Aly Lorenzo is the operations manager of Cafe Guilt, a garden cafe in Quezon City that serves coffee by day and cocktails by night. With eight years of experience in the hospitality industry, Aly made history in 2023 by becoming the first Filipina to win the Diageo World Class Philippines Bartender of the Year. She is the 10th World Class Global finalist from the Philippines and represented the country in the prestigious global competition in Brazil, where she won the Tanqueray No. Ten Make It A Ten Challenge.
Aly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management (HRM) from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Her journey in bartending began with a love for flair bartending, but as she gained hands-on experience, she discovered the intricate science and creativity involved in crafting cocktails. Aly started her bartending career at 5ynco, a cocktail bar in Quezon City, but the pandemic forced the bar to close. Undeterred, she embraced a new opportunity when her boss opened Cafe Guilt as a fresh start. Since then, she has thrived as part of the team, even serving as head mixologist at the restaurant Xi by Café Guilt.
For Christmas, we asked Aly to share a nostalgic cocktail recipe inspired by a dish that embodies the holiday spirit. Christmas, for Aly, is a time of connection and giving. Inspired by puto bumbong, a traditional Filipino steamed rice cake made from glutinous rice known as pirurutong, which has a distinctly purple color, Aly recalls the joy she feels when street vendors sell it, “Whenever I see street vendors selling puto bumbong, it makes me feel that Christmas is just around the corner,” Aly shares.
Christmas Cocktail Recipe: Puto Bumbong
Watch the video below to learn how to make the cocktail:
Ingredients
30ml Ketel One
45ml Butter Rice Wine
90ml Galapong Syrup
.3g Toasted Coconut
Filo pastry topped with cheese and shredded coconut
How to make Galapong Syrup
150g Galapong
500g Water
200g Ube Jam
175g White Sugar
.5ml Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
In a saucepan, combine galapong, ube jam, and water. Whisk the mixture until smooth and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until thickened. Lower the heat, add sugar until it dissolves, add vanilla extract and salt. Strain the mixture, cool, and transfer to a bottle.
Directions:
In a shaker, combine the vodka, butter rice wine, and galapong syrup. Shake with ice. Serve the drink in coconut shells, topped with toasted coconut, and pair it with filo pastry filled with cheese and shredded coconut.
Tasting notes:
The drink is creamy, sweet, and nutty with a buttery richness that evokes the warmth of Christmas, reminiscent of chewy puto bumbong.
Shot on location at The Bizarre Bar in Poblacion.
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