MANILA -- X marked the spot as Buccaneer’s Rum and Cocktails in Makati's hip Poblacion district played host to a swashbuckling bar collaboration.
“Rum A Rig” saw Ulysse Jouanneaud of Buccaneer’s cross cutlasses with Rico Deang of The Bar of The Peninsula Manila.
The Pen's Rico Deang and Buccaneer's Ulysse Jouanneaud. Jeeves de Veyra
Fresh from the inclusion of the hotel’s flagship bar in Forbes' list of the world's best bars, Deang, who is also The Peninsula Manila’s beverage manager, set out to share treasure chests of knowledge and experience with other bars in the metro.
The Pen returned the favor to Jouanneaud, who was a guest bartender in a similar bar collaboration last May hosted by the hotel.
The featured base spirit that night was Plantation Rum from the French company Maisson Ferrand, which owns the biggest distillery in Barbados. Plantation’s Pineapple Rum was the discovery of the night with refreshing pineapple notes mixed in with the heady rum.
Spotlight on Plantation Rum. Jeeves de Veyra
Of note was Deang’s Pinya of my Eye, served in a miniature clay pot, made with rum with a dose of cayenne pepper to keep things interesting with tidbits of pineapple with torched sugar.
Deang’s drink was a nice contrast to Jouennnaeud’s La Batanga, which was a refreshing cocktail with peach and rosemary flavors served in a porcelain tiki cup.
Deang also served the Don Hemingway, with sour-sweet grapefruit and lime; and When All Else Fails, a strong brew with Rinomato Aperitivo, Pedro Ximenez, and Scrappy’s Orange Bitters.
On the other hand, Jouanneaud mixed the peaty, gingery Rum Forest Rum, and the Stiggins Daquiri spiced with peppercorn jam and Olorosa sherry.
Deang's Pinya of My Eye and Joianneaud's La Batanga. Jeeves de Veyra
Mariano Garchitorena, the hotel’s director for public relations, calls it “cross-pollinating” within the small industry of bartenders and mixologists. He said that The Pen is looking forward to doing more of these collaborations in the future.
The Bar can be found inside the ground floor The Peninsula Manila and is open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., while Buccaneer’s Bar and Cocktails is located at 5668 Don Pedro St. in Poblacion and is open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday to Thursday, and 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.