’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Malagihay Cocktail Club (2nd floor, 193 A. Mabini St., San Juan City)
7:30 p.m.: Obsidian from Shenzhen, China (No. 51 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at Raion (3rd floor, The Corner House, 455 P. Guevarra corner Recto St., San Juan)
8:30 p.m.: Mius from Hong Kong at AKA (ground floor, ITC Bldg., Timog Ave, Diliman, Quezon City)
8:45 p.m.: Epic from Shanghai, China (No. 74 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at After Hours (125 Roces. Ave., Quezon City)
9 p.m.: Zest from Seoul, South Korea (No. 2 Asia’s 50 Best Bars and No. 16 World’s 50 Best Bars) at Gaea (191 A. Mabini Street, San Juan)
9:30 p.m.: Bar Us from Bangkok, Thailand (No. 4 Asia’s 50 Best Bars and No. 15 World’s 50 Best Bars) at SkyBar at Solaire North (1 Solaire Way, Quezon City)
