The Dynamic Duo Behind Roku Gin x AIR CCCC’s Collaborative Pop-Up Experience

Dempsey Hill’s AIR CCCC recently hosted Roku Gin’s first-ever consumer pop-up experience in Singapore. The one-weekend-only collaborative experience — from 31 October to 2 November — saw a fusion of Roku Gin’s meticulous Japanese craftsmanship with AIR CCCC’s inventive, ingredient-led menu, promising guests an immersive journey that highlights flavour and storytelling. The activation was designed to be a multi-sensory journey, where light, music and culinary artistry intersect to create a holistic experience for the guests — forming a new gin tasting experience.

At the heart of the event was a curated tasting experience guided by Beam Suntory Malts S.E.A Brand Ambassador, Mark Tay — who designed the cocktails to complement AIR CCCC’s menu. Tay explains, “Pairing always works one of three ways: heightening flavour, cleansing the palate or creating harmony. For this menu, we explored all three.”

Drawing inspiration from AIR’s rooftop garden and his own Peranakan roots, Tay developed cocktails using locally sourced ingredients such as lemongrass, pandan, ginger and bird’s-eye chilli. “For instance, one cocktail inspired by the gin sour incorporates pandan oil bound into syrup with sugar carbon. When paired with the shakshuka, the asam base brings out sweetness, the spice adds texture and the pandan lingers as an aromatic finish. It’s not about complexity; it’s about balance, memory and using ingredients at their shun — their perfect moment.” Tay likens the creative process to storytelling and goes on to explain that each drink carries a personal memory or cultural reference — inviting guests to taste not just flavours, but discover moments of heritage.

AIR CCCC’s Sous Chef Aiken Low echoes this philosophy of seasonality and respect for ingredients. “For our collaboration with Roku Gin, we curated a menu that celebrates ingredients at their peak, blending fresh elements from our Garden with flavours from across Southeast Asia. Each dish is thoughtfully paired with Roku’s cocktails, designed to complement their floral and citrus notes while staying true to AIR’s philosophy of fresh, balanced and carefully prepared ingredients,” he says. Being a young chef with his own fresh perspectives on local dishes, Chef Aiken was specifically tapped to work on the collaborative menu for the Tasting Room as well as the food pairing menu at the Pop-Up Café. Beyond technical execution, he brought a sense of playfulness to the menu, experimenting with lesser-known regional ingredients like guaculim and torch flowers.

“Roku Gin’s concept of shun really inspired us in the kitchen,” Aiken adds. “It’s about using ingredients at their absolute peak and even considering what to do with them after their peak — fermenting, preserving or transforming them in ways that highlight their story.” From brunch selections like AIR Kaya Toast with house-made gula apong kaya and The Peranakan — a variation on a classic Gin Sour — to dinner courses featuring Snapper Ceviche with pink guava and garden herbs or Charred Spanish Mackerel with black bean sauce, the tasting menus showcased a range of local culinary creativity.

Each course is paired with Roku Gin cocktails, including the Roku Ginger Earl Grey — a nod to Dempsey’s colonial history — and the playful Coco-Groni — a local twist on the classic Negroni that evolves as the ice cream melts in the glass. “Every cocktail was paired to either highlight or contrast the dishes in a way that guests could discover something new with every bite,” Aiken explains. “It is about creating moments of surprise — when the first sip changes the way you taste the food or vice versa.” The pairing strategy was deliberately designed to surprise the consumer with contrasting textures, unexpected flavour bridges and aromatic layering, encouraging guests to “open up” their palates and discover nuances in both food and drink.

Aiken also shared the philosophy behind specific dishes: “Take the Snapper Ceviche with pink guava and garden herbs — it’s a combination that mirrors the botanical notes of Roku Gin. The acidity from the guava complements the citrus in the gin, while the herbs tie back to AIR’s rooftop garden. Even the textures are designed to interact with the drink — light, fresh, but layered.”

“Working closely with Mark was eye-opening,” he adds. “Gin is not just a drink — it also is an ingredient. I had to rethink how flavours interact, how botanicals like yuzu or sakura can influence a dish and how subtle notes in a cocktail can shift the perception of the food. It taught me to be more experimental yet precise — to find harmony where you might not expect it.”

Tay notes that the collaboration is about more than just pairing Gin cocktails with local cuisine. “Ultimately, this partnership is about cultural alignment — supporting local creativity, sustainability and craftsmanship, all while telling our story through experience.”

He adds that the pop-up reflects a shift in how customers engage with spirits today. Consumers are keen to understand storytelling, rather than mere consumption, creating a platform for brands like Roku to bring craft and narrative together. Roku Gin’s philosophy of shun — consuming ingredients at their seasonal peak — is the guiding principle behind every plate and pour. As Tay explains, “We both believe in quality, heritage and storytelling. Roku [Gin] became the glue connecting AIR’s culinary vision and our beverage philosophy. It is about evolution, not waste. Precision meets the impermanence of nature.”

Guests explored The Lawn at Level 1’s Pop-Up Café, offering light bites and cocktails such as the Calamansi Bar Fold or Pineapple Profiterole, alongside a Fizz Bar serving Roku Gin Fizzes with flavours like popsicle, coconut, yuzu and lychee. For one night only, The Other Room’s Nikolas Dotko took over the Fizz Bar, adding a dynamic element to the gastronomic experience.

The collaboration also reflects a broader trend in the F&B industry, where lifestyle-led activations connect premium spirits to modern consumer experiences. Tay concludes, “Restaurants depend on ingredients from brands; brands depend on producers and distilleries. When both sides value craftsmanship, the result is excellence. These collaborations are not just moments used for marketing purposes — they are long-term relationships that nurture culinary creativity and community.”

For both Roku Gin and AIR CCCC, this pop-up served as a template for future immersive experiences, demonstrating how a thoughtfully curated blend of flavours and narrative can leave a lasting impression on modern diners and drinkers alike.

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