Regina Troy Barrios

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The Spriits Library 

The Spirits Library 

<p>If your idea of a perfect night out involves rare spirits, sultry beats, and a cocktail experience that doubles as a love letter to chocolate, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thespiritslibrary/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Spirits Library</a> in Poblacion just dropped something special. Teaming up with the award-winning and proudly Filipino brand, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aurochocolate/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Auro Chocolate</a>, they’ve unveiled a limited-edition cocktail menu that matches the spirit of romantic adventure so in keeping with the season.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370191675unnamed.jpg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Deep, Dark and a Little Tipsy cocktails at The Spirits Library | The Spirits Library</span></span></span></div><p>Helmed by cocktail virtuoso <strong>Lee Watson</strong>, The Spirits Library’s powerhouse bartenders have curated a trio of cocktails that showcase Auro Chocolate’s finest cacao offerings in ways you’ve never tasted before. These aren’t just drinks—they’re an artful fusion of chocolate, premium spirits, and unexpected ingredients that elevate the entire drinking experience.</p><p>Before we dive into the drinks, here’s a little backgrounder to this magical menu. Essentially, it was born from a meeting of minds between The Spirits Library’s Lee Watson and Auro Chocolate co-founder Mark Ocampo.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370243456image3.jpeg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">A seductive cocktail collaboration | The Spirits Library </span></span></span></div><p>On the surface, The Spirits Library is a library of all things beverage and bar related, with one of the biggest collections of booze you’ll find anywhere. A one-stop shop of everything bar and beverage related. But delve deeper and you realize that one of the things they do best is to tell stories. There&#x27;s a story behind every bottle, every drink, just as there are stories behind the chocolate.This particular collaboration is a story of the cultural exchange between Mexico and the Philippines, and in particular the story about the Philippine connection to agave spirits in Mexico.</p><p>Lee Watson explains: “There’s a story that Filipino sailors on the Galleon Trade brought the technology of the clay or earthen stills to Mexico. These clay stills, the Mexicans applied to agave spirits. In the Philippines, these stills were used for lambanog. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370259677image10.jpeg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Lee Watson, owner of The Spirits Library | The Spirits Library </span></span></span></div><p>“The story goes that a lot of Filipino sailors settled in the Colima area of Mexico and set up coconut plantations, and they would use the clay stills first to make coconut wine and then distill it into coconut spirits. Later, this technology transferred to [make] agave spirits. So it’s an interesting story about a technology that came from Asia to the Philippines, and brought from the Philippines to Mexico.”</p><p>Mark Ocampo continues the story by pointing out how the Philippines was not just the first country in Asia to grow cacao, but the first variety ever found in the Philippines was the rarest variety. Apart from that, he also discovered that while agave plants were brought into the Philippines during the Galleon Trade, they are just only used as decorative plants. &quot;And if you look all over Ayala,&quot; says Ocampo, &quot;you can see agave plants but none are used for making tequila.&quot;</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370281013image16.jpeg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Mark Ocampo of Auro Chocolates | The Spirits Library </span></span></span></div><p>Which leads us to Auro Chocolate’s advocacy of promoting Filipino heritage and marketing it internationally.</p><p>“It’s crazy that we’ve had cacao for 300 years and we’ve never made chocolate until the last decade.” It’s time, he thinks, to talk about how the Philippines have contributed to the rest of the world  and “how we contribute and taught other cultures about what we do. Like the lambanog distillation process which is what contributed to the creation of tequila.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370315415image4.jpeg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Tequila + chocolates have a shared heritage | The Spirits Library </span></span></span></div><p>This intriguing history got Watson and Ocampo really nerding out. They went on a hunt in Mexico and found the original agave spirit—“the product of Filipino innovation, which is really amazing!” exclaimed Ocampo. “For us, our whole thing is about reclaiming Filipino identity and basically educating people that we Filipinos are actually influencers in our own right and we did so many things to so many places around the world, which is amazing.”</p><p>As origin stories go, theirs is pretty cool, don’t you think? And we think this collab will be just one of many interesting projects that will arise from this meeting of kindred spirits, this shared passion.</p><p>Says Ocampo, “We didn’t want to make it too plain, this collab, so we made the concept a little bit playful, a little bit dark, a little bit flirty. But ultimately it’s about love, kind of like the whole experience, its really kind of being present in the moment, so its a shared experience, something you can connect w people in very many ways.&quot; </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370348016image2.jpeg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">The Spirits Library </span></span></span></div><p>Are you ready for the drinks? Here they are:</p><p><strong>Sex &amp; Chocolates. </strong><strong> </strong><strong></strong>A clear, beautiful cocktail made with a dangerous blend of Bulldog gin, chocolate-infused aperol, and Dolin Blanc Vermouth. Auro Paquibato 70% and Auro Saloy 70% give the aperol a chocolate taste right off the nose, upcycled Maraschino cherry syrup is a nice nod to sustainability. It’s refined yet decadent, with a hint of playful mischief. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370365173477468564_1025939432887805_7956987122016539554_n.jpg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Sex &amp; Chocolates | The Spirits Library</span></span></span></div><p><strong>A Promised Neverland</strong>. A bold mix of chocolate-washed Gin Demanila, Green Paradise Cordial (think green chili, black pepper, and mint), and Auro Classic 64%. Unexpectedly fresh, subtly spicy, and completely unforgettable, served in this unique glassware that resembles a bird’s cage. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370372257480468992_1029171399231275_7761461237128881632_n.jpg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">A Promised Neverland | The Spirits Library</span></span></span></div><p><strong>Manna from Heaven</strong>. An alluring mix of pink peppercorn-infused Cazadores Reposado Tequila, Campari, chocolate, and dried mango-infused Cocchi Storico Vermouth, finished with Auro Mana 85%. It’s a whole mood—rich, complex, and slightly rebellious.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1740370381776480514537_1031358375679244_7068638462784031405_n.jpg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Manna From Heaven | The Spirits Library</span></span></span></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em><em>Available at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thespiritslibrary/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Spirits Library</a> all throughout February 2025.</em> <em></em></div>

<p>The Spirits Library in Poblacion just dropped something special. Teaming up with the award-winning and proudly Filipino brand, Auro Chocolate, they’ve unveiled a limited-edition cocktail menu that matches the spirit of romantic adventure so in keeping Valentine season.</p>

The Spirits Library in Poblacion just dropped something special. Teaming up with the award-winning and proudly Filipino brand, Auro Chocolate, they’ve unveiled a limited-edition cocktail menu that matches the spirit of romantic adventure so in keeping Valentine season.

LOOK: Auro Chocolates X The Spirits Library Mix Up These Limited-Time Love Potions

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LOOK: Auro Chocolates X The Spirits Library Mix Up These Limited-Time Love Potions

Metro.Style Team

Published Feb 17, 2025 12:25 AM PHT

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Updated Feb 25, 2025 11:14 AM PHT

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