Inside the Filipino male’s sacred ritual known as the inuman, a space for drink, connection, and curated chaos.
This story began as an idea over an inuman. It was a typical Saturday evening, and I was sitting with my closest guy friends, talking about the stressful work week and why hydrogen is the new go-to health supplement. I looked around: the whisky bottle was half empty, someone was scrolling through a playlist, and the glasses were mismatched. No theme, no prep, just that unspoken understanding that this was the plan. It had only taken a text: “Who’s free? Wanna drink?”
That simple setup got me thinking: How do boys drink and host? We’re all familiar with how our close girlfriends do it—tables set with intention, food curated to match a theme, and dress codes. But what happens when none of them are involved. What does the modern male Filipino inuman look like?
At its core, an inuman is just this: gathering to drink, nothing more, nothing less. But anyone who’s ever stayed out late, fighting over whose Spotify playlist gets played while laughing over pulutan knows it’s so much more than that. It’s a ritual. A Filipino way for guys to connect. Whether it’s singing karaoke at the end of the night or titos-in-training discussing bitcoin over whisky, every barkada has its own vibe. No two inumans are ever the same.
So I did a little digging. I interviewed four boys to uncover the subtle, sacred science of the boys’s night. Some drink to unwind. Others turn it into a performance. All of them, in their own way, have a method. Think of this as a cheeky anthropological field guide. Here’s what I found:
You Must Have A Good Crowd
“Oh no,” Brandon Limpe Aw says with a grin during our Zoom call. “People are really going to think I’m an alcoholic now.” He bursts out laughing.
Some boys grow into drinking, but Brandon was born into it. His family owns Destileria Limtuaco, the oldest distillery in the Philippines, founded in 1852 and known for iconic spirits like El Hombre Tequila, White Castle Whisky, and Manille Liqueur. Brandon contributes to their legacy through sister company Convoy Marketing Corporation, which distributes their products nationwide.
“Why? Do you drink every day?” I ask, half-joking, but also genuinely curious. After all, when your family makes booze, it’s always within reach.
“No!” he replies quickly. One might even say, too quickly. “I don’t drink every day,” he continues. “Only when I’m invited out or during special occasions.”
Married with a young child, life has mellowed out for Brandon. But before the quiet life, he made sure to go out with a bang. “I gave all my groomsmen super high- proof alcohol [specially made at Destileria Limtuaco],” he shares mischievously. “All my friends still have their bottles at home. When we play games and someone loses and has to take a shot, I tell them, ‘Bring out the bottle I gave you.’ And they’re like, ‘Damn.’ It’s really an acquired taste—it’s overproof rum.”
Brandon has always been one of the most fun, generous hosts you’ll ever meet. Imaginative, too. A kiddie pool with ice and flowing alcohol, flanked by a giant inflatable castle. These days, his inumans may be more mature, but they haven’t lost their playfulness. His warmth and easy charm make him his group’s go-to host.
“I prefer our inumans to be at home,” he says. “At our age, you don’t really want to go to clubs. I’m married and prefer quieter environments. And at home, you choose what bottles to serve. You end up with better whisky. I have a good collection of whisky because we’re mostly whisky drinkers, and I’m proud that I was able to convert my friends to drink better. Before they would just drink whatever, but now they’re maarte.”
Of course, along with the drinks comes good food and good music. His choice of pulutan is Chinese food, specifically siomai or finger foods like salt and pepper squid. When starting early, he likes to grill burgers, barbeque, and steaks. And for music, it’s just live mixing videos on the screen, DJ sets they can find online. That is, until they’re several drinks in and it turns into karaoke mode.
“You must have a good crowd,” he adds. “The better the crowd, the better the inuman. They need to have good stories.” He also enjoys mixing friend circles, introducing people he thinks will hit it off. “Like a matchmaker,” he grins. “And many times, they end up good friends!”
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Connection At The Core Of The Inuman
As Co-founder of Quay Concepts, the group behind popular night spots like Apotheka, Cheshire, and Ugly Duck in Poblacion, Marco Baluyut literally makes his living off nightly inumans. “Every day is an inuman,” he begins with a laugh. “It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m drinking myself, but I’m making everyone drink.”
After years of hosting strangers under the neon lights of Makati, his idea of “drinking with the boys” has evolved significantly “In my younger years, it was just ‘whatever.’ It didn’t matter where we were or what we drank,” he shares. “But as I started putting up bars, nightlife became my business. Now, every day feels like an inuman, so a real personal one is something special.”
“When I truly do an inuman—Marco, not ‘Marco the Inuman Provider’—it’s usually abroad, exploring new bars, clubs, and restaurants with friends,” he continues. “That’s when you’ll find me in a true inuman mindset.”
For someone who has a whole portfolio of bars at his disposal, the confession is surprising. Not that he’s ungrateful for his business success; he’s incredibly proud of his establishments. But even the most active party boys need downtime.
“I want to explore a new world during my inumans,” he adds, explaining that discovering new cities, trying unique food, and, of course, drinking the night away are what make it meaningful. “I always start with a classic Negroni—just to try it—but I always end up ordering something new.”
When he hosts at one of his own concepts, Marco prefers Cheshire. But wherever he is, the blueprint of his hosting style remains that of a traditional Filipino boy with his homies. There’s always pulutan–greasy food like french fries is essential–or sometimes shrimp cocktails, which he claims pair well with their bar drinks.
He also has a signature drink that’s sure to get his friends drunk. “I do this special shot, with three high-proof alcohols mixed together—absinthe included,” he says with a knowing smirk. “It’s my version of a messed- up Bacardi night, and it’s what I usually give my friends on a night out. Then I follow it up with multiple shots of tequila. I’m very hard to stop.”
But at the core of his inumans—whether they’re happening in a neon-lit bar in Makati or a dim speakeasy halfway across the world—it’s really all about connection.
“Sometimes I forget to hold my phone, because I just want to be in the moment,” Marco reflects. “What makes an inuman so special, especially coming from the pandemic when all inumans stopped, is that it’s a way of connecting. A way of celebrating. How we release emotion. It keeps us from imploding when we’re stressed. It’s important to be together, to release, to catch up with friends. It’s an opportunity to realize whatever we’re actually going through.”
Pulutan Always Helps
If Marco treats the inuman as both an escape and emotional release, Nicholas Tolentino takes a more intimate, ritualistic approach. In your barkada, Nick is that guy completely offline, just living in the moment. He has a big apartment and a big heart, and so naturally becomes the host. It also helps that he’s great in the kitchen.
For him, hosting is the perfect excuse to show off his culinary skills—something he’s honed between his professional work and his other passions, which include pickleball and long-distance running. Memorable dishes he’s prepared for guests include perfectly cooked ribeye steaks, duck confit atop chive pancakes (or Korean buchujeon), beer tartare, and the most flavorful chicken and lentil soup you’ll ever have.
On easier nights, he’ll throw together a cheese board or quick finger foods. “Whenever we go on a trip, I like to buy cheeses and sausages, and I host around our pasalubongs,” he explains. “It’s the perfect excuse to hang out, talk about the trip, and catch up with friends.” And what does he serve these delicious creations on? Vintage kitchenware.
“If your tita is getting rid of pots, pans, glasses, or plates, I’m usually available to check them out,” he says. “I’m always on the lookout for old copper pans, vintage coupe cups, and 1950s American kitchenware. There’s nothing better than buying new whisky glasses from Facebook Marketplace page and then hosting a whisky night for your buddies to show them off.”
“Sometimes I work backwards,” he continues. “If I’ve got new wine glasses, I’ll invite wine lovers and pair the food accordingly. But I must always have beer. We don’t make cocktails as I don’t really want to spend time on that. When I’m hosting, I’m usually cooking, so I want the drinks to be easy. I set up a self-service bar with lots of ice. That way, the drinks areaccessible and everyone can do and drink what they want.”
What matters the most to Nick is the thoughtfulness behind every element he provides for his guests: “A lot of nights out are for work or social obligations, so catching up just to catch up feels rare. Inumans are something special, and they’re worth putting effort into.”
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Zillennial Inuman
“Well, I consider myself a ‘Zillennial,’” says Jaime Santamaria, 27—the youngest guy on this list. I’d heard Gen Z doesn’t drink as much as the previous generations. “I’m on the cusp of being a Millennial and a Gen Z,” he continues. “But super facts, bro. There’s actual data that Gen Z is drinking the least amount of alcohol in history. But I don’t really count myself there.”
Jaime balances modeling work along with being a licensed real estate broker and an entrepreneur. Life has been all about the grind lately, so inumans, for him, have become more about unwinding in a laid- back setting.
“When I was younger, we went quite hard,” he chuckles and takes a sip of his coffee. “But now, when we drink, it’s more of a chill thing. It’s more of an ‘ease-into-it’ thing now. Definitely more chill, more vibes, more conversations, more jokes, more laughs.”
When Jaime and his barkada get together, the laid-back vibes kick in. Their pulutan choices are far from fussy, typically revolving around pizza and chicken, complemented by beer and the occasional tequila or whisky. As for dress code? “Nah, dude. We’re guys,” he chuckles.
What they do have, something the other boys didn’t mention, are games. The first is the classic beer pong. The other is something called Buffalo.
“Basically, if you’re caught holding your drink with your dominant hand and someone calls you out and says ‘buffalo,’ you have to down it, so you have to stay on your toes,” he explains, sounding Gen Z-leaning despite referring to himself as a Zillenial. “Of course, when we play beer pong, the loser has to take shots. Aside from that, on a regular night, we’re just chilling.” No two inuman nights are the same, but one thing never changes: when the “bros” hang out, it always feels special.
“I think it’s really just the people you’re with and the experiences you’ve shared with each other that can make an inuman truly special,” he says. “Inumans feel incredibly human because of our conversations— bringing up new ideas, catching up, talking about past experiences, all the stupid things we did when we were young and all the stupid things that have happened to us. All that is some of the best stuff to look back on. All that funny stuff makes it extremely human. Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s such a warm experience.”
The Brotherhood Of Man
Despite their differences, each of the boys I spoke to drinks for the same reason: to connect, to foster friendship, to find brotherhood among their peers. The common thread between all their inumans isn’t about what’s poured into the glass, but who they’re pouring it for.
While each of the boys hosts in their own way—Brandon with his collection of spirits, Marco with his collection of bars, Nick with his food pairings, and Jaime with fun-spirited games–they all use drinks as a means to bond.
Inumans feel “incredibly human,” because when we do it, we aren’t just looking for fun—we’re trying to make it for others as well. Inumans are also a rare space for men to let their guard down. This gender is notorious for keeping things in, for masking vulnerability, but in the private corners of an inuman, away from social media, they can truly show who they are: their warmth, their ridiculousness, their humor, their softness.
When you break it down, it’s not about the drink in your hand, but the bonds you’re creating. And if that sounds a little sentimental, well, maybe that’s just the whisky talking.
The Inuman Playlist:
Brandon’s Picks
“Sweet Soul Revue” by Pizzicato Five
“The Spins” by Empire of the Sun and Mac Miller
“The Yes Yes Show” by Parokya ni Edgar
Marco’s Picks
“Electric Feel” by MGMT
“raingurl” by Yaeji
“Hollywood” by RAC and Penguin Prison
Nick’s Picks
“You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse
“You’re a Jerk” by New Boyz
“Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” by Arctic Monkeys
Jaime’s Picks
“Mrs. Officer” by Lil Wayne
“Breakeven” by The Script
“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
This article was originally published in our June 2025 issue.
