Taiwan’s popular casual cocktail haunt Draft Land opens its Singapore outpost, offering a selection of 20 different cocktails from its draft taps paired with Taiwanese-inspired snacks.
Some bars specialise in bespoke cocktails. They artfully craft your choice of drink in front of you, almost like a rite or performance – think Japanese Ginza-style cocktail joints like Bar Kakure or D.Bespoke, for example.
Then there is Draft Land Singapore, which takes an entirely different approach. The newly-opened casual cocktail bar is an offshoot of Taiwan’s original award-winning Draft Land, which made its name on offering pre-batched but high-quality specialty cocktails served quickly from a draft tap system. While draft cocktails aren’t new to Singapore – The Guild along Keong Saik Road, for example, serves whisky highballs and gin and tonic from a couple of their taps, as did the long-defunct Oxwell & Co on Ann Siang Hill – Draft Land Singapore is possibly the first to offer a whopping 20 cocktails on tap.
And not just any cocktail. Draft Land Singapore is a collaboration by Taiwan’s Drinks Lab and Nutmeg Collective – the folks behind cocktail bars Nutmeg & Clove and Last Word – and together they tap their expertise as well as an entire network of bartender friends around the region for some fun, yet technique driven, liquid creations to be served on those 20 taps.
We’re talking about some serious mixology chops from their network. For the month of October to celebrate Word’s 50 Best Bars in Singapore, you’re looking at some exclusive cocktails from big-name bartending legends from around the world. There’s Shingo Gokan of Tokyo’s The SG Club, whose C & T is a sublime cinnamon-infused take on gin and tonic, while the Oolong Tea Collins by Antonio Lai of Hong Kong’s Quinary is smashingly refreshing and leaves a seductive tea flavour in its finish. And we wish the deeply complex and flavourful Soul of Osaka by Bar High Five’s infinitely famous Hidetsugu Ueno – which most of us know for carving beautiful ice diamonds by hand for cocktails – will be on tap here at Draft Land Singapore forever.
The house cocktails aren’t slouches either. We rather enjoyed Silver Fizz, which sounds – and tastes – like a dill-accented Gimlet lengthened into a highball, as well as Fancy Iced Tea, effectively a turbo-charged gin-based iced lemon tea. For something stronger, the Afternoon Tea Punch – combining rum, VSOP, earl grey, and lime – will hit the spot.
As for food, Draft Land Singapore offers a small selection of snacks inspired by Taiwan’s rich culinary heritage. There’s Braised Pork Arancini, for example, a clever take on Taiwan’s beloved lu rou fan (braised pork rice) transformed into bar-friendly, Italian-style arancini. The Egg Pancake too is a lovely twist on Taiwanese egg rolls, or dan bing, that somehow taste like a cheeseburger with its aged cheddar and jamon iberico.
Draft Land Singapore is the fifth Draft Land outpost, following those in ZhongXiao, Xinyi, and Taichung in Taiwan, as well as one in Hong Kong. The venue, located on Purvis Street, is a minimalist yet cosy space offering both indoor and outdoor areas for cocktail revellers to lounge. While there are some seating, most of the space is dedicated to standing room.
“The concept behind Draft Land is to shake up conventional perceptions of a bar and introduce a refreshing approach that appeals to both bartenders and customers. Our goal is to make cocktails accessible and casual while maintaining consistency — something you can enjoy at any time, not limited to intricate creations crafted by master bartenders. Through this approach, we aspire to attract a wider audience into the world of cocktails,” shared Angus Zou, founder of Draft Land Taiwan.
Draft Land Singapore
Address 24 Purvis Street, Singapore 188601 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 4pm to 12am Tuesdays to Fridays; 2pm to 12am Saturdays and Sundays; closed on Mondays
Tel (65) 9657 8774
Web www.draftland.tw
Facebook draftland
Instagram @draftlandsg
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