AS I SIT ACROSS from her at the bar, Celia Schoonraad hands me a drink, from which I take a slight first sip. The next is longer, deeper, more intentional, and stops time for a while. In a flash, I'm reminded of a line David Foster Wallace wrote that memorialised an epiphany he had after witnessing Roger Federer's luminous performance at the 2005 U.S. Open:
"Beauty is not the goal of competitive sports, but high-level sports are a prime venue for the expression of human beauty."
At this new iteration of DeadFall, I have front row seats to the realisation that even if cocktail making does not necessarily aspire to the loftiness of Beauty, it most definitely serves as a head-turning form of it.
Especially if it's a Buttered Paloma.
The drink belongs to a roster of drinks that bow at the altar of agave and lead the palate into vast and varied vistas of discovery and sumptuousness. Every sip from this payload honours the literal and figurative facelift the stalwart trio of Schoonraad, Michael Callahan, and Roman Foltán have bestowed upon the newly unveiled space. No longer is DeadFall the foundation atop which Barbary Coast, Boat Quay's epicentre of buzz and after-hours revels beckons - it's a cantina, a portal into heady, flawless and ingeniously forged edible and drinkable charms, Mexico-facing but world-destined.
A glow, in amber-tinged hues of green and gold, falls over the bar at all times. The source of this are the 72 bottles of agave spirits that cannot be found anywhere else in Singapore. For this and reasons you can see, taste and feel, DeadFall is a haven for a particular and powerfully resonant slice of culture.
In Agave We Trust
Before I absorb the result of their wandwave, I ask Schoonraad and Callahan about the essence of their magic: why agave?
Denne historien er fra Issue 205 (September 2024)-utgaven av August Man SG.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 205 (September 2024)-utgaven av August Man SG.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE BACHA COFFEE RENAISSANCE
AUGUSTMAN speaks to Bacha Coffee's chief commercial officer, Maranda Barnes, who shares some insights into the brand's impressive expansion plans.
Sports Democracy
STARHUB HAS DONE MUCH TO BRIDGE EVERYDAY SINGAPOREANS WITH THE BEST IN SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT WITH ITS SPORTS+ PASS. CHIEF OF CONSUMER BUSINESS JOHAN BUSE TELLS US MORE ABOUT THEIR EFFORTS IN BRINGING FOOTBALL TO ALL.
Titanium Second Skin
Combining ergonomics, horology, and materials, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monobalancier Titanium becomes an extension of the wearer.
AFTER THE PARTY
This new year, I reject the new and embrace the old.
OH, WHAT A NIGHT!
The party to fete AUGUSTMAN Malaysia's Men of the Year 2024 was one to remember.
Metal To Pedestal
Kia's much-vaunted EV9 is a sleek, powerful electric vehicle stealing attention from Chinese upstarts and European giants. Will it keep our gaze or will the hype sputter?
IT IS NOT A WRAP
THIS YEAR, I REJECT THE FLAWED FINDINGS OF MY 2024 SPOTIFY WRAPPED ROUNDUP AND VOW TO BE, DO, AND LISTEN BETTER. THE WORK STARTS NOW.
When Nature Called
...I ANSWERED IT AT EVERY BREAK OF DAWN.
THE ONE WHO MOVES THE NEEDLE
Opera Gallery may be the world's most famous purveyor of fine art. AUGUSTMAN traces its Singapore roots with Gilles Dyan, its founder and chairman.
RAY OF LIGHT
Mark Foster, founder and frontman for the multi-platinum-selling, somewhat-eponymous band Foster The People on creating the most vital music of his existence.
