It’s that time of the year to party, drink and be merry, and put on a full face, too. We took things up a notch and concocted The Beauty Edit cocktails (yes, we’re sharing the recipes with you) with an award-winning bartender, and had makeup artist put together matching festive beauty looks to boot.
Fine Time, Lime Crime
The Drink

Ingredients:
- 45 ml vodka
- 20 ml Midori
- 29 ml green apple syrup
- 10 ml cherry blossom syrup
- 20 ml lemon juice
Procedure:
In a tin shaker, combine all ingredients and shake for two minutes. Strain and pour over a chilled long-stem coupe glass. Garnish with a nori sheet folded into a cone-like shape and fill it with cotton candy for smiles!
The Look

A shimmery emerald green on the eyes (Make Up For Ever S300 Pine Green and ME338 Acidic Green and M126 Chalk for the eye shadow), mimicking the nori used to garnish the drink, and the rosy pink blush (Dior Rosy Glow in 001 Petal)—a complementing tone to the green—that streaks up to the temples!
Rum Away with Me
The Drink

Ingredients:
- 45 ml light rum
- 10 ml guava syrup
- 10 ml peach syrup
- 20 ml lime juice
- 1 egg white
- 30 ml heavy cream
- Soda water
Procedure:
In a tin shaker, combine all ingredients and shake for two minutes. Add ice and shake for another two minutes. Slowly pour soda water into a chilled highball glass until the foam reaches the top. Garnish with a colorful lollipop for pizzazz.
The Look

The rum-based drink is translated on the eyelids (Aqua Resist Smoky Shadows Shade Volcano and Earth) and contours, brown and bronzey and toasty, adding depth and definition. The glittery red lips (combine Rouge Artist For Ever Matte – 340 and Star Lit Glitters – Rose Intense) is a key point of the look—a response to the playful, candy lollipop garnish.
The Grape Escape
The Drink

Ingredients:
- 45 ml gin
- 20 ml ginger syrup
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 10 ml japanese pickled vinegar
- Top with grape soda
Procedure:
In a tin shaker combine all ingredients and shake for two minutes. Add ice and shake some more. Strain and pour over the glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel and sprinkle togarashi and nori powder on the glass.
The Look

The eyes say it all. The fruity purple cocktail inspires lilac-powered lids, with accents of striking yellow (colors used: Beauty Bay Bright 42 Palette, Natasha Denona Sunrise Palette, and Inglot Body Pigment Powder in 189).
She’s Shakin’
Meet the bartender, Vanessa Rabadon

Vanessa Rabadon’s (@vanniebunch) first foray into the food and beverage industry was working as a barista. She stumbled upon bartending by accident when she was looking to work at a fine dining restaurant, and it was the only opening she could try out for. “I really didn’t want to, at first, but I decided to give bartending a try,” Rabadon shares. “After months or so, I fell in love with my work. And now, I’m 16 years into bartending.”
When she started placing and winning competitions, Rabadon started to realize that she was doing well at her job. Among her accolades include becoming a finalist at the Diageo World Class Philippines in 2015 and 2020, placing rank #10 at the Brockmans Competition Global Finals, being a top 3 finalist at Whiskey Live Manila in 2017 and 2018, and a top 10 finalist at the La Maison Cointreau.
A good bartender, for Rabadon, is being creative enough to make a cocktail that’ll have guests coming back. Having a sense of what her guest wants, be it a nice chat, a nightcap, or both, is essential, too. “Sometimes, when a guest can’t find what she or he wants on the menu, I just ask them how they feel, or what kind of drink they need today,” she says. “I like it when I see on their faces that they’re satisfied, after having a taste of the cocktail I made for them. It makes me feel like I did well in giving them a good service through my work.”
Ultimately, for Rabadon, she sees beauty in the women, who, like her, are willing to share their experiences and talents with others. To date, her work has expanded to mentoring and even consulting for bars and hotels. Formerly a familiar face bartending at Kampai and Nokal, Rabadon now works at Japanese restaurant EB10, which has branches at Capitol Commons (where you’ll find her!), Eastwood, and a newly-opened one in Poblacion.