Put on your spaghetti western playlist, because we're having a cocktail competition for agave spirits hailing from India! The Pistola Duels II sees bartenders from India, Thailand, and Singapore compete in a cocktail competition - the prize being a trip to the 2024 Top 500 Bars Ceremony in Paris. 

Launched in 2022, Maya Pistola Agave is an agave spirit made from wild Agave Americana plants that have been growing within India, in particular, on Deccan plateau, that features red and black volcanic soil with a climate similar to Central America's.

Deccan Plateau. Source: The Hindu

The pinas of the agave plants are harvested after 6 to 8 years, then fermented, distilled and bottled or barrel aged. Barrel aging happens in Goa, where the seaside breeze is said to impart a saline character to the spirit.

This evening, four bartending finalists will be facing off using the core range: the Maya Pistola Agavepura Joven (a blend of 2 month aged and unaged agave), the Reposado (aged 4 to 6 months in ex bourbon  and new American oak barrels), and the Añejo (aged for over 14 months in new American oak barrels). The showdown took place at Ballroom by Barbary Coast.

We've been invited to taste test the three agave spirits (reviews of them coming soon), and given the honour to be one of the judges for the competition. Without further ado, here's the cocktails and their slingers for the semi-finalists:

Cocktail 1: "Forget Me Not" By Wee Siong of Smoke & Mirrors

The cocktail was inspired by Chinese folklore: legend has it that when one passes on, they'll suffer through Hell to first atone for their sins during lifetime. Before being able to reincarnate after serving their trials in Hell, they'll have to cross the Bridge of Oblivion (called the naihe qiao 奈何桥). At the bridge however, the Goddess of Forgetfulness Meng Po would serve passing souls a soup, called the "Mi Hun Tang 迷魂汤", which makes a reincarnating soul forget their past lives to be reborn according to their karma. It is said that this soup has five flavours.

Meng Po is said to resemble and old lady. Source: Wikipedia (statue found in Haw Par Villa, Singapore).

The cocktail, described by Wee Siong, encompasses that five flavours: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty; encompassing the myriad of experiences in a lifetime, which comes served in a traditional Chinese teacup that releases smoke when you lift the lid. The "Forget Me Not" is made with the Pistola Reposado, homemade bittergourd kiwi liqueur, umeshu, lime juice, mint liqueur, and olive brine.

For me, the standout feature of this cocktail was that numbing spice you get that buzzes on the palate; presumably from Sichuan peppercorns. You do get all five flavours in this cocktail, which reads predominantly bright and tart, followed by sweet, the numbing spice, and a hint of bittersweet from the bittergourd towards the end.

Cocktail 2: "Popo De Ai (Grandma's Love)" by Branel Low of Potato Head Singapore

The second cocktail of the night was made to celebrate the homely love Branel received from his grandmother. Taking a leaf from the emotional hit movie "How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies", the cocktail features dragon fruit heavily - where Branel recalls how his grandmother regularly prepares sliced dragonfruit. Additionally, the cocktail is intentionally made very spicy, inspired from his grandmother's teachings that any Singaporean must be able to eat spicy food.

A bowl of sliced fruit is the Asian household display of parental love. Source: Stanford Daily

The Popo De Ai is made with the pistola joven, lychee liqueur, spiced dragon fruit syrup, citrus, and pink prosecco foam.

And Branel wasn't kidding, this cocktail is proper spicy! Sweet, creamy, and rich, the spice really erupts midway in the cocktail, sometimes a bit unexpectedly. What I loved about the cocktail was that towards the tail end, the lychee flavours grow and intermingles with the spicy notes, reminding me of preserved fruits and pickled vegetables (kiap sm tee) you get at some Chinese apothecaries or corner shops.Do be warned however, this cocktail does come with a fiery kick.

Cocktail 3: "El Scarpone" by Mihai Toncea of Potato Head Singapore

Next in line is another cocktail inspired by grandmothers. Mihai created the El Scarpone, a play on "mascarpone", in tribute to his great grandmother who has passed on four years ago. The cocktail takes inspiration from a cake that Mihai's great grandmother regularly baked, a cake with pistachios. Mihai did give a warning that this cocktail was for the sweet-tooth.

Pistachio cake. Source: Imperial Sugar

The cocktail is made with the Pistola Joven, apricot liqueur, homemade clarified strawberry syrup, citrus, water, and milk.

Despite Mihai's warnings, this cocktail wasn't as sweet as expected! The cocktail was deeply nostalgic, with comforting flavours of pistachio cream, condensed milk (especially the sort drizzled over desserts), and a jammy strawberry flavour to cut through the richness. This cocktail was truly quite memorable, essentially being a cake in a glass!

Cocktail 4: "Free As A Bird" by Marlon Aseoche of Anti:Dote

Marlon being a fan of the Beatles is no secret, even sporting tattoos of the band on his arm. The cocktail was titled "Free As A Bird" after the Beatles song, which Marlon explained that being a better person is a way of freeing yourself.

Free as a Bird was released as a single in 1995. Source: Wikipedia

With sustainability in mind, much of the cocktail was made with discarded food parts that have been repurposed into ingredients, featuring the Pistola Anejo, coffee liqueur, coconut syrup, salt, washed greek yogurt, coffee yogurt chip, and salted mocha foam.

For me, this was love at first sip: what a balance of flavours! The cocktail is bold, boozy, and intense on flavours, whilst being deeply aromatic of coconut. The coconut fragrance really carries through the whole cocktail, giving bursts of different flavours when combined with the salt, the coffee, and even alleviating the spice-forward anejo agave spirit. Given that it's a strong, slightly dry and intense on both the nose and palate, it checks many of my personal favourite boxes and something I could go for seconds and thirds with.

All in all, the cocktails were fantastic, each telling a unique story formed from the experiences and passions of the bartenders. As an avid cocktail enjoy-er, they're all really well done!

If you'll like to try out these cocktails, I recommend heading down to Smoke & Mirrors, Potato Head Singapore, and Anti:Dote each - they'll be on the menu up till the 26th of September.

Happy sipping and best of luck to the competing bartenders!

@vernoncelli