ZACH TAN of Employees Only in Singapore won the Individual FUTURE ICONS title with his cocktail Golden Moment. Built around ST-GERMAIN as the core spirit of the serve, the drink was inspired by the “magical moment when a drink is passed from a bartender to a guest for the first time,” a moment he said represented “the passing of traditions, histories and dreams that exist in every cocktail.”
For ZACH, the drink also reflected how he approaches bartending more broadly. He described Golden Moment as “a love letter to the classics from the pre-prohibition era while featuring a bold and modern flavour profile,” explaining that as a bartender he loves “learning from the past and leaning towards the future.”
Competing in FUTURE ICONS was ZACH's first regional competition and he described the experience as “completely mind blowing,” particularly the “stewardship and genuine camaraderie shared between the hosts and fellow competitors,” something he said would stay with him for a long time. The win also tied into a long standing ambition, as he shared that “it’s a career dream of mine to create a modern classic,” adding that he hoped to see Golden Moment travel and “be enjoyed at any bar in the world.”
