Calling all barhoppers, cocktail and spirits enthusiasts, and bar industry professionals – the Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week 2024 will be launching for the first time ever this month and you can be sure it’s not an event to miss! Taking place from 24 to 30 April 2024, the inaugural week-long cocktail festival aims to “elevate the cocktail and spirits landscape by fostering a vibrant community of enthusiasts, bartenders, and spirit brands.”
The landmark celebration spotlights the city’s burgeoning cocktail culture with an exciting lineup that includes guest shifts, masterclasses, seminars and cocktail pairing dinners. This provides a platform for local and international bartenders to showcase their skills while offering consumers the opportunity to explore the art of mixology.
“The idea of KLCW started with the need to celebrate the bar community and to showcase it to a much wider audience. As we embark on this quest, we are very grateful to meet many good people along the way who share our vision and help us with their time and creativity,” said manager of Three X Co Angeline Tan, who is one of the 10 KLCW committee members.
Read on to find out what to expect from KLCW 2024.
Week-long festivities
Transforming Kuala Lumpur into a cocktail haven, the festival divides the city into five zones, namely Bangsar, Petaling Jaya/Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, Damansara Heights, Chinatown, and Kuala Lumpur City Centre. There will be 14 international guest takeovers across 18 local bars, including some of Asia’s most acclaimed industry giants.
From Singapore, there’s Atlas, Employees Only, Last Word, and Nutmeg & Clove. South Korea’s Alice Cheongdam, Hong Kong’s Bar Leone, Japan’s Tokyo Confidential, and India’s Sidecar will also be coming down to our shores, just to name a few more. You can catch these exclusive world-class drinking experiences at the following Kuala Lumpur establishments: Concubine, Frank’s Bar, Here & Now, Ikiya 2.0, Jann, Joloko, JungleBird, JWS Cabinet, Penrose, Rakh, Reka, Remedy, Skullduggery, Soma, Terumi, Three X Co, Trigona, and Vér Bar.
Check out the complete bar takeover schedule here.
KLCW Festival Village
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Ahead of the main week events, the festival has also kicked off with an open cocktail competition to find the best bartender in the city. It is open to all bartenders across the country and requires participants to submit one cocktail recipe containing at least 30ml of a KLCW sponsor brand’s liquor and following the theme of ‘Local Malaysian Ingredients’.
Among those in the recently announced Top 10 include Brandon Tan, the maitre d of Penrose; Xun, the head bartender at Reka Bar; and Kahmun of Bar Terumi. The Top 6 will be announced on 20 April 2024 to showcase their cocktails on 27 April 2024 at the KLCW Open 2024 finals. This highly anticipated finale will take place at the KLCW Festival Village, open to the public from 3pm to 11pm at APW Bangsar.
On top of witnessing the finals, visitors can taste a wide array of cocktails from 18 spirit brands and local bars across the aforementioned five zones. There will also be entertaining live music, free masterclasses, and interactive games to explore. Those interested to visit KLCW Festival Village can book your tickets here.
Cocktail and culinary pairings
To further elevate the cocktail experience, KLCW will be presenting exclusive cocktail pairing dinners at renowned local restaurants such as Yellow Fin Horse, Terra Dining, Jwala, Jus (by Atelier Binchotan), Waig (by Chipta11a), and Barkar (by Eat & Cook). Each establishment will marry an exquisite menu with bespoke cocktails, available exclusively during the festival period. Make your reservations now via the respective establishments.
Be-Well Sightseeing Run
With all that cocktail tasting, KLCW invites you to participate in its Be-Well Sightseeing Run (balance is key, right?). Held on 28 April from 7.45am, the 5km fun run is free for all to join and discover the views of Kuala Lumpur. It will start at Four Points Sheraton Chinatown to KLCC. Proper running sports attire is advised. Each participant will receive a goodie bag at the end of the run. Sign up here.
For further information about Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week, visit its website or follow its Instagram page @klcwofficial.
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