‘King of Cognacs’

Every bottle of the Louis XIII is a work of art — from the eaux-de-vie used to make cognacs, down to the Baccarat crystal decanters that hold them. Many refer to it as the “King of Cognacs.”

 The Louis XIII Cognac was first created in 1874 by Rémy Martin. It was created from a special blend of up to 1,200 grape eaux-de-vie sourced exclusively from the Cognac region and was matured slowly inside oak casks for up to 100 years.

(From left) Albert Antonio, Michael Soon, Emerson Yao and Rolly Yu.

 The brand’s Asia Pacific director and chief representative Vincent Géré flew to Manila recently to touch base with the local press and cognac aficionados. Géré, a native of the Charente region in France, has been with the company for over 30 years and knows a lot about what it takes to consistently produce a premium cognac. 

Géré held lunch and dinner events at the Palacio de Memoria in Parañaque City — a restored seven-story, pre-war mansion along Roxas Boulevard facing Manila Bay. Palacio de Memoria was the perfect venue for both occasions for its timelessness and elegance, much like the Louis XIII brand. Guests were lucky to also sample the 100-year-old cognac.

Dennis Valdes, Margaux Salcedo and Melo Esguerra.

For over a hundred years, Louis XIII has been a symbol of refinement as attested by celebrities and legends like Elton John, Christian Dior and Winston Churchill.

As they think a century ahead, Louis XIII’s cellar masters are already setting aside the finest eaux-de-vie as legacy to the next ones who will continue to blend the best cognac for years to come.

Filipino beauty fiesta

(From left) Ginoong Blackwater Jesse Jake Daan, Binibining Ever Bilena Dianara Moore, Binibining EB Advance Lovely Geniston and Binibining Careline Ghemmdy Baring.

Ever Bilena, along with its sister brands EB Advance, Careline and Blackwater, recently held its first ever two-day EB Beauty Fiesta in Cebu and Davao.

The contemporary ethnic-themed events, held at the Pyramid Cebu and Marco Polo Davao respectively, featured marching bands, with venues bedecked with banderitas and a sari-sari store full of beauty products. To complete the fiesta vibe, guests enjoyed classic Filipino games like pukpok palayok and pabitin. Game winners went home with products from different EB brands. Guests, who came in their chic Filipino-inspired outfits, were able to try EBCI brands’ newest products during both events.

Present to welcome guests were Ever Bilena key accounts manager Denice Sy-Muñez, marketing manager Olive Padilla, brand managers Elin Katipunan of Ever Bilena, Creole David of EB Advance,  Miya Inomata of Careline and Ivan Banez of Blackwater.

Ever Bilena key accounts manager Denice Sy-Muñez and marketing manager Olive Padilla.

Guests who won special awards during the events were Joana Yulo and Dianara Moore, Binibining Ever Bilena; Pau Ruta and Lovely Geniston, Binibining EB Advance; Julia Elle Macadangdang and Ghemmdy Baring, Binibining Careline; and Michael Ferdinand Tan and Jesse Jake Daan, Ginoong Blackwater. 

(For more information, visit Everbilena.com.ph/ and its social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.)

‘Perfect Ten’

Lea Salonga.

For its 10th anniversary, Resorts World Manila (RWM) will feature a two-night performance by Lea Salonga in Perfect Ten. The show will be held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT) on Aug. 30 and 31, 8 p.m.

I’ve watched the very talented Lea perform on stage from way back in 1980 for Annie to playing Kim in Miss Saigon, for which she won a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier award. She then went on to thrill the world with her performances as Eponine and Fantine in Broadway’s Les Misérables as well as her other roles in Broadway in Allegiance, Once on This Island and Flower Drum Song. 

RWM, the country’s pioneering integrated resort that offers a wide array of lifestyle and entertainment alternatives for its guests, welcomes back Lea after she was named as the resort’s featured performer in its first Grand Fiesta Manila celebrations during its maiden year in 2009. From then on, Lea has made several performances at the NPAT and at the Marriott Grand Ballroom headlining the Grand Countdown to 2017 party.

Lea’s repertoire consists of Broadway and West End hits, along with unforgettable theme songs from our favorite movies and the best of Original Pilipino Music.

Joining her onstage are her handpicked guests for Perfect Ten, including her daughter Nicole Chien, Esang de Torres and stage actress Tanya Manalang. Another guest for the show is singer, stage actor and writer Michael K. Lee, who starred alongside Lea in Miss Saigon, and more recently in Allegiance. The versatile artist has landed notable roles in musicals Pacific Overtures, Jesus Christ Superstar and Rent, among others.     

Perfect Ten is presented by RWM in cooperation with Ultimate Shows Inc. and Full House Theater Company Inc., featuring the masterful stage direction of Floy Quintos, musical direction by Gerard Salonga with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.  

(Tickets are now available at the RWM Box Office at the ground floor of Newport Mall and all TicketWorld outlets. For more information, visit www.rwmanila.com.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)