The 10 Bars Changing the Way Singapore Drinks
If you don't mind that most cocktails in Singapore pass the $20 mark and nearly all of its craft beer comes from other countries, you'll find the city-state home to one of Asia's most compelling drink scenes. Where else can you pair a piney IPA with wok-fried hawker plates, have a bartender serve you an omakase-style flight of six signature creations without telling you what's in them, and rethink the very notion of a hotel bar alongside barrel-aged Negronis, house-made infusions, and deftly tweaked G&Ts? Here are 10 of Singapore's most exciting watering holes right now.
Operation Dagger1/10At Operation Dagger, Luke Whearty leads a team of risk-takers who defy logic with every drink, from the syphon-brewed Mulled Wine that's free of fermented grapes to the pollen-free Bee Pollen, a blend of dark chocolate, rye, and lemon charcoal. To further broaden your palate without beating it into submission, try the omakase set of six speciality cocktails, the ingredients of which are kept secret.
Anti:Dote2/10The Fairmont calls Tom Hogan the "head craftsman" at Anti:dote, its signature hotel bar—a title that'd sound a bit too painfully precious if it weren't so true. Take the Tragedy of Tom Dooley, for instance; tequila-led nods to 19th-century stabbings are never this tasty. It must be the Aperol.
Druggists3/10Singapore's craft beer scene is still in its infancy, but that hasn't stopped a pair of local distributors (The Drinking Partners' Corrine Chia and Lincoln Goh) from turning a former Chinese pharmacy into Druggists, a revelatory tap room. We're talking 23 rotating IPAs, sours, and stouts from such top-notch international breweries as Mikkeller, To Øl, and Thornbridge.
Jigger & Pony4/10If the PDT menus plastered across Jigger & Pony's bathroom don't give its modus operandi away, the beards and vests sported by its bartenders—and the well-executed classic cocktails they whip up—will. Negroni nuts will be quite happy here, as will anyone who appreciates the finer points of Japanese whiskey, Italian apéritifs, and house-made infusions.
Sugarhall5/10Rum takes pride of place on the menu at Sugarhall, Jigger & Pony's sister bar, but don't expect a tiki experience torn from the tried-and-true Trader Vic's playbook. Instead, it's a laid-back, industrial-styled answer to all the self-conscious speakeasies around town, with a menu that tastes as tropical as Singapore feels.
Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall6/10Whether you love or loathe the bartender's choice approach to ordering cocktails—scrapping a proper menu in favor of "what do you feel like drinking today?"—Sam Wong at Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall is here to make everyone feel at home. The former Jigger & Pony mixologist excels at riffs on familiar favorites—like his Milo Old Fashioned, which captures the essence of malted chocolate without coming off too sweet.
Manhattan Bar at Regent Singapore7/10Where to start with the old-world Manhattan Bar? The "adults-only cocktail brunch" that harnesses the staying power of Bloody Marys? The barreling program and on-site rickhouse where discerning drinkers can learn how to age and bottle their own Negronis? Or maybe it's simply the way the iconic Regent Singapore hotel has composed a comprehensive ode to the myriad flavors and neighborhoods of New York City without lifting them wholesale.
Nutmeg & Clove8/10As iconic as the Singapore Sling is, it takes just one sip of Long Bar's saccharine, low-ABV original to wonder what all the fuss is about. Enter Nutmeg & Clove, which channels the shophouse back-story of its Ann Siang location with a menu that's heavy on the liquored-up history lessons. Chief among them is a Singapore Sling made with goji and red date syrup that's been aged for a month in white oak barrels—a taste worth acquiring.
Tippling Club9/10Considering how respected chef Ryan Clift is, it's no surprise that his bar program—helmed by head bartender Kamil Foltán—is on the bleeding edge of wildly expressive cocktails. More importantly, Tippling Club is, for lack of a better term, fun. Case in point: the PB + J that combines peanut butter-infused vodka with cassis, cream, and fresh citrus, then serves it with a side of muesli-coated marshmallows.
Smith Street Taps10/10Washing hawker center fare down with a freshly cracked Tiger Beer is one thing. Helping Daniel Goh and Meng Chao of Smith Street Taps empty one of their ridiculously rare—as in the only one Singapore will ever see—kegs in the same complex that houses fried Hokkien noodles and Hainanese chicken rice is downright transcendent, the task any respectable hops-head was put on this earth to do.
