Finding the perfect mix

It wasn't long ago that to get a good cocktail in Singapore, you would have to dress in your best club attire and hit the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling. Today, however, a plethora of cocktail bars and lounges are opening, tapping into the growing demand among expatriates and younger locals, many of whom studied overseas and gained an appreciation for a carefully crafted drink.

Spurring demand is the high duty on alcohol in Singapore. A beer at a bar usually costs S$14 (HK$87). At these rates, S$20 cocktails seem like a bargain.

"There's been a big explosion of the cocktail scene and, in my opinion, it's because people want to get more for their money," says Patrick Fok, who opened Bartini cocktail lounge last year. "If they're going to part with their money, they'd like to see something a little bit more special in return."

Fok's inspiration for Bartini came from a bar he worked at in Britain. The premises in Singapore's trendy Club Street focuses on artisan cocktails with bottles rarely found on this side of the world. For instance, the "Pornstar Martini" is sweetened with Chambord, a black-raspberry liqueur from France's Loire Valley, and the "Diplomat",

a rum-based cocktail, uses Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva,

a Venezuelan rum that is aged an average of 12 years, as its base.

Bartini is upscale without being pretentious. Its low-key atmosphere, where people in business suits mix with those in flip flops, is a point of pride for Fok, a Hong Kong native and anchor at Channel News Asia. The bar has plenty of mingling space, and has relaxing living-room-style furniture. DJs spin a retro blend of indie, soul, house and funk to create cocktail lounge vibe.