Chuan by Nutmeg pairs winning cocktails with Chinese bar bites

Award-winning cocktail bar Nutmeg & Clove partners up with Sichuan Chinese restaurant, Si Chuan Dou Hua, for Chuan by Nutmeg.

One of the latest cocktail concepts to open up actually comes from one of Singapore’s pioneering cocktail bars. Nutmeg & Clove has unveiled Chuan by Nutmeg, a sky-high urban cocktail bar that’s located within award-winning Chinese restaurant Si Chuan Dou Hua on the 60th floor of UOB Plaza.

We’ve long argued that many Chinese dishes make excellent bar bites; instead of pairing with the usual Chinese lagers or French red wines, we’re of the opinion that many of these nibbles can work very well with classic cocktails. Apparently, both Nutmeg & Clove and Si Chuan Dou Hua agree. Hence the partnership between the two for Chuan by Nutmeg, combining the former’s mixology chops with the Chinese restaurant’s Sichuanese cuisine.

Chuan by Nutmeg is really the brainchild of Nutmeg & Clove founder Colin Chia, and is led by head bartender Joshua Pang. Chia and Pang have cleverly curated a list of cocktails for Chuan by Nutmeg. Not only will tipplers find a selection of Nutmeg & Clove’s most popular signature cocktails, there’s also a section dedicated to tea-infused cocktails. The latter, “The Tea Collector”, is (of course) a theme that works very well with Si Chuan Dou Hua’s treasured collection of premium Chinese teas.

Whereas Nutmeg & Clove’s cocktails – with its current Chinese horoscope-inspired cocktail menu – is more playful and experimental, the tea-inspired cocktails here are more elegant and thoughtful. There’s the likes of the Goddess Highball, a refreshing vodka-based drink that’s spiked with a cordial made with Tie Guan Yin tea. Another thirst-quenching tipple is the French 75-inspired Rose Bubbles, which combines gin with Prosecco that’s flavoured with rose cordial, pink grapefruit, and a touch of lemongrass.

Prefer your drinks on the stronger side? Try the Chrissy Blanc. Here gin, Gentian liqueur, and chrysanthemum-infused vermouth combine for an Oriental twist of the white Negroni. Otherwise there’s the very clever Old Treasure Fashioned, which takes the classic Old Fashioned and gives it a Chinese touch with ingredients that go into the celebratory Chinese “eight treasure” tea.

But if you’re a huge fan of the drinks at Nutmeg & Clove, some of them can be found here at Chuan by Nutmeg too. We do love their Ondeh-Ondeh Highball, a tribute to the Nonya kueh made with Compendium Ondeh Ondeh soju and carbonated coconut water, as well as the evergreen favourite bandung-flavoured clarified milk punch that is Roses & Lychee.

Bar bites – a combination of familiar Sichuan and Cantonese favourites – come from the kitchen of Si Chuan Dou Hua, put together by Executive Cantonese Chef Hoo Chee Keong.

Worth an order is the Oyster Egg with XO Sauce, which is really a turbo-charged oyster omelette, as well as the Crispy Pork Belly with Fermented Beans. Absolutely moreish is the Mala Chong Qing Chicken, the spicy popcorn chicken of the East.

For gentler palates the Pan-Fried Dumplings with Ginger Vinegar will be absolutely comforting, and likewise the Stir-Fried Diced Beef with Garlic.

You don’t necessarily think of UOB Plaza as a place to head to for drinks. Chuan by Nutmeg is set to change that.

Chuan by Nutmeg & Clove

Address 80 Raffles Place #60-01, 1 UOB Plaza, 048624 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 3pm to 10pm daily
Tel (65) 9167 2966
Web www.nutmegclove.com
Facebook nutmegandclove
Instagram @chuanbynutmeg