SINCE Don Papa Rum’s launch in 2012, they’ve always had Tres Papas, collaborations with different bartenders (three; it’s in the name) served at some of the city’s coolest bars. For the Tres Papas event on Aug. 22 at The Curator in Makati (No. 33 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list of 2024, and thus, the best bar in the Philippines this year), they concentrated on the theme “Panghimagas” (dessert).

Don Papa Rum’s Philippine brand ambassador Audrey Gustilo, The Curator’s senior bartender Dan Santos, and Night Hawk Singapore’s Trisha “Taco” Leong took over the bar for a one-night-only shift. Night Hawk is currently ranked #16 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars, and Ms. Leong is the bar’s Operations Manager.

The three bartenders crafted cocktails that reimagined classic Filipino desserts, each bringing their unique spin to the table. Ms. Gustilo drew inspiration from the comforting flavors of rum and her beloved halo-halo (an ice-based dessert) topping, macapuno (coconut sport), along with yema (sweet custard confectionary), a childhood favorite. Mr. Santos, on the other hand, focused on refreshing dessert coolers that evoke memories of summer in the Philippines, such as the iconic mais con yelo (sweet corn with ice) and sago’t gulaman (sago pearls and jelly in brown sugar syrup) Ms. Leong, hailing from Singapore, was eager to highlight Filipino desserts known for their simplicity yet rich flavors, like ube and leche flan.

“Our Tres Papas event is truly an exceptional vehicle to pay homage to the Filipino Culture. For this particular series, it’s all about food focused on dessert favorites. We grew up enjoying them and handing these delectable treats down to our younger generation. It is about time we get to share these to the world as well by working with these extraordinary bartenders from truly world class bars. Don Papa is extremely proud to hold Tres Papas here, our mother market and soon to other parts of Asia-Pacific. I am thrilled to see how Filipinos are very supportive of our brand and how we engage them. Expect to see more from Don Papa as we continue to expand our presence here and across the region,” said JoAnn Ramos, Don Papa Rum Philippines president and Asia-Pacific marketing and commercial head in a statement.

ONGOING CHANGESIn an interview with BusinessWorld at the Don Papa offices (conveniently located behind The Curator), Ms. Ramos discussed ongoing changes at Don Papa owing to their acquisition by global spirits conglomerate Diageo (story here: https://tinyurl.com/4batusn3). “We’re taking it to greater heights: we’re expanding. In the next two to three months, we’re launching in Singapore… and distribution’s going to be a lot more expansive,” she said. In six months, they have plans to formally launch in Thailand and Vietnam, then moving on to Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

“Of course, at the end of the day, we’ll make the Philippines a lot better in terms of stability and portfolio. We’re definitely going to launch a lot more new products,” she said. “Because we’ve been partnered now, obviously, with Diageo, there’s definitely a lot more stability in terms of product availability and volume.

“We actually have other facilities now, thanks to them,” she added. “There’s a lot more in the next six months that’s coming out. I just can’t share [information about] it right now.”

The second and third Tres Papas events will be on Sept. 11 at OTO, to be done in collaboration with 28 HongKong Street, one of the most awarded bars in Asia, and on Oct. 2 at the Grasshopper in Makati City, together with Singapore’s Elephant Room, which debuted at the Asia’s 50 Best Bar list in 2023. — Joseph L. Garcia