I first met Australian-born Zachary Connor de Git at the MTV World Stage in Kuala Lumpur in August. Together with the rest of the team from William Grant & Sons, we instantly clicked, thanks to the universal link of alcohol and Zac’s down-to-earth nature. Zachary Connor de Git is the brand ambassador for Reyka Vodka here in this region and has worked at Tippling Club at the age of 21 and also crowned winner of Diageo Reserve World Class Singapore 2013.
The Edible Gardening and Inventive Cocktail Workshop held at the rooftop of National Design Centre on 18 September.
Just this month alone, there were more opportunities for us to go face-to-face with Zachary and Reyka Vodka. We were not sure who was stalking who. We did have a shot of Monkey Shoulder together at Bacchanalia one night, when he had his night off.
Zachary went to the Kings Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Bangkok recently and we thought it would be nice to find out his experience with these gentle giants. Zachary recounts his experience.
“I’ve been given the opportunity to do some amazing things since joining William Grant & Sons as its Regional Portfolio Ambassador, but my experience at the Kings Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Bangkok has got to rank as one of the most memorable because I had a lot of ‘firsts’.
It was my first time watching an elephant polo match, and also my first time interacting with these beautiful, gentle creatures. Elephant Polo is an unusual sport played for a good cause – it raises money for The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation which helps to protect all of Thailand’s elephants and their heritage – and it is this uniqueness that Hendrick’s recognises and appreciates, and hence decided to support for a second year.
Zachary and his Elephant Encounter
The matches were great fun to watch, the elephants that play in the matches are quite young and hence quite playful and energetic, and moved a lot faster than I expected. It wasn’t till I got to interact with them up close did I realise just how special and gentle these animals are, and what a close relationship they have with their mahouts – a nudge or simple command is all the communication the mahouts need to tell the elephant which direction to move in, and even when to ‘sit’ so that people can climb on for a ride.
Zachary Connor de Git feeds an elephant with fresh cucumbers
When my turn came to feed and ride the elephants, I was slightly nervous as I had never been so close to an elephant before, but it turns out they absolutely love cucumbers, (and I had lots to feed my elephant with), so we bonded instantly. In fact, the mahout guiding my elephant hopped off at one point and gave me the chance to ride it by myself, which was terrifying at first, but became one of the highlights of the trip for me, and an experience I will never forget.”
You can follow Zachary’s adventures on his instagram account at zacharydg.
