Manila, Philippines — it’s a city filled with people continuously finding more to love about food, drinks, and merriment. Manila’s inhabitants infallibly find reasons to raise their glasses and share a toast because, in this city, there’s always something to celebrate and be happy about.
No one knew this better than publisher Patricia Romualdez and her all-girl squad consisting of editor-in-chief Tatum Ancheta and marketing director Icy Mariñas. Together with president and CEO of MFCB Group Arnold Liong, they led a satisfactorily buzzed crowd of friends, industry partners, media, and drink connoisseurs at the unveiling of DrinkManila.com — the first and only online drink destination in the Philippines — at Salcedo Village’s industrial-themed Hooch bar.
(DrinkManila.com founders: publisher Patricia Romuladez, marketing director Icy Mariñas, and editor-in-chief Tatum Ancheta)
(CEO of MFCB Group Arnold Liong)
(Send in the booze)
Guests gathered around counters where the smooth notes of top-notch liquors infused in original mixes were served, complemented by the suave sets of RnB performer Cherry Malaya. If the unwelcomed rain outside was pouring like cats and dogs on this special evening, the indoor storm of vodka, cognac, scotch whisky, and wine was also in full swing with guests rushing to be in the eye of this particular storm.
Quirky thought bubbles at the photo booth attracted both the sober and the reasonably inebriated to strike their best poses alongside statements like “Save Water, Drink Wine,” and “I’m only here for the cocktails,” setting the mood for the pre-weekend event.
Throughout the night, prizes like bottles of Absolut Vodka, Remy VSOP, Tito’s Vodka, Chivas, Bruichladdich, rare bottles of Godet Cognac, a decanter from Schott Zwiesel, and a bottle of Anna de Codorniu sparkling wine were raffled throughout the evening to the delight of audience members, some of whom had one drink in each hand, gaining the stamp of approval from the DrinkManila team.
DrinkManila.com is dedicated to sharing all beverage-related (alcoholic or otherwise) information like tips and tricks, events, recipes, the newest and must-have bottles to add to your shelves, the best watering holes in the metro, as well as the stories of the men and women behind our favorite drinks.
DrinkManila.com is now up and running and ready to quench your thirst, one glass at a time.
And to that we raise our glasses and say, “Cheers!” Have another round on us.
(Photos by Miguel Bernal)
(The DrinkManila.com team)
(Sheree Chua with Monica Araneta Tiosejo, Anna Warren, Jose Paolo Dela Cruz and Ramon Joseph Ruiz)
(Greggy Vera Cruz with DrinkManila guest Chris James)
(Clockwise from top left: Samsung Philippines chief marketing officer Chad Sotel and Elaigh Sotelo; Â Daisy Sabangan, James Jimenez, and Anton de los Reyes;Â Diageo’s Gerard Escay and Lori Linsey;Â Marie France’s NJ Torres and Tito Herbosa;Â Ron Ryan Bugis, Dotie Bulan and president and chief operating officer of Weber Shandwick Philippines Diana Lesaca;Â Diageo’s Rian Asidao and Raffles Long Bar’s Orman Bag-ao)
(Clockwise from top left: Expert bartenders Sam Webster of Hooch and Smith Foundry’s Millena making the nights special cocktails, Arnold Liong also celebrating his birthday, DrinkManila’s friends from FCB Manila, the crowd raising a toast to the night’s success and the Cherry Malaya band)
(The elements of the indoor storm)
(Clockwise from top left: Icy Mendoza, Sara Black, Kyle Vergara, Tedrick Yao, Cherry Malaya, AWC Philippines’ Hugo Moronval and Jane Chan Villa)
(Clockwise from top left: Weber Shandwick’s Romina Cunanan, Aileen Co and Grace Diez; Bernice Bachar; Brian Perley, Sarah Tanalgo, Weizel Gulfan, and Lee Watson; Ana Gonzalez, Izzy Gonzalez, and Brian Perley; Malt Manila’s Karrie Bitanga Palliard; Icy Mariñas, Tatum Ancheta and raffle winner Larry Guevarra)
                                 
(Clockwise from top left: Gitri San Diego, NJ Torres and Icy Mendoza; Emperador Distillers, Inc.’s Wines and Spirits specialist Yiannis Gerard Papageorghiou, Ej Villafranca, AWC Philippine’s Hugo Moronval and Ken Bandivas; Hooch’s Cedric Cello; Kim Barik; General Manager of GDS Asia Andrew Baltazar; Fernando Sarael Jr. and Libby Gy Panaligan)
