Cocktail aficionados will love the new Secret Garden menu at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore’s One-Ninety Bar, which takes its inspiration from three world cities.
As far as inspiration goes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a setting more diverse than the likes of Singapore, New York and London. These global capitals and their botanic gardens and streetscapes have inspired One-Ninety head bartender Sophia Kang and beverage manager Gabriel Carlos to craft 12 new cocktails, each of which tells the story of culture, unique botanicals, famous landmarks and the iconic bar scenes of the three cities.
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The Secret Gardens menu, which is made up of four components, is a curated collection of tipples that embody the essence of each city, transforming the stories into liquid poetry, where every shake, stir and pour reveals a chapter untold.
Highlights from the Singapore Botanic collection include the Rose of Sharon, with Brass Lion Dry Gin, Muyu Vetiver Gris, Cointreau, hibiscus, pineapple, yuzu, and grenadine, a drink inspired by the engravings of South Korea and Singapore’s national flowers seen on the “Conversation” plaque in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
A tribute to the Ginger Garden in Singapore, the Zingiber blends Vida Mezcal with Ancho Reyes Verde, ginger, turmeric, lime, and Fever-Tree Grapefruit Soda in a rift on the classic Paloma; while the Bandstand, a combination of Michter’s Single Barrel Rye, Mancino Rosso Vermouth, Mr. Black Coffee Amaro, and Amaro Lucano poured across hand-cut ice that represents the iconic landmark that used to be at the highest point of the Tanglin Core site.
Inspired by prolific English Victorian Biologist Marianne North, the Miss North, part of the Royal Botanic section, combines Flor de Caña 12 Years, with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Mancino Rosso Vermouth, Cointreau, Lily of the Field, and beetroot cordial in a sour fizz that packs a punch; whjile the Kitchen Garden, with Nuet Dry Aquavit, tomato, mushroom, celery, and citrus, is rimmed with a house-made tomato powder.
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The Arethusa is a take on the classic martini with London No. 3 Dry Gin, Haku Vodka, Mancino Secco Vermouth, Empirical The Plum, and The Japanese Shiso Bitters and is served with a side of Japanese Ume plums and pickles; while The Hive marries Stranger and Sons Gin, Campari, lavender honey, lemon, grapefruit, orange marmalade, and egg white in a homage to the striking installation of the same name in the heart of a wildflower meadow in Kew Gardens.
From the Brooklyn Botanic series look out for Dumbo, with Monkey Shoulder Triple Malt, house-made peated port syrup, Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters, and Regan’s Orange Bitters, an Old Fashioned inspired by the New York neighbourhood’s trendy cobblestone streets and warehouses; and Bloom, a Japanese interpretation with Jura 12 Years, cherry, hojicha, spices, Thai basil, and whey that marks the second largest cherry blossom collection and one of the most diverse outside Japan.
The new list also features insightful zero-proof cocktails, including the Ballad of Mulan, with Seedlip Grove 42, tomato, mushroom, celery, citrus, and soda; and the Sky Tree, with Lyre’s Amaretto, watermelon, strawberry, pineapple, lime, and mint.
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