Brb, I’m drowning in cocktails

The lives of successful bloggers have always appeared somewhat glamourous, superficial and materialistic to me – press events around the world, nights in 5-star hotels, sponsorships from high-end brands… And all they seem to do for a living is just go take a few effortless photos for #ootd, film a humble #haul video showcasing their latest luxury purchases, ending the day off with a sleepy #nomakeup #selfie on Instagram. All this was happening while I’m slaving away in the totally unglam Central Library facing debt and unemployment. I know. Life is unfair. There, there.

As some of you may know, I am actually a blogger myself, disguised as a Chemical Engineering student running up and down ACEX every day. I am by no means famous in any way, but with a year of slow growing exposure in the world of social media, I have finally landed my first taster of that mysterious lifestyle: a summer cocktail press event at Shoryu, a hip Japanese ramen restaurant/cocktail bar owned by Japan Centre with various locations including SoHo, Covent Garden, Liverpool Street and Carnaby Street.

To be exact, it was, according to the PR manager who contacted me personally a few weeks before, a two-hour Summer Cocktails and Masterclass Blogger Event held in their SoHo branch conveniently in the evening after my last exam (woohoo!). All complete with an opportunity to “interact with fellow press people in the industry”, while tasting their “delicious range of Japanese cocktails alongside a delicate array of exquisite accompaniments”. Also known as free food, free booze, and party in student language.

After a shy peek through the main entrance, I was greeted by a friendly manager who quickly led me through the restaurant and down to the secretive, dimly lit basement which housed the press room.

It was more of an intimate event than the big, fancy party I had imagined. Two tables were beautifully set with mini cocktail glasses, side plates and chopsticks all ready for the proceeding drinking and dining.

The bar manager, who has worked in Japan and has thorough expertise in all things sake (a Japanese wine made by fermenting rice), introduced us to the history of the restaurant and her inspirations for her four summer creations, pouring in the various components into her cocktail shaker as she spoke. The waitresses dished out bowls of sea-salted edamame, plates of freshly made California rolls, and platters of their signature pork belly buns to compliment the alcohol.

The cocktails were, of course, strongly influenced by Japanese flavours and summer fruits. Even the names had Japanese references. First up was Akai Rhubarb (with akai meaning red in Japanese), with shots of Josen sake, Bombay gin, and Aperol, shaken hard with homemade rhubarb syrup, served in a white wine glass and two rhubarb stalks. Like the name, the cocktail was a beautiful light red with bittersweet notes.

Next was Natsu No Watermelon (meaning summer watermelon). Fresh watermelon and strawberry juice was mixed with Cointreau and Shochu (a Japanese distilled alcohol) and served in a martini glass with a sprig of orange peel. Strong, but fruity, juicy and fresh tasting in a sunset coral red, perfect when paired with their tonkotsu ramen.

The third cocktail, my favourite, was Nikkei Rose, made from namasake (unpasteurized sake), Pisco, fresh grapefruit juice, syrup, and rosewater in coupe glass with two dried roses floating on top. This was in a delicate pastel pink, mild and sweet, designed to be paired with sushi.

Finally, Mango Suppai (suppai means sour). This was probably the most complex in terms of ingredients and flavour. Yuzu Umeshu (yuzu is an oriental citrus fruit and Umeshu is a liqueur made from steeping plums in Shochu) is infused with genmai tea (also known as popcorn tea here) beforehand, then shaken with Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, Josen sake, and fresh mango, served in a rocks glass embellished with blackberries and a single bamboo leaf. A surprising balance between the sweet mango and nutty Frangelico on the palette.

Shots of the cocktails were served for all to try and the remaining time was free for us to socialize and to take photos. It was the first time I felt completely relaxed with my blogging business. The hidden, embarrassed photo-taking sessions transformed into bold, stand-up, hipster style aerial shots, perfect for #tablesituation.

The event quickly came to an end. We were sent home with generous goodie bags and a bottle of Matcha Cool Down (matcha green tea mixed with Malibu). After talking to a few honest people who actually blog as a career, I realized that my perceptions of this social media lifestyle was completely wrong. It isn’t as easy and glamourous as it appears to be on the pages of those glossy magazines. Not everyone can become famous overnight – many built up their reputation by years of dedication, commitment and hard work. It means constantly paying attention to the trends, comments, reviews, and discovering new places that no one has been to before, and brainstorming new ideas for captions or articles or videos. Not every photo or video is perfect – that 10-minute video could have taken hours of preparation, filming and editing. That effortless #ootd photo may not be so effortless after all.

Taking account of all the risks involved in working in social media, would I still continue with blogging and developing my hobby into a potential career? I certainly would.