Provocachic (SM) featured in Reuters

Reuters UK published an article this week about custom cocktails featuring Provocachic (SM):


What's Your Flavor? Cocktails Get Personal

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - The cocktail just got personal: for a few thousand dollars, a Singaporean firm will create a drink as individual as you are.

Provocachic, owned by Sinaporean marketing expert Damian Sim, specializes in creating bespoke cocktails for corporations and people seeking a unique tipple to serve at special occasions.

"Taste is such a personal experience," said Sim, who prefers being called a "flavor Impressionist". "We create recipes that reflect the personality of the client and which aim to answer the question: what would your story taste like?"

Sim started Provocachic in 2002 after years of mixing cocktails to appeal to his friends.
"I like cocktails but so many people I know are put off by the bad ones they taste at bars. In Singapore and Asia, the industry is very cost-based so they often use cheap ingredients. I wanted to change that," he added.

Sim is the cocktail specialist at U.S.-based gourmet Web site The Gilded Fork (www.gildedfork.com) and Provocachic's clients have included American Express and luxury lingerie brand La Perla, which requested custom-made cocktails to serve to clients at product launch events.

Read the rest of the article here.

Inspiration for Love & Honor

Chestnut enjoys an old tradition of being ground into flour in Europe, and is thought to represent chastity in Christianity, while in Japan it symbolizes success -- and particularly during the New Year, mastery and strength. The flavor exhibits a sublime sweetness, like a bulging dewdrop, gentle with a sense of anticipation.

Hendricks gin was selected for its particular ocean-fresh floral journey on the palate, offering a burst of colors around the chestnut portrait. One may enjoy this cocktail with bamboo clams, or even pralines after dinner.

The traditional almond element in the latter inspired the use of falernum syrup in the recipe design, itself flaunting a touch of bitter almonds, relaxing among its tropical companions of over-proof rum, lime zest, cane sugar and spices such as cloves. With a great reputation for sustenance, almonds were said to be one of the first foods eaten by man. Among the Chinese it enjoys a somewhat poetic, somber image of feminine beauty and sadness.

This transient flavor memory should best be savored well chilled through the respectful ritual of the classic dry martini -- stirred and strained. Along this path we place the wonderfully tart red currants, a bright vermilion garnish that just stops us in our tracks. Like the makeup on the lips of the Japanese geisha, or the white fabric being used to clean the blood off the samurai warrior’s sword, it exudes powerful emotions under a veil of understated composure. Sip the secrets of countless stories, hinted by this potion of "Love & Honor."

Inspiration for Magic Carousel

Cranberries, the quintessential red hue in the American Thanksgiving celebration, have a reputation of being a favorite of cranes, bears and even cows. They have been enjoyed by the Artic people for over a millennia, and currently enjoy a healthy image with their powerful antioxidant properties.

Pistachio was selected as the base of this recipe design to pair with the cranberries. Known since antiquity (6760BC), the pistachio is reputed to have been in the legendary hanging gardens of Babylon (700BC), and one of only two nuts mentioned in the Old Testament. It was considered a delicacy and a favorite of royalties and the elite.

Pistachio was interpreted in the form of delicious pistachio ice cream, and crowning this decadence was delicate pistachio flavored Persian fairy floss (pashmak). These flavors are evocative of fun memories at the amusement parks, while the pashmak added a touch of sophistication with its silken texture.

Ran Watte ("Golden Garden" in Sinhala, the main language in Sri Lanka) single-region Ceylon tea is grown on the highest elevation of the island at 6000 feet above sea level. This elegant tea has a citrus undertone and a wonderful, long finish. Considered to be the top boutique Ceylon tea, the most precious spice in the world, saffron, was infused with it. Ginger, another known stomach settler, added a bite to the light complex flavors while pairing beautifully with the pistachio.

A vintage style of gin, jonge (young) Genever gin, was chosen for its softness (compared to the typical London Dry style), while having a full-bodied malty flavor. This was the original style savored when gin was first created. The vanilla cane syrup rounded off the tannic and bitter elements from the tea, saffron and gin. The bouquet of pistachio, mingled effortlessly with the saffron, is the first scent impressions. These are followed by lingering subtle nuances from all the elements, with surprising depth as one enjoys the libation further.

The light mist green of the pashmak against the cream hue of the cocktail sets a tranquil image; like the backdrop of childhood myths, of rich imaginations and magic. Never grow old, and remember the child in us all with the "Magic Carousel."