by Tron Young, founder of The Bar Awards

It’s not often that I get to write and convey my personal thoughts on the bar and beverage scene in Singapore. As the founder, chief editor, white wizard level 99 (titles have never really been a big thing for me) of The Bar Awards, I’ve always let members of the industry deliberate and determine the top bars and ultimate winners for the awards each year.

This is my first chance to really be able to comment and to personally present The Short List for The Bar Awards – Singapore 2016.

Before we get to the exciting stuff (or you can just scroll down now), I want to take this opportunity to let you know how we do things…

In 2016 we added a new aspect to our nomination and voting system – public nominations – because consumers matter. They visit us, the people of the industry, everyday and enjoy the experiences we have built for them. After the public have nominated, that list of over 400 nominations goes to The Panel.

The Panel is a select group of industry leaders and professionals selected to deliberate on The Short List and the ultimate winner each year. The awards, since 2014, have always been about peers recognizing peers. Frankly, who would know best than the same folks who have walked in the same shoes? The Panel will then vote again from The Short List, and determine the ultimate winners. The results will be announced at our annual awards party held during Singapore Cocktail Week.

So, I present to you The Short List of The Bar Awards – Singapore 2016 (in alphabetical order):

The Bacardi Young Bartender of the Year

Bacardi Sin Kim Shin

We want to recognize and award the outstanding young talents of the industry. Candidates should be under 25 years of age, taking into account that some local individuals have to contribute 1.5 to 2 years to National Service.

  • Ashwin Raj (28 Hong Kong Street)
  • Benedict Poh (Club 39)
  • Boo Jing Heng (Jigger & Pony)
  • Brandon Hon (formerly of Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall)
  • Brendon Khoo (28 Hong Kong Street)
  • Bryan Kishore (FRESH!)
  • Cedric Mendoza (Manhattan)
  • Charles Faggotter (The Cufflink Club)
  • Cherrie Soh (Shin Gi Tai, formerly Sugarhall)
  • Hilda Tan (formerly of The Spiffy Dapper)
  • Joel Poon (The Library)
  • Jonathan Emmanuel (LongPlay)
  • Reena Mahendra Rivera (Club 39)
  • Sin Kim Shin (Jigger & Pony)
  • Symphony Loo (Neon Pigeon)

Best Culinary Experience in a Bar

club 39 kitchen

This is an award purely for those hard working individuals and teams slaving over a hot stove/fryer/cooker whilst we revel into the wee hours of the morning.

  • Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall
  • Anti:dote
  • D.Bespoke
  • DSTLLRY
  • Gibson
  • Jigger & Pony
  • L’Aiglon
  • LongPlay
  • Manhattan
  • Potato Head Folk
  • Tess Bar & Kitchen
  • The Flagship
  • The Horse’s Mouth
  • Vasco
  • 28 Hong Kong Street

Best Service Crew

dbespoke

For the people who’re on their feet and keeping a smile on their faces the whole night (and sometimes, day) – hats off to the best service crew in Singapore!

  • Anti:dote
  • Bread Street Kitchen
  • Club 39
  • D.Bespoke
  • El Tardeo
  • FRESH!
  • Jigger & Pony
  • l’Aiglon
  • Manhattan
  • Neon Pigeon
  • Operation Dagger
  • Spago by Wolfgang Puck
  • Tess Bar & Kitchen
  • Vasco
  • 28 Hong Kong Street

Best Beer Bar

nickeldime drafthouse

We’d like to think we have our fingers on the pulse of the beverage scene at The Bar Awards office. There has been a craft beer and brew trend growing since late 2014 and we thought it’d be fitting to recognize those who put in a lot of hard work to bring the best brews to consumers.

  • Brewerkz
  • CATO
  • Colbar
  • Cook & Brew Gastro Bar
  • Draft & Craft
  • Druggists
  • Ice Cold Beer
  • Ji Biru, Craft Beer Bar
  • Little Island Brewing Co.
  • Nickeldime Drafthouse
  • No. 5 Emerald Hill
  • Prive (Chijmes)
  • Smith Street Taps
  • South Coast
  • TAP
  • The Bucket List Bar
  • The Good Beer Company

The Monkey 47 Best Restaurant Bar

balvenie tippling

The culinary scene has always been huge in Singapore. With the rise of the beverage industry, many restaurants have improved and enhanced their experience with a great cocktail and beverage programme.

  • Adrift by David Meyers
  • Bread Street Kitchen
  • Burnt Ends
  • Club 39
  • Cut by Wolfgang Puck
  • FOC
  • Humpback
  • Kite
  • Long Chim
  • Neon Pigeon
  • Oxwell & Co
  • Sugarhall
  • Super Loco
  • Tess Bar & Kitchen
  • The Black Swan
  • The Tippling Club
  • Waku Ghin

Best Spirits and Liquor Selection

manhattan bar

Bigger is not always better; this category is judged by the amount of effort put into curating their collection of booze. Sourcing rare bottles, constantly changing their list, and finding new and unique tipples – that’s where the hard work lies.

  • Anti:dote
  • D.Bespoke
  • Fine Spirits by La Maison du Whisky
  • Jigger & Pony
  • L’Aiglon
  • Manhattan
  • Orihara Shoten
  • Quaich
  • Sugarhall
  • The Auld Alliance
  • The Flagship
  • The Library
  • The Secret Mermaid
  • The Spiffy Dapper
  • Vasco
  • 28 Hong Kong Street

The Cointreau Most Creative Cocktail Programme

antidote corpse reviver

It’s not easy being creative for one drink, let alone the entire cocktail list. We salute these establishments for making our night out extra fun and exciting.

  • Anti:dote
  • Bitters & Love
  • DSTLLRY
  • FRESH!
  • Gibson
  • House of Dandy
  • L’Aiglon
  • Manhattan
  • Operation Dagger
  • Smoke & Mirrors
  • Tess Bar & Kitchen
  • The Horse’s Mouth
  • The Powder Room
  • Tippling Club
  • 28 Hong Kong Street

Best New Cocktail Bar

club 39

Opening a new bar or restaurant is one of the hardest things to do in life. The amount of stress, deadlines, and coordination one has to do is maddening. Making it one of the best in the country is even harder, but these establishments have done it.

  • Bread Street Kitchen
  • Club 39
  • El Tardeo
  • FRESH!
  • Gibson
  • Humpback
  • Kite
  • Laugh
  • Long Chim
  • Shin Gi Tai
  • Smoke & Mirrors
  • Spago by Wolfgang Puck
  • The Flagship
  • Tiger’s Milk
  • Vagabond Bar
  • Vasco

Bartender of the Year

La Maison Cointreau Tess Kitchen Mike Cheong

What kind of bar award would we be if we didn’t recognize the most talented bartenders in the country?

  • Akihiro Eguchi, Gibson
  • Anthony Zhong, Shin Gi Tai
  • Bannie Kang, Anti:dote
  • Kamil Foltan, Tippling Club
  • Kino Soh, FRESH!
  • Luke Whearty, Operation Dagger
  • Naz Arjuna, Bitters & Love
  • Nicholas Quattroville, formerly of L’Aiglon
  • Peter Chua, 28 Hong Kong Street
  • Sam Wong, Neon Pigeon
  • Steve Leong, Tess Bar & Kitchen
  • Tom Hogan, Anti:dote
  • Vijay Mudaliar, Operation Dagger
  • Yugnes Susela, Smoke & Mirrors
  • Zdenek Kastanek, 28 Hong Kong Street

The Stolichnaya Best Cocktail Bar

gibson

I’m sure this is the one you’ve been waiting for – your drinking and bar-hopping plans, sorted.

  • Anti:dote
  • Bitters & Love
  • Cut by Wolfgang Puck
  • D.Bespoke
  • DSTLLRY
  • Gibson
  • Jigger & Pony
  • L’Aiglon
  • Manhattan
  • Operation Dagger
  • Tess Bar & Kitchen
  • The Cufflink Club
  • The Powder Room
  • The Tippling Club
  • 28 Hong Kong Street

Well, there you have it. Singapore’s best and finest in a little list for you to explore during Singapore Cocktail Week in March and throughout the year in 2016.

The Ultimate Winners will be announced during The Bar Awards party on Sunday, 13th March 2016.

If you’d like more information on The Bar Awards and how we do things, visit our website or check out our Facebook page. If you have any thoughts on The Short List or queries about The Bar Awards, drop us a line at info@thebarawards.com.

Cheers! *hic

Tron Young

Tron Young is the founder of The Bar Awards. The Bar Awards’ goal is to bring people together every year to celebrate achievement and excellence in the bar industry (and to get a little drunk, of course).

1 COMMENT

  1. […] The Bar Awards was first started back in 2014 to recognise and celebrate the talents in Singapore’s burgeoning bar scene, and while it’s not too interesting or relevant to the casual nightlife goer it has become the premier event for Singapore’s nightlife industry scene. On 13 March 2016 at OverEasy from 6.30pm, the industry will get together to celebrate and recognise the best amongst them. […]

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