Looking for a tall cool drink to combat the Lion City’s balmy weather? Kurt Ganapathy takes on a journey of discovery through Singapore’s best cocktail bars.
If you thought that Singapore’s bar scene had reached a saturation point, a wave of new openings might prove you wrong. Already regarded as one of the world’s drinking capitals, Singapore has gone from strength to strength in the past 12 months with a host of brand new establishments popping up in the first half of the year, each offering something different.
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Crackerjack
It’s hard to remember Singapore’s cocktail scene before 28 HongKong Street opened in 2011, such has been the impact and influence of a bar that’s been named fourth-best in Asia and fourteenth in the world in past awards.
Crackerjack comes from the same team behind 28 HongKong Street and is helmed by Peter Chua and Zachary de Git, two of the biggest names when it comes to the Singapore bar scene. This innovative bar serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Crackerjack, complimented by, as expected, awesome cocktails. The bar’s regular menu features creations like the Walter Malone, with gin, watermelon, lemon, sea salt, and basil; Ticonderoga, with rye whiskey, Averna coffee, smoked maple and black walnut; and the heady Absinthe Swizzle, with absinthe, dry vermouth, peach, mint, and lemon, but be sure to check out their cocktail of the week as well.
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Atlas
While it’s flashy on the surface, with décor modelled after a grand hotel lobby bar from the Jazz Age, Atlas is an establishment that backs style with substance. Behind the bar, they have Roman Foltan insert quote for Roman Atlas profile, who honed his skills at Artesian in London, the best bar in the world during his time there.
On the bar’s lofty shelves, you’ll find more than 1,000 types of gin, including antique bottles from the early 20th century. With this uniquely expansive collection, they can make incredible drinks like the Florentine Negroni (1920s Florentine London dry gin, 1930s Italian sweet vermouth, and vintage Campari), a precise recreation of something Count Camillo Negroni himself might have savoured in his heyday. While that will set you back a cool S$200 (US$145),
Atlas also mixes classy everyday cocktails – go for the Atlas Martini with London dry gin, Ambrato vermouth, orange bitters, and champagne vinegar; the Young Churchill with Islay single malt, herbal liqueur, orange bitters, chocolate and capers; or the SS Normandie, Calvados, peach, peach liqueur, almond cordial, citrus and salt.
It’s easy to see why Atlas has already made its way to 5th spot on this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars list.
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Flying Monkey
One of Singapore’s most vibrant places, Kampong Glam got even more colourful in 2017 with the arrival of Flying Monkey. This pan-Indian tapas bar uses a traditional charcoal tandoor and their cocktails are among the most inventive in town. Cocktails with Asian flavours have been around for a while, but the classic Indian flavours used here are pretty ground-breaking. Try the Yo Yo Mani with white rum, overproof rum, coconut rum, coconut water, coconut cream, and five-spice Kerala rice syrup; the Goa Mamma Lassi, with vodka, dark rum, mango, passion fruit, milk, and yogurt; and Mind It!, a blend of jasmine-infused Monkey 47 gin, maple syrup, fresh mint, and lemon.
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The Lobby Bar at The Warehouse Hotel
Big things were expected of The Lo & Behold Group’s first hotel venture, The Warehouse Hotel, and it has certainly delivered so far. A 37-room boutique hotel housed in restored heritage buildings in Robertson Quay, The Warehouse is where you’ll find an as yet unnamed lobby bar and Po, a restaurant fronted by Mod Sin cuisine icon Willin Low. Both serve cocktails that take you through three eras of the Singapore River.
From the Spice Trade (19th century) section, there’s the Singapore Sazerac (above), with raisin bourbon, pandan bitters, rye whiskey, cognac, absinthe, and spiced demerara; from the Godown period (mid-20th century) there’s the Kopi Cat, with salted caramel vodka, hazelnut, orgeat, espresso, condensed milk, chocolate and honeycomb; and from The Warehouse Disco period (late 20th century, when a nightclub occupied the premises) there’s Kaya Lumpur, laced with pineapple rum, kaya, fresh basil, citrus, and soda.
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Lulu’s Lounge
Providing a quirky alternative to a conventional night of partying, Lulu’s Lounge is a reincarnation of a 1960s backstreet club in New York, with its décor, music, and live burlesque performances setting the tone. Quite unusually for an establishment positioned as a club, Lulu’s has an impressive cocktail selection that is equal parts old school and whimsical.
The Lulu and Louie Forever with gin, cucumber water, mint, and lemon juice; Take Me to Fiji, with rum, Aperol, cherry brandy and orange juice; and the Va Va Voom with mezcal, orange and chilli-flavoured ice cubes, house grenadine and grapefruit soda are huge steps up from the Long Islands and tequila shots of your youth.
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Summerlong
Adding to Robertson Quay’s reinvention in 2017, Summerlong is a new concept from the folks who brought you Neon Pigeon and Fat Prince. Inspired by the culture of the eastern Mediterranean, Summerlong is a “city beach” café that serves up hearty eats like seafood platters and Persian fried chicken along with cocktails suited for its waterfront location.
Cocktail highlights include the 3 Continents, with three rums, pineapple and passion fruit, served in a coconut shell; the Greek Elixir, with ouzo, lime and herbs; and the pitcher-sized Summerlong Spritz, an Aperol Spritz variant made with cava and grapefruit.
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The Writing Club
Tucked away at Palais Renaissance on Orchard Road, Singapore’s newest whisky bar appeals to the wordsmith in all of us with a wide but carefully curated selection of around 500 of the world’s best whiskies. The bar opened in late June, but judging by their opulent interiors and whisky collection, which includes sought-after bottlings from Ardbeg and closed distillery Littlemill, this will be a go-to place for lovers of a fine dram, regardless of their writing abilities.
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