Lifestyle Asia’s Tattoo Talks explores the connection and stories behind people and their tattoos. For our next episode, we speak to Tamaryn Cooper, star mixologist at the award-winning craft cocktail bar, 28 HongKong Street in Singapore.
We catch Tamaryn in Hong Kong right before her guest shift at PDT, a hidden speakeasy at Landmark Mandarin Oriental. There, she presented a range of custom cocktails taking inspiration from everyday life in Singapore.
Born in Phuket and raised in Bali, Tamaryn Cooper was the youngest and first-ever female winner of the Campari Thailand Bartending competition. After honing her craft at various bars across Asia, she now serves as Head Bartender of 28 HongKong Street, one of Asia’s 50 Best known for its laid-back vibes and divine cocktails.
Tamaryn tells us that one of her life goals is to get full tattoo coverage from head to toe and at just age 24, she isn’t too far off. Her journey with ink started at 17 when she went to the UK to become a tattoo apprentice. Right when Tamaryn turned 18, she convinced her mentor to give her a quick tattoo at midnight — a picture of sushi rolls. “A silly one,” she laughs.
Whether spontaneous or thought-out, each piece she’s received tells a part of her story. Below, we dive into those tales, following her journey thus far through her tattoos.
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Are there any tattoos you got recently that you could tell us about?
There’s this “no more shots with a smiley face” tattoo which doesn’t really do me any justice because all it does is get me more shots (proceeded to take a shot). There’s another bartender called Tom. He’s the current manager of Vesper in Bangkok and he has the exact same tattooo. When I bumped into him in Korea, he showed it to me and I thought it was genius. When you cover the top, all it says is “more shots.”
I have a tattoo of a hawk which I got when I had my internship at a bar called Nighthawks in Singapore. I made a bet with my mentor who’s the owner there, Peter Chua. I lost the bet so I had to get a tattoo of a hawk. It has text that says “TFC” which stands for “Tamaryn Fan Club.” I tried to make a good tattoo out of losing a bet. Funnily enough, out of hundreds of tattoos, this is the only one to get infected which is bad karma probably because I made a bet with Peter.
How did your family and friends initially react to your tattoos?
When I started to get tattoos, I was an apprentice. I told my parents ‘I’m not going to university, I’m going to be a tattoo apprentice,’ and they didn’t talk to me for about a year. I got cut off all connections with my family and I was alone for a while but when I started working and becoming somewhat successful, they started being a little more accepting of me and my tattoos. Now they can’t really say anything about it. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.
Do you regret any of them?
So many. I used to have a tattoo on my forearm. The initials “G.D.” for G-Dragon. I’m in the middle of covering it up with a centipede. I got that one when I was 18 when I was obsessed with K-Pop. I still love G-Dragon all the same, but I’d recommend not getting your favourite idols tattooed on you.
Do you plan to get more tattoos in the future?
It has always been a vision of mine to get full coverage. I already started on my face, my neck, and my hands, so all the job-stoppers. If I continue to do well in my career, hopefully I can fulfill my dream.
Which one was the most painful?
I have one on my neck. People think it’s spiderman (laughs), but it’s not. It’s a spider in a cyber-tribal style matching the one I have on my stomach. The tattoo on my oesophagus was definitely one of the most painful. The cute flower on the side was the first tattoo I got on my face. I tried to hide that for the longest time from my parents.
Biggest tattoo?
The first big tattoo I got was when I was 19 of a snake, which starts from my ribcage and coils up the chest. It’s a double-headed snake from Greek mythology. One tells lies, one tells the truth. It took about 9 hours. For someone who was 19, it was kind of ambitious, but people told me to get them earlier because it supposedly hurts less.
Did you do any of your own tattoos?
The octopus was the first tattoo I ever did when I was practicing. I’ve also done a glass, chain, and duck saying “Let’s get this bread,” which is what I used to tell my team when I wanted to motivate them.
Cooper returns to Hong Kong for a guest shift at Carlyle & Co. on May 20. More details can be found below.
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Video Edits: Samson Jr. De Guzman
Special Thanks to The Landmark Mandarin Oriental
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Written by
Aaron Chow
Editor
Aaron is an editor currently based in Hong Kong focused on music, fashion, F&B, tech, art, and culture.
