#LoveScotch with James Marsden

Hollywood actor James Marsden was recently in Manila for the  International Scotch Day celebration dubbed “#LoveScotch.”

Every year, International Scotch Day is held on the birthday week of Alexander Walker, one of the world’s most influential “master blenders.” He is also the son of John “Johnnie” Walker, who brought Scotch to the world.

Across the globe, a series of star-studded, red-carpet events were held to mark the occasion. This year, celebrations took place in over 70 countries with a grand kick-off party at the Manila House Private Members Club in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. #LoveScotch ambassador James Marsden and Diageo global brand ambassador Ervin Trykowski were present at the revelry.

“Scotch has always been one of my favorite drinks and I’m excited to be in the Philippines to usher in International Scotch Day celebrations with my fellow scotch enthusiasts,” Marsden said. He added that in his short stay in the Philippines, he really wanted to try Filipino food. So, I suggested for him to have tapa, tocino or longganisa with fried rice and egg for breakfast before flying out of Manila.

For his part, Trykowski shared, “No other spirit can offer the same range of tastes, textures and flavors such as scotch. Whether you already love scotch or you just haven’t found the one for you yet, #LoveScotch is all about exploring those tastes and finding the one that suits yours.”

Trykowski hosted several tasting sessions to get guests acquainted with the smoky taste of Johnnie Walker Black Label, the sweet and honeyed taste of Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, and the fruity taste of Singleton of Dufftown 12.  There were kick-off parties at three of Manila’s best bars — Yes Please, 12/10 and The Curator — where guests enjoyed specially whipped up cocktails to prove that scotch can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.

(For more information, check out #LoveScotch and #InternationalScotchDay on social media or visit JohnnieWalkerPH on Facebook.)

A traditional Filipino boodle fight featuring fresh, sustainably harvested seafood by The Discovery Leisure Company.

A heart for sustainable food sourcing

Homegrown hospitality group, The Discovery Leisure Company, always considers sustainability at the heart of the way it does business. It only sources ingredients from sustainable producers -— from introducing heirloom rice in its menus (a way to show support to Cordillera farmers) to partnering with Swiss-led sustainable seafood supplier Meliomar, which launched the Sustainable Seafood Week, a yearly event that started two years ago.  The much-awaited event aims to serve as an open and dynamic platform in discussing the challenges facing the local seafood industry towards a more sustainable future.

The Discovery Leisure Company made its presence felt during the opening of the Sustainable Seafood Week event held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom. During the event, the company served a traditional Filipino boodle fight laden with fresh sustainable seafood, featuring Selva Shrimp from the mangroves of Vietnam and line-caught yellow fin tuna.

Discovery Suites Ortigas also served as venue sponsor for a Sustainable Seafood Workshop that brought together Discovery staff and representatives from leading Hong Kong-based NGO CSR Asia for a productive afternoon session.

Discovery corporate director of F&B chef Anthony Raymond said, “We are proud to be one of the first homegrown hospitality groups that support sustainable seafood. By 2020, my vision is to ensure that 100 percent of all our menus across all our hotels will only serve seafood sourced from sustainable fishing. Our goal is to add close to 10 more species in our repertoire of sustainable seafood. Not only do we want to give our guests the best quality seafood there is, but we also strive to take responsibility for the health of our oceans and their diverse marine life.”

(For more information, visit www.discoveryhotels-resorts.com.)

Axe assistant brand manager Bea Lagdameo and brand manager Jeremy Chua-Yap with Unilever head of PR Apples Aberin.

‘Project You’

With its goal to encourage men to embrace their unique style — whether it be romantic, sophisticated or understated — fragrance brand Axe launched its latest campaign “Project You.”

 With its new campaign, the brand also revealed its new breed of Axe guys who have achieved success in their respective fields: chef Nicco Santos of Your Local and Hey Handsome; rapper Curtismith, street artist Jappy Agoncillo and film director Gino Santos.

Brand manager Jeremy Chua-Yap said, “Axe has always been about giving guys the best shot at success, and that’s what we are continuing to do with Project You. We want to give guys out there the opportunities they may not be able to get elsewhere, and we want to see what they’ll do with these.”

Project You is a series of four master classes, where each class is hosted by an Axe guy where he will share his knowledge in his field and invite participants to take part in a challenge.

During the launch, the Axe guys took over four different bars in the hip Poblacion area in Makati for their master class. Chef Nicco Santos held his Innovating Tradition Class (putting unique twists to traditional dishes) at Bucky’s and Smokeyard. For his class this March, chef Nicco will choose a winner among the participants, who will have a chance to join his team as a sous chef for a month for the much-anticipated Madrid Fusion.

Meanwhile at OTO, Curtismith invited guests to explore their creativity through a free rap session called Word Shop. For his class in April, Curtismith  will provide the beats for the participants who will focus on songwriting. The chosen best tune will be co-produced by Curtismith himself and the winner will get to perform it in future gigs with the artist.

At Pura Vida, Jappy and his guests sprayed graffiti over a wall, and decorated their own tote bags. His class in May, Art Wars, will challenge participants to complete an artwork with a limited amount of time. The winner will then collaborate with Jappy on his next big project.

In Polilya, Gino staged a 180-degree photo wall, capturing guests from all angles. His class, Beyond Cinema, will be held in June and will challenge participants to come up with their own synopsis for a short film, from which he will choose one to co-produce and help enter into a film festival.

These opportunities provided by the Axe ambassadors will give each winner a shot in the real world.

Are you up for the challenge? If you’ve got something, work on it.

 (For more information about Project You, visit  Axe Philippines  on Facebook.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)