Singapore is rising up the ranks of the cocktail world. The city state took five spots in last year’s World’s 50 Best Bars list – third only to perennial cocktail capitals London and New York. All eyes will be on the Lion City again when it hosts the announcement of Asia’s 50 Best Bars in May. Coinciding with the announcement will be the fifth edition of the Singapore Cocktail Festival. Taking place from May 10 to 18, the festival’s programme will feature pop-up stations of award-winning bars, an artisanal spirits tasting room, a food street with novel pub grub and more. “Drinkers’ palettes here have grown more sophisticated [over the years]”, says Wai Mayleng, the festival’s co-founder. “We are not just drinking more, but drinking better. “We also have a strong bar trade community open to collaboration with talents and businesses outside Singapore, so we are able to continuously put up exciting and innovative bar concepts in this competitive space.” A post shared by Braci* (@braci.sg) on Mar 2, 2017 at 5:29am PST <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> Whether it’s drinks inspired by songs, travel or nature, here are eight cocktail joints in Singapore worth visiting to raise a glass. 1. Braci The rooftop bar at Braci, a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in an old shophouse on Boat Quay, is known for its G&Tea. This take on the gin and tonic is served with a lemon ginger tea bag that continues to infuse flavour. The Forbidden Fruit, meanwhile, blends tequila with camomile-infused Tapatio hot sauce, grapefruit and elderflower. Braci owner Beppe de Vito, who settled in Singapore 24 years ago, says it is important “to have a good spectrum of spirits, mixers and cocktails, so that the experience remains accessible and interesting … for a variety of guests”. A post shared by Braci* (@braci.sg) on Mar 29, 2018 at 12:30am PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> 2. The Old Man Singapore Situated on Keong Saik Road, home to a stretch of watering holes off Chinatown, The Old Man Singapore takes inspiration from the literary legacy of Ernest Hemingway. A nondescript entrance gives the impression that the space is abandoned. Inside, however, guests will find plush seats reminiscent of a vintage hotel lobby, and shelves of books and bottles. The cocktails here contain distinctive southern Asian ingredients. The Sun Also Rises, a tropical sundowner, has the brittle savouriness of coconut oil and applejack, and a buttery aftertaste of curry leaf gin and pandan leaves. Inside Singapore’s private kitchens, where chefs share their food, culture and personalities Manager Andrew Yap says opening a bar with a “more immersive and well-thought-out experience beats banging out [basic] cocktails.” He says bars offering a unique experience in Singapore are still few and far between, but he expects this to change. “By opening more quality bars in Singapore, we can better position ourselves as a cosmopolitan city, where sophisticated travellers can come to enjoy and learn more about craft spirits and cocktails.” Chai. Inspired by the street side chai tea of Bombay. Made using our own blend of spices which includes pomegranate seeds, cardamom, mace, cinnamon leaves and turmeric along with an Indian rum, the Old Monk before topping it off with cashew milk . The remaining cashew pulp and spice blend are then dried and added as a fitting garnish at the top. Served warm at 65 degrees, this drink is one that would surely warm the soul. : @nickelettt Ceramics by @ummuramics #nativebarsg #oldmonk #chai A post shared by Native Bar SG (@nativebarsg) on Apr 21, 2018 at 3:28am PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> 3. Native Going a step farther is Native, located off trendy Amoy Street, which touts itself as Singapore’s first “all-Asian cocktail bar”, with ingredients, glasses, furniture and music all sourced from the region. It also strives for sustainability, with coasters made from dried lotus leaves. Founder and owner Vijay Mudaliar draws inspiration from his travels, and those of his crew. Be it Thai rum, Sri Lankan arrack flowers, northern Indian chai or southern Indian single malt, Mudaliar’s vision is for Native to be a bar “that presents the best of what Asia has to offer”. One of Native’s most bewildering concoctions is Antz, which consists of ants foraged from the jungles of Thailand in a drink that melds the insects with sugar cane, coconut yogurt, soursop and salt-baked tapioca. 4. Tippling Club The Tippling Club, a cocktail bar and fine dining restaurant off Tanjong Pagar Road, has a perfume-themed menu. There’s the Bloody Cologne, blending blood orange, Campari and tequila; Aphrodisiac, a mix of lemon balm, cardamom and apricot; and the Crispy Myrrh – bourbon, rum and sage. Andrew Loudon, a Briton and head bartender of Tippling Club, is confident Singapore’s cocktail culture will continue to blossom. “At the moment, most of the cocktail bars are around Tanjong Pagar Road and Amoy Street. Similarly, in London, there is an area where most of the cocktail bars are situated. Once it gets saturated, the cocktail bars will extend out of that area, which I believe will happen in Singapore,” he says. 5. Idlewild At the InterContinental hotel in Bugis , Idlewild takes drinkers back to the Golden Age of air travel in the 1950s and 60s, and is named after the New York facility now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport. Decorated with postcards and vintage photos of far-flung locations, the menu celebrates 10 locations on the transatlantic flight route, including Cuba, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, France, Italy and Spain. Andy Griffiths, who relocated from Melbourne, is head of Idlewild’s operations and creative team. He is confident Singapore can be a “lighthouse market” which the rest of Asia looks to for what’s unique in terms of cocktails. “Combine the large range of amazing global products that you can now get here with the resurgence and focus on local or even regional craft spirits, like [distilleries] Tanglin or Brass Lion gins, and it translates into such a great foundation for a more vibrant cocktail scene,” he says. Cocktails at Idlewild include the Passage to Havana, combining Cuban rum, sherries and Foro Amaro bitters in a flavourful, frothy sip. The French Cook merges sparkling wine, Chartreuse Genepi – a French liqueur – Citadelle Gin, lemon juice and a dash of absinthe. 6. The Monarchy Off Tras Street in the central business district, The Monarchy is a quintessentially British-inspired bar. It has a door like that of 10 Downing Street and the cocktails are named after British pop and rock anthems. The Led Zeppelin-inspired Stairway to Heaven is a fruity, sweet and sour blend of vodka, lemon, apple liqueur, rhubarb and soda. For fans of Oasis, the Champagne Supernova is a refreshing mix of Pimm’s, champagne and assorted fruits, while Message in a Bottle pays homage to The Police classic with Scotch whisky, Dubonnet, sweet vermouth, orange liqueur and maraschino. General manager Rob Scott, who is originally from Australia, says Southeast Asia has a network of bartenders who travel for guest shifts at bars across the region, sharing styles and concepts. “There is somewhat of an interchange, with bartenders going to work around other countries in Southeast Asia. Ingredients-wise, Asian staples such as Sichuan peppercorns, longans, Buddha’s hand [citron fruit] and pandan leaves have been getting love as far as Melbourne and even New York City.” For a taste of bygone Chinatown, the Yiban Yiban is made with herbal and bitter ingredients such as osmanthus jelly and mandarin orange. Then there’s The Velvet, with lychee tea, hibiscus flowers and sherry. Both are inspired by traditional Chinese medicine and designed as pick-me-ups to reduce fatigue. A post shared by Jigger and Pony (@jiggerandponysg) on Apr 9, 2019 at 12:59am PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> 7. Jigger & Pony Indra Kantono, owner of Jigger & Pony and Gibson Bar, says Singapore has the potential to trump other cocktail capitals. “The fact that Singapore had lacked a strong history of cocktail drinking works to our advantage, as guests are open-minded and keen to explore,” Indonesia-born Kantono says. “Put all this into one melting pot of a cocktail scene, and you can have the most amazing bar crawl ever in Singapore that can rival a weekend in any other city.” A post shared by Jigger and Pony (@jiggerandponysg) on Dec 23, 2018 at 9:43pm PST <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> At Jigger & Pony, in Tanjong Pagar, the martini is a hallmark drink. Having frequented martini bars in Tokyo and Osaka, Kantono was inspired by Japanese interpretations of martini mixes. “I’ve created a whole menu chapter … with five signature martinis alongside the classic stalwart. My personal favourite is the bar’s take on the dirty martini, which infuses the aroma of olive oil into the herbaceous Napue Gin from Finland, and with notes of basil highlighting the top notes,” he says. Flavours from his homeland are also a fixture of the menu. The Java Cooler is an aromatic twist on the gin and tonic, paying homage to onde-onde, an Indonesian snack made with coconut or sesame. Kantono says the de facto national tipple, the Singapore Sling, is more of a first-time visitor’s drink. A post shared by Manhattan (@manhattan_sg) on Apr 15, 2019 at 5:06am PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> 8. Manhattan The menu at Manhattan, located in the Regent Hotel, off Tanglin Road, features drinks named after districts of New York, including Central Park and Harlem. Every Sunday, during brunch servings, a condiment storage room is turned into a pop-up station where alcoholic milkshakes and bespoke gin and tonics and Bloody Marys are on offer. Who knew squid ink would be the defining ingredient in a Sazerac Rye cocktail? Our formidable team did - sealing the Noir as one of our New Era menu's must-tries. A post shared by Manhattan (@manhattan_sg) on Mar 29, 2019 at 3:26am PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> Despite its name, Gabriel Carlos, assistant bar manager at Manhattan, says Asia is the venue’s inspiration. “Looking at the cocktail scene, you’ll see influences from all over Asia. In Japan, the use of quality ice started way before it became a staple in most cocktail bars anywhere in the globe. Thai flavours like lemongrass and kaffir lime are mainstream now,” Carlos says. Hospitality is a key ingredient of the bar’s success, Carlos says. “At Manhattan, what sets us apart is our ability to be sensitive to what our guests need and adapt to their mood.”