Beginning last May 13, World Cocktail Day, and running until June 13, MGallery will showcase the art of mixology. All of the brand’s establishments will proudly bear the colors of World Cocktail Month. This international event will include local activations as well as an unprecedented cocktail list.
As preferred meeting spots for creatives from around the world, MGallery hotel bars attract both travelers and locals alike. Mixologists are trained over a period of six months to one year, a brand expertise that highlights the creativity of those behind every MGallery bar, animating the spaces while fostering exclusive relationships with those who gather to enjoy it.
“Mixology is an ideal way to summon the essence of a place through sight, smell, and taste. It’s a universe that demands real expertise: Over the years, we have built an expert team of local mixologists,” says Catherine Cherabieh, Vice-President of the MGallery Hotel Collection.
For the occasion, mixologist Matthias Giroud has concocted a collection of 10 cocktails and mocktails, each echoing a key MGallery destination through its flavors and presentation. The Symphony of Sydney Opera (Australia) is a nod to the famous building by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon. The Brazilian Rainforest comes in colors of the lush rainforest. The Chinese Elixir (mocktail) has a bamboo leaf that curves like the Great Wall of China. The Love Letter from Provençe (France) is spritzed with lavender, while the Italian Limonaia (Italy) comes garnished with an ice cube that leans like the Tower of Pisa. The Moroccan Oasis (mocktail) is inspired by the dunes of the Sahara (Morocco), and the Polish Harvest (Poland) is a reference to the geometric rooftops of the Main Square in Kraków. The Sunfire in Thailand reflects various graphic elements of the Grand Palace of Bangkok, the Cappadocian Lantern (mocktail) features colorful ice spheres in the spirit of Turkish hot air balloons, and the Folk Tale of the Mekong (mocktail) is served in a glass adorned with bamboo, which grows along the banks of this Vietnamese river.
Giroud is founder of the L’Alchimiste, a company that creates mixology experiences. “MGallery and I wanted to create a flavorful journey, inspired by the raw ingredients of each country,” he said.
Each week, MGallery hotels will hold events to celebrate World Cocktail Month. Local guests and travelers may, for example, opt for masterclasses. During these two-hour workshops, mixologists will teach participants how to create at least two cocktails. Mocktails will also be showcased during a special week aiming to encourage the discovery of new flavors and sophisticated creations, even without alcohol. The bartenders will also get the chance to revisit a selection of classics, as well as to propose culinary cocktails featuring ingredients generally reserved for the kitchen, such as fresh herbs and spices.
The hotels’ restaurants will also offer food-cocktail pairings. Mixologists worked hand-in-hand with chefs to create this bespoke menu. Numerous other events will continue to punctuate the festivities. At the Admiral Hotel Manila–MGallery (Philippines) last May 8, guests enjoyed cocktails in the presidential suite before embarking on a vintage car tour of the old town the next day. World Cocktail Month will then conclude with an event at The Bodrum Hotel Yalikavak, a MGallery establishment in Turkey.
World Cocktail Month is also an opportunity to anchor MGallery in a responsible approach, even behind the bar. Zero-waste mixology will be introduced, with precise recommendations: using whole products, reducing packaging, composting organic waste, and prioritizing local and seasonal ingredients. It’s worth noting that the recipes for MGallery’s signature cocktails are now all redesigned and reworked, and will soon be composed of at least 40 percent local alcohol. Additionally, the brand encourages “creative” recycling: powders, shavings, and peels are reused in other recipes.
