Spirited’s latest Drinkspotting issue again sees chief drinks editor Daniel Goh venture back into treacherous cocktail territory to discover the tipples worth writing home about.
When it rains, it pours. In this case, we’re talking about the many cocktails shaken or stirred up for new or refreshed cocktail menus in bars across town. Indeed the past month has seen so many cocktail watering holes update their offerings, which is great for titillating the palates of cocktail lovers though maybe not so good for their wallet.
So here we go, in no order of merit or preference, some of the cocktails from eight cocktail venues – Brasserie Astoria Singapore, Sugarhall, Smoke & Mirrors, Cat Bite Club, One-Ninety Bar, PLUME, Horse’s Mouth, and The Lobby Lounge at InterContinental Singapore -that I think are worth risking our livers for.
Brasserie Astoria Singapore
You don’t think of Brasserie Astoria Singapore as a place for cocktails, but you should. The Victoria Concert Hall restaurant may be better known for its stunning retro glam and fresh new spins on old-school brasserie favourites, but it is also home to an excellent cocktail bar that serves up, dare we say, possibly the best Martinis in town.
It has recently unveiled a new ‘Aurora Borealis’ cocktail menu, one that promises to be as immersive and enchanting as the venue itself. Each new cocktail is named after and inspired by a song, and the menu even provides a Spotify link so guests can listen to the track while sipping on their choice of tipple for a more holistic experience.
It’s a fun soundtrack. You can jive to Santana’s classic Latin American mambo tune Oye Como Va, for example, as you partake of this spiced twist on the Margarita, or Take A Chance on Me, what’s best described as the love child of a clarified Bloody Mary and a Dirty Martini that’s named for ABBA’s runaway hit. Then there’s Real Love Baby, a Boulevardier that’s as smooth and dreamy like the Father John Misty song.
And don’t forget to avail yourself of the exclusive bar menu, where you can snack on the likes of Prosciutto di San Daniele tossed with candied pecans, feta, and lashed with lavender honey, indolent Bone Marrow, or sticky Iberico Baby Back Ribs glazed with stout.
Brasserie Astoria Singapore | 11 Empress Pl, Singapore 179558 (Google Maps link) | 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10pm on Mondays to Thursdays; 12pm to 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays; 3pm to 10pm on Sundays | www.brasserieastoria.sg | 9619 1567 | book here
Sugarhall
We’ve always been amused by the fun concoctions at rum-focused cocktail gastrobar Sugarhall, but the cocktails from its latest drinks menu ‘COCKTAIL GETAWAY’ may be its most irreverent yet. You’re looking at 18 colourful cocktails each of which entice you into dreaming of your year-end holiday, that long-awaited work break, or escape to some bucket list destination.
You’ll hanker for the Mediterranean after a sip of the Olive Negroni, for example, or longing for a visit to the Americas upon tasting the fruity, rum-laced San Juan Cooler or Sugarhall’s reworked signature Rum Old Fashioned. The Peach Smash is a clever and delicious hat tip to two Kentucky favourites, the peach iced tea and the Whisky Smash, that may just have you sign up for a flight to bourbon country.
Closer to home there’s Green Spicy Margarita, whose green mango, chilli and basil notes remind you of the Land of the Smiles, while the Mango Colada will have you wishing you were sunbathing in some resort in the Philippines archipelago.
Some are also rather cheeky reinventions of throwback cocktails from previous decades. Such as Blue Lagoon, an update of that refreshingly tropical, electric blue-tinged vodka-based tiki concoction that was quite the rage during the ’80s.
If there’s a cocktail menu that looks like a NATAS brochure, Sugarhall’s COCKTAIL GETAWAY is it. Well, time to pencil in a holiday.
Sugarhall | 19 Cecil St, Level 2, Singapore 049704 (Google Maps link) | 5.30pm to 12am Mondays to Thursdays; 5.30pm to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays; closed on Sundays | www.sugarhall.sg | 9815 0246 | book here
Smoke & Mirrors
Popular National Gallery Singapore rooftop bar Smoke & Mirrors’ latest iteration of its seminal cocktail menu ‘The Real Art of Drinking’ moves away from its previous focus on reimagining works of art to celebrating colours in general. Volume IV is a cocktail kaleidoscope of 12 different creations all of which draw from a multitude of inspirations and wonderfully hued.
There’s Dazzling Pop!, a vivaciously red concoction of gin, sangria, watermelon and sparkling wine that makes for the perfect celebratory tipple, or the chartreuse-tinged Zen Voyage, which tastes like a Midori highball that’s been enriched with gin and sherry. We’re quite taken with the orange-coloured Peeling Good, a cognac take on Malaysia’s national cocktail, the Jungle Bird, while Lion City Sling sees Singapore’s own national cocktail turned all yellow from the use of turmeric, pineapple juice, and an ochre-coloured herbal liqueur.
Other cocktails with the Smoke & Mirrors colour treatment? Purplish The Milky Way is a clarified milk punch with a melange of flavours, while The Golden Ticket takes on brown accents as an Old Fashioned with notes of peanut and chocolate.
Smoke & Mirrors | 1 St. Andrew’s Road, #06-01 National Gallery Singapore, Singapore 178957 (Google Maps link) | 6pm to 12am Mondays to Wednesdays; 6pm to 1am on Thursdays to Saturdays; 5pm to 12am on Sundays | smokeandmirrors.com.sg | 9380 6313 | book here
Cat Bite Club
Cosy cocktail den Cat Bite Club may have tweaked its cocktails slightly since opening in the middle of last year, but the faux speakeasy – hidden as it is behind heavy curtains within a lifestyle retail store – just saw its biggest menu update ever.
Cat Bite Club continues to build its offerings around agave and rice-based spirits, presenting one agave and one rice-based spirit take on a classic while shining a spotlight on each unique spirit’s provenance and story. For example, Meow Now Brown Cow is an agave variation on the espresso Martini made using with añejo tequila, while Mango Potato Bomb leans on imo shochu instead. The Brandy Crusta is also reinvented here; Ghost’een is an agave spin using while espadin mezcal, while Rice Rice Daisy combines mugi shochu, imo shochu, and even strong aroma baijiu for a spirited Asian twist.
Aside from the signature double trouble menu, Cat Bite Club has also introduced a range of classics for those not quite so adventurous. Little Italy is an Italian take on the Manhattan using Cynar and Italian vermouth, while Ode to Ada is a smoky and spirit-forward agave Old Fashioned made using a blend of mezcals, among others.
As for die-hard fans of the Cat Bite Margarita – one of the best Margarita versions in town – you can heave a sigh of relief. It remains on the menu. And we like that there’s Milk Punch for a Cause, a weekly rotating tipple that sees a portion of its proceeds going to local cat charities.
Cat Bite Club | 75 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089534 (Google Maps link) | 5pm to 12am daily | catbiteclub.com | 8190 6597 | book here
One-Ninety Bar
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore cocktail lounge One-Ninety Bar last year introduced a cocktail menu inspired by iconic botanic gardens around the world, and its latest Secret Gardens menu continues that focus on botany.
The nine new cocktails added to the menu pay homage to two additional botanic gardens – the charming gardens of Ooty in India’s state of Tamil Nadu, as well as the stunning Montreal Botanical Garden in Canada.
Those who love a little heat in their cocktail will dig Nilgiri Hills, a whisky-based milk punch fragrant with Nilgiri tea but also spiced up with aromatic curry leaves and fire water. On the other hand, Tamarai pays tribute to India’s national flower and infuses the classic Mai Tai with notes of lotus and bergamot.
Then there’s Pomme’s Picnic, a bubbly calvados-based creation that’s altogether fruity and floral with apple, lemon, and lavender, while Battle of Orleans is a Manhattan and Vieux Carre hybrid that’s rich, elegant, and intense.
Flower power never tasted this wonderful.
One-Ninety Bar | 190 Orchard Blvd, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, Singapore 248646 (Google Maps link) | 11am to 2pm and 5.30pm to 12am daily | www.fourseasons.com/singapore/dining/lounges/one-ninety_bar | 6831 7653 | book here
PLUME
Then there’s PLUME, the swanky cocktail lounge of Pan Pacific Singapore with an avian-themed cocktail menu. Yes, you read that right – each of the cocktails in its menu is inspired by an indigenous bird of Singapore. PLUME’s new Ornithology menu adds 12 new feathered friends to the flock.
You have, for example, the Woodpecker. This Clover Club twist features oregano and citrus that’s then topped with raspberry foam to represent the bird’s plumage. Then there’s the Peregrine Falcon, represented by a Rosita – a Negroni that uses tequila instead of gin – that combines tequila blanco, ruby port wine, dark chocolate liqueur and a blend of two vermouths and then sonic-aged.
Or how about the Red Crowned Barbet, which is a vodka-based clarified milk punch with notes of orange and coffee? The bird, after all, loves eating green coffee beans. Otherwise the Fairy Bluebird is a refreshingly bubbly creation of chamomile, rum and Cointreau that’s topped with salted grapefruit soda.
PLUME | 7 Raffles Blvd, Pan Pacific Singapore, Singapore 039595 (Google Maps link) | 5pm to 1am daily | www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pp-marina/dining/plume | 9459 7165 | book here
Horse’s Mouth
Avid cocktail lovers will remember Horse’s Mouth, the longstanding cocktail bar hidden away within the cavernous basement of Forum the Shopping Mall along Orchard Road. Originally opened in 2012, the pioneering bar closed for a period last year but finally found a new home, this time hidden in plain sight at Millenia Walk.
Horse’s Mouth has also evolved into a gastrobar, showcasing its version of contemporary Latin cuisine inflected with Asian influences. But the good news of longtime fans is that it still offers a cocktail programme with 10 signature drinks that’s as experimental and whimsical as those many years before.
There’s Geisha’s Whisper, a twist on the Lemon Drop using sake, or Fuego Serenade, a tropical variation on a spiced Margarita with calamansi and jalepeno. Nightfall Nectar is more nuanced and punchy, a Manhattan laced with a floral touch of elderflower, while Siam Sunset Smash infuses the Southern whiskey based favourite with the flavours of Thailand with Thai tea, oolong, and basil.
The contemporary fusion grub at Horse’s Mouth makes for a fun gastronomic exploration. Try, for example, the Pollo Frito of deep fried chicken dressed in a sweet glaze that’s also tangy with black vinegar and heady from smoked chilli mayo, while the Mussels & Gambas Al Ajillo will have you dipping toasted sourdough in the redolent garlic-infused oil. The Red Curry Butifarra too is a riot of flavours, featuring handmade Spanish-style pork sausages served on a bed of patatas revolcanos and drizzled with turmeric-laced sauce offering flavours reminiscent of bergedil.
Horses’s Mouth | 9 Raffles Blvd, #02-06 Millenia Walk, Singapore 039596 (Google Maps link) | 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 12am Mondays to Fridays; closed on Saturdays and Sundays | horsesmouthbar.com | 8188 0900 | book here
The Lobby Lounge at InterContinental Singapore
While we usually visit The Lobby Lounge at InterContinental Singapore more for high tea or wine over at adjoining wine bar TENUTA by Park90, this hotel atrium lounge is beginning to gain attention for its imaginative cocktails. Last year it introduced an entire new cocktail menu – created in collaboration with the folks from Cat Bite Club – that draws cues from landmarks in the hotel’s surrounding environs, and it’s again introduced new tipples dripping with Singapore culture and history.
There’s Kopi Colada, a surprising concoction inspired by the National Library building that gives the classic pina colada a Singaporean coffee twist by topping it with a foam made with vodka, coffee and condensed milk. Or Gothic Arch, which pays cocktail respect to CHIJMES as a creamy rum-based concoction that uses ube cream and banana liqueurs for a dessert-like disgestif.
We particularly enjoyed Reverie, an introspective Old Fashioned with notes of kumquat and hibiscus, as well as thirst-quenching Narrow Lane, a hat-tip to the vibrant Haji Lane nearby that’s a liberal twist on the Paloma made using mezcal, yuzu, agave nectar, cardamom and black lemon bitters topped up with soda.
The Lobby Lounge | InterContinental Singapore, 80 Middle Road, Singapore 188966 (Google Maps link) | 11.30am to 11pm Sundays to Thursdays; 11.30am to 12am Fridays and Saturdays | singapore.intercontinental.com/dine/lobby-lounge | 6825 1046 | book here
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