Mixing it Up

by Mark Phillips

Closer Cellar, Living
August 15, 2024

Local Mixologist Samio Choi heads up the bar team at W Macau – Studio City with a mission to liven up the local bar scene

W Macau – Studio City has been open for almost one year, and with its two great bar venues, Living Room and Blind Tiger, it has quickly gained a reputation for being one of the best and most fun places to gather with friends for afterwork drinks and evening parties.

High on the top floor, Blind Tiger specializes in premier darker spirits and house-infused beverages, all while offering breathtaking views of the city skyline, creating the backdrop for an evening of celebrations. Meanwhile at ground level, Living Room – with design inspiration coming from the ‘lorcha’, a sailing vessel that combines a Portuguese hull and a Chinese-style junk rig with batten sails – offers an upbeat and lively atmosphere, where guests can enjoy niche coffee creations in the afternoon and innovative cocktails as the sun goes down, accompanied by regular DJ performances from the hotel’s music curator, Murphy Kin.

Daily all-you-can-drink happy hours and regular guest mixologist nights at Blind Tiger, not to mention the cozy A.P.D. (A Perfect Dose) – the speakeasy extension of Living Room with its extensive range of exclusive Mezcal from Mexico – are added attractions.

Head mixologist behind the bar and behind the wide variety of ingenious cocktail offerings is impressive local talent Samio Choi. Born and raised in Macau, Samio studied for this Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management in the renowned Swiss Hotel Management School. He then honed his craft as Bar Trainee at Churchill Bar at The Ritz-Carlton Guangzhou and JW Marriott Bangkok, before taking on the role of Project and Service Manager at the Cavern in Shanghai.

And while some may have chosen to keep travelling and working around the world, Samio was keen to bring his bartending experience home to Macau.

“I’ve worked in Guangzhou, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai and I learned a lot of technical knowledge, so I really wanted to give something back to this community,” he explains. “If you explore the bar culture in Hong Kong or Taiwan, there are a lot of good places, but I think here in Macau it is still developing. Macau locals really have an interest in trying new drinks and I want them to know that they don’t have to go to Hong Kong or Taiwan for that. They can find it right here at W Hotel.”

Samio still remembers the first time he went to a cocktail bar and was mesmerised by the professionalism of the bartender.

“I didn’t know anything about cocktails. I didn’t know what was an Old Fashioned or a Daiquiri,” he admits. “I sat at the bar and the bartender was very polite, and he looked very cool wearing his suit and doing all the technical shaking and rolling. I asked him lots of questions and tried some drinks for the first time, so this was really the moment that triggered my interest.”

Fast forward to today and Samio is now a master, sharing his knowledge with his team at W hotel, which includes eleven mixologists.

“During the pre-opening phase I was headhunting at all the bars around town, going in and trying their creations and talking to them about bartending, and eventually asking them to join my team so that together we could make the beverage offering here more complete.”

Some of the most unique offerings are to be found in A.P.D. where the cocktails are based around the theme of infusion, whether through the use of smoke or organic herbs picked right from the vertical hydroponic wall. Here, Samio has amassed a large collection of Mezcal which he enjoys introducing to his guests.

“Our Mezcal concept is very different, it’s the only one in Macau. We want to use this space to create something new so guests can come and experience different agave drinks,” he says. “Mezcal is like the grandfather of Tequila, but while Tequila can only be made from the blue agave plant, Mezcal can use multiple agave so there’s much more variety of flavours. It can be very fruity or even coffee flavoured. You can drink it straight for sweet and smoky flavours, or mix it with soda or tonic water for a very simple and refreshing cocktail.”

Samio is a strong believer in building up the community of mixologists to improve the overall bar scene in the city and offering guests even more memorable experiences. Every month, the two bar venues take turns to welcome guest mixologists from Macau and around the globe, inviting them to create special limited-edition cocktails.

During odd-numbered months, Blind Tiger invites international mixologist talent to collaborate with Samio, and on even-numbered months, emerging local mixologists are provided a spotlight at Living Room with Samio’s team.

“Bartending is a like a common language, so I love inviting guest mixologists and giving them a platform. This is how we all learn and develop,” comments Samio.

In May, Samio was joined at Blind Tiger by guest mixologist Christyne Lee, the Head Bartender of Singapore’s Tess Bar & Kitchen and one of the most accomplished female mixologists, crafting exclusive cocktails infused with the rich flavors of Plantation Rum. And in June, Living Room hosted Macau-born barista and mixologist Jason Lam.

For the summer, Samio has collaborated with W Hotel’s head barista to create a refreshing range of signature coffee beverages on their new Mixo-Options menu available at Living Room.

“Most bartenders can make coffee but perhaps not like a professional barista. Together with our hotel’s barista, we have sourced high quality beans from local supplier and roaster Trek. They are very craft beans, not commercial ones, to give the drinks a really special flavour.”

The barista mixologist collaboration includes enticing signature cold brew creations like Orange Daydream and Strawberry Stardust.

“I really enjoy the creative process, working together with my team to develop new drinks. And I love bringing people together and making them happy with our creations,” he says.

As for Samio, he admits that his favourite cocktails, like many professional mixologists, are still the classic ones.

“My favourite is a classic like a Rob Roy and Sidecar. They look simple but really need the right technique to get the perfect result. They are almost a century old but people are still enjoying them.”