Cover Aaron Goodall’s sampinit sour using Don Papa Rum
Aaron Goodall’s sampinit sour using Don Papa Rum
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The intimate gathering hosted by Don Papa’s Andrew and Monica Garcia launched a new animation and specialty cocktail by Aaron Goodall
Don Papa Rum, the Philippine premium single island rum, had much to celebrate as they commemorated their 10th year in the beverage industry. What started as a passion project is now available in more than 30 countries worldwide. Distilled in American oak barrels for at least seven years, it is made exclusively with Negros sugar cane, exhibiting a long finish and flavors redolent of vanilla, honey, and candied citrus.
Recently, owners Andrew and Monica Garcia hosted an intimate gathering at Xception in Legazpi Village, transforming the lifestyle shop and gallery into a sprawling dining room crawling with flora and Sugarlandia creatures who danced around as they served cocktails to guests. The celebration is also the launch of their animation entitled “Sugarlandia is Calling,” taking viewers on a journey through the label of Don Papa and into a fantasy world they described as “the land between the cane.”
In case you missed it: Diageo acquires Filipino rum brand Don Papa for €260 million
A glimpse of Sugarlandia
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Once all were seated in the lushly decorated dining table, Monica expressed her gratitude to the F&B industry that easily embraced Don Papa even early on when the market was still puzzled by their unique flavour profile. The four-hands dinner showcased the rather bold pairing of London-based chef Cyrus Todiwala (Café Spice Namasté) and chef Patrick Go of Asian contemporary eatery Your Local. Chef Todiwala, aside from being a regular media fixture and accomplished cookbook author, owns a number of UK restaurants and is a fellow at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. The menu he conceptualized with chef Go brings together the Negrense flavors of chef Go’s heritage and the international and South Asian spices of his own background. “We believe that the menu is able to illustrate through food how far the brand has gone,” Monica shares, “but more importantly, where we came from.”
Above Tuna loin kilawin
Tuna loin kilawin
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Above Sugarlandia Surf and Turf
Sugarlandia Surf and Turf
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The three-course menu was meticulously prepared with these ideals in mind by the two chefs aided by their respective teams. Chef Go admitted that there were surely challenges posed with not having a kitchen on site, but luckily they were able to do most of the cooking at Your Local which was only a few blocks away. “Since I come from Bacolod where Don Papa is made, I wanted to represent it by using ingredients indigenous to the province,” chef Go explains. The tuna loin kilawin utilizes fresh seafood source from the south Philippine sea, flavored with a shower of Goan peri-peri masala, sweet pomelo, papadum crisp, and an herb salad enlivened with batuan, a citrus that grows in Negros.
The same citrus can be found in in the second course called Sugarlandia Surf and Turf, adding some zest to the cafreal salmon, while red masala gives the inasal beef striploin a bit of a bite. The dish is brought together with a drizzle of Don Papa soy reduction and a burnt talong ensalada which all made perfect sense when consumed with scoops of achuete adlai rice.
Read more: 7 signature cocktails from 7 of Metro Manila’s best bars
Above Coconut and banana pancake
Coconut and banana pancake
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Still, Don Papa seems to shine the most when integrated into dessert, even in a complex array which includes flambeed bananas, bebinca (a layered Indo-Portuguese cake popular in Goa), sultanas, coconut gelato, and barquillos crumbs. From the beginning of dinner until the end, the Sampinit Sour of Don Papa’s cocktail maestro Aaron Goodall was the worthy accompaniment to all the dishes, the tart and floral aromas of the local wild raspberry sourced at the foot of Mt. Banahaw in Quezon Province complimenting the evening’s exotic flavors.
See also: Don Papa Rum and Auro Chocolate pairing: more than just chocolate and cocktails
Cocktail maestro Aaron Goodall
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With the evening’s featured rum weaving effortlessly through the sweet and savoury dishes, we wonder if founder Stephen Caroll and his partners deliberately formulated it to be “food-friendly.” Andrew confirms that was not the case. “When we started out, we were simply looking at the traditional market for it. You know, cocktail bars… the club scene. However, what was interesting is that early on— like the first year of when we started exporting to places like France, Italy, and Belgium—it was the chefs who were really showing interest in the product.” He attributes it to rum’s major component which is sugar, which has what he explains to have “a natural relationship with food.” Since then, they have always made it their main focus to work with chefs and restaurants, trying to find ingenious ways of introducing their flavourful rum into various cuisines. In fact, their annual cocktail competition in Europe called “Chefs and Shakers” has mixologists pairing up with chefs wherein they prepare a dish to go with the cocktail entries.
Food has always had a prominent place in Filipino culture, and Don Papa Rum in its ten-year journey has managed to weave quite a compelling tale. As its popularity grows globally, we revel in its success as we watch eagerly for what they have in store this 2023.
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Jaclyn Clemente Koppe is a food and lifestyle writer, as well as a consultant to some of the country’s beloved food and beverage brands. Her passion for food and drink is only surpassed by her devotion to her family, most especially to her soulmate, Pepa the poodle.
