Glenfiddich World's Most Experimental Bartender 2018
Philippines Finals

The Origin of Life
Do you believe in time travel? Have you ever wanted to look back in time? Have you ever wondered gazed up in the night sky and marveled at the beauty of the Universe? I am Lennon Aguilar of 1824 Whisky and Cigar Bar and I would like to introduce my collaborator, Dr. Rogel Mari Sese of the National SPACE Development Program and one of the three astrophysicists of the Philippines. We will take you to an out of this world journey into the depths of the cosmos, the complexities of the Glenfiddich Whisky and you right to see the beginning of the Universe and life itself.

Space has always been a source of fascination and inspiration for mankind. Looking at the stars on a clear night sky, one can’t help but wonder and become philosophical about our place in the Universe. As an astrophysicist, my work aims to understand the mysteries of the Universe around us.

Our collaboration began with a common interest in mixing drinks and elevating it to a new level. Contemplating on the mysteries of the Universe is best done while drinking a glass of fine liquor. For every sip of an aged whiskey like Glenfiddich 12 is like drinking a piece of history, a part of the past. Just like in astronomy, looking through a telescope is getting a glimpse of the past. The farther we look out into space, the farther we look back in time. But at the end of the day, space is not just about going to Mars or going to the Moon. It is also about making sure that we take care of the Earth and ensuring the survival of the human race as a whole, the survival of life itself.

The truth, however, is that space plays a significant role in our everyday lives. That said, as a bartender and a human being, having partnered with an astrophysicist gave me the opportunity to do my part and save the Universe one drink at a time. Thus, we created our entry and named it The Origin of Life.

The Origin of Life is a concept that will give a wonderful experience that, like looking through a telescope, a person could be allowed to visualize a piece of history. Our story begins with the Glenfiddich 12 Whisky in a porthole bottle and placed it in front of a telescope. We then pointed the telescope to a particular star known as Tau Ceti in the constellation Cetus. Why is this important? Tau Ceti is a star that is approximately 12 light years away from Earth. This means that the light we are seeing, and passing through the Glenfiddich 12, left the Tau Ceti at the time that the Glenfiddich 12 is still being placed inside the casks and beginning its ageing process in Scotland. Thus, the light 12 years ago from Tau Ceti is united with the Glenfiddich 12, making it a truly unique drink. The whisky, also called as the water of life, is then placed in a highball glass symbolizing the Sun, the source of life.

We then added calamansi liqueur, coconut water and Szechuan peppercorns symbolizing the Earth. Calamansi is a native citrus found in the Philippines and is used in various Filipino food and drinks. This gives the drink a unique Filipino identity and character. The Szechuan peppercorns, with its subtle heat but distinctive taste, exudes and imparts vitality into the drink.

We then added coconut water into the drink. Coconut, the fruit from which my hometown is known for, is also called as the tree of life due to its versatility and usefulness. The coconut water is one of the purest drinks in nature, a source of vitality and life. We then placed ice balls into the mix, symbolizing the Moon. Finally, we add the last element of the drink, a real meteorite, a rock that revolved around the Sun before crashing on Earth, and has been in existence since the beginning of the Solar System. Meteors have played an important role in the creation of life here on Earth, from the warming of the atmosphere to the extinction of the dinosaurs to tool-making by early humans. The meteor brings together all the ingredients of The Origin of Life, making it a truly unique and out of this world drink that is second to none.

In addition, we have created variations of The Origin of Life using the whole line of Glenfiddich Whisky. Each of the core elements, the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are still evident in all the mixes. For the Glenfiddich 15, we placed it also in a porthole bottle, looked at Altair from the constellation Aquila and mixed it with Drambuie, sparkling grape juice, cloves and star anise. For the Glenfiddich 18, we also placed it in a porthole bottle while looking at Sigma Draconis in the constellation Draco, and mixed it with Calvados, apple cider and cinnamon. Finally, the Glenfiddich 21, it looked at the star HR 8832 in the constellation Cassiopeia, mixed with ginger ale, ginger beer, Galliano and fig. HR 8832 is unique because it has five exoplanets, one of which is considered to be a Super-Earth that may contain life.

The final piece of The Origin of Life is the experience. Drinking The Origin of Life while gazing up in the night sky is enough to make one realize how vast our Universe is. By looking at the night sky, we realize that in the grand scheme of the Universe, we are just but a pale blue dot traveling the through dark expanse of the Universe. That in the grand scheme of things, we must do whatever we can to protect our planet Earth, and protect life itself. That in spite of everything happening in our world, we are all together as one as we make our journey through the Universe.

The versatility of The Origin of Life enables it to be easily adopted by other bartenders, making both space and whisky-drinking a mainstream activity. This is also part of our advocacy of popularizing space in the Philippines, especially with the upcoming creation of the Philippine Space Agency within the year. The Origin of Life can be served in bars starting with a launch event wherein a telescope will be set up. Patrons can look at various celestial objects such as the Moon, planets, stars and galaxies while enjoying a glass of The Origin of Life. Photo-exhibit of different astronomical images shall also be exhibited throughout the bar. This makes The Origin of Life a one-of-a-kind and an out of this world drink that is worthy of the Glenfiddich name.