Singapore’s cocktail scene continues to be on fire, and some of the latest cocktail menu updates from the Lion City’s highly-rated bars prove there’s no end to the creativity of our mixologists.
From thematic odes to iconic cities and legendary highways to daring inspirations from history and tradition, these newly unveiled cocktail offerings are set to tantalise your taste buds as much as they would ignite your epicurean wanderlust.
Whether you’re craving Middle Eastern glamour, New York sophistication, Pan-American adventure, or introspective Japanese charm, these four cocktail venues are raising the bar on what it means to enjoy a great drink.
Ready for a round (or three)?
Aniba
Aniba may be better known for its progressive fusion take on kosher Levantine flavours, but those in the know visit the upscale enigmatic Middle Eastern restaurant for its glitzy cocktails and after-hour parties as well.
Indeed you might just be pleasantly surprised how intricate and meticulously crafted the tipples here are. You’ll want to start cool with the Cucumber, a gin highball laced with flavours of cucumber and dill that’s perky and refreshing, or the tequila- and mezcal-based Mango if you prefer something on the fruitier side. Then there’s Tea, a lovely whisky-based sling with notes of Earl Grey and sweet wood spice. More spirit-forward is the restorative Dates, an Oriental twist on the classic Manhattan with hints of dates, goji berry, and longan.
Aniba recently refreshed its food menu as well; many of its nibbles – such as Fetayer, an ethereal and flaky pastry of feta, spinach and leek, or Cone, the conical crisp topped with trout tartare and quail egg yolk – make for great bar-friendly bites.
Aniba | 6 Battery Road, Six Battery Road Boat Quay, #05-03, 049909 (Google Maps link) | 12pm to 3pm and 5pm to 12am Mondays to Thursdays; 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 12am pm to 12am on Fridays; 8.30pm to 2am on Saturdays; closed on Sundays | www.aniba.com.sg | 9668 8036 | book here
Astor Bar
Sophisticated and cosy Astor Bar in St. Regis Singapore recently unveiled Volume Two of its New York New York cocktail menu first launched in 2021. Like its predecessor the follow-up – comprising 15 signature tipples – is themed after New York City’s iconic neighbourhoods because after all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
You have the likes of A House In The Hamptons, a whiskey sour spiked with apple brandy and peach liqueur for more fruit-laden complexity to represent the city’s eclectic East Side, while the pisco sour The Mayor of Strawberry Fields pays homage to John Lennon’s memorial in West Side.
Those who love their punchy libations need to order the Manhattan Club, a robust twist on the classic Manhattan – concocted from spiced blended Scotch and a blend of vermouths laced with bitters and absinthe – from the Midtown section. And from Upper Manhattan? The Swing of Renaissance, which pays tribute to Harlem’s influence in African American culture, particularly in the areas of art, music, fashion and dance. Why it’s a tiki drink, we have no idea.
Astor Bar | 29 Tanglin Road, The St. Regis Singapore, Lobby Level, 247912 (Google Maps link) | 3pm to 12am daily | www.astorbar.com | 6506 6859
The Bar at 15 Stamford
Capitol Kempinski Singapore’s resident cocktail bar The Bar at 15 Stamford is asking us to get lost with its latest cocktail menu update, ‘Lost Highway’. This may be the bar’s biggest menu overhaul ever since it opened in 2019, pivoting away from a rum-centric focus and its recent cocktail exploration of mysterious islands around the world to encompassing a wider collection of spirits and being inspired by the Pan-American Highway.
For those unfamiliar with the Pan-American Highway, this is the legendary throughway that connects North, Central, and South America, from the United States all the way down to southernmost part of Chile. The new cocktails, as one would expect, are influenced by the flavours of the countries along the entire 30,000km stretch.
You’ll find, for example, the Northern Lights, a colourful and iridescent gin-based concoction inspired by the Aurora Borealis that can be seen in Alaska, all the way south to Chile with the pisco-based Once Upon a Grape, a hat tip to Chile’s burgeoning wine industry. And almost every culture of the Americas in between, such as Rye & Rouge made with Canadian rye whiskey and the Coffee Tonic, which celebrates Nicaragua as a producer of quality coffee.
The Bar at 15 Stamford | 15 Stamford Rd, The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, Singapore 178906 (Google Maps link) | 4pm to 12am daily | www.kempinski.com/en/the-capitol-singapore/restaurants-bars/the-bar-at-15-stamford | 6715 6871 | book here
MOGĀ
Pullman Singapore Hill Street’s progressive Japanese izakaya-inspired cocktail bar MOGĀ is beginning to be quite the shining beacon of Singapore’s thriving cocktail culture, and its recent first anniversary celebration was a raucous affair featuring a goodly number of guest shifts by renowned bartenders from around the world.
And MOGĀ’s latest cocktail menu ‘Breaking The Norm’ promises to help cement its claim to cocktail stardom. Like its name the eight new offerings are each inspired by the women who defied societal and gender norms and expectations during Japan’s Taisho era from 1912-26. There’s the smashable yet complex Salted Yuzu Highball rife with flavours of yuzu, genmaicha, sobacha, and even shio koji, or Momotaro’s Adventure, a cocktail nod to a beloved folklore with notes of peach (of course), elderflower, and jasmine.
For those who love their dirty Martinis, the Dirty Sake-Tini offers a mellower Japanese take made using shochu and laced with pickling brine for savoury umami-ness. End the night with The Frozen Drink, which sees the classic Japanese matcha anmitsu dessert reimagined as an alcoholic milkshake with flavours of taro using Ube Cream Liqueur, matcha, and adzuki bean.
MOGA | 1 Hill St, Pullman Singapore Hill Street, Singapore 179949 (Google Maps link) | 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 12am Mondays to Thursdays; 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 1am Fridays and Saturdays; closed on Sundays | www.moga.com.sg | 6019 7888 | book here
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