The unveiling of Hennessy’s King of the Road was one truly enjoyable party we attended last week. It had the right mix of food, drinks, people, music and even art.
The King of the Road is none other than the iconic Filipino jeepney which zoom-zoomed right there in the event venue of the Shooting Gallery Yellow Studio in Makati.It’s done in the classy Hennessy way of sleek matte black exteriors and gold details…. definitely not your ordinary jeepney.
According to the Hennessy people, the King of the Road is a series of events that will celebrate Manila’s urban lifestyle. The celebration is in line with the top cognac brand’s philosophy to make its mark in every country it’s in “while embracing local culture.”
Two of Manila’s most talented chefs – JP Anglo of Sarsa/Kafe Batwan and Jordy Navarra of the soon-to-open Toyo Eatery – prepared creative interpretations of the Filipino pulutan or bar chow for everyone to enjoy that night.
JP’s team served the following: Laing on Toast with talangka butter and Grilled coconut, kansi empanada with batwan gravy and charcoal grilled kare-kare soft-shell taco with Pinoy sriracha.
This was the laing toast. Along with the taco and empanada, everything combined to make a hefty pulutan and I felt like I was having a full dinner. But it was truly tasty so no complaints 🙂
Chef Jordy, meanwhile conceptualized these bar chow for the night: pork barbecue with Hennessy glaze, beef with star anise and crispy onions, twice-cooked shrimp with dried chili and Hennessy VS sauce. The food was a crowd favorite and all so good!
I also couldn’t have enough of Chef Jordy’s dulce de leche bonbons oozing with Hennessy VS-infused sauce inside. If desserts were this addictingly good, then I don’t mind being an alcoholic, lol. That’s right, I must have popped a half dozen of these yummy, intoxicating treats in my mouth.
The chef’s specialties were paired with Pinoy-inspired cocktails conceptualized by Manila’s premier mixologist Lee Watson. We actually had fun talking with Lee on how to make your own drinks at home and what are the best bars to check out in Manila. Most likely, he had a hand in creating the drinks in those, being also the owner of ABV and Mandalay Whisky Bar in Makati.
For Hennessy’s King of the Road, Lee created irresistible cocktails that makes full use of Filipino ingredients. For example, the Habal Habal drink paired well with the pork barbecue. The cocktail is made up of Hennessy VS infused with black pepper, honey, calamansi, bay leaf and finally poured with a serving of ginger beer. This was quite delicious.
Side Trip looked quite the fancy drink. And rightly so because it’s made up of the following: Hennessy VS with white chocolate, hibiscus syrup, calamansi, and foamed egg white, served up with sprayed-on Angostura and Peychauds graffiti. Oh my.
Congratulations Team Hennessy on a very successful event. Follow future King of the Road parties by checking out facebook.com/HennessyPhilippines and @HennessyPH on Twitter & Instagram.
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