Singapore Cocktail Week used to take place in bars, but this year, it is expanding to restaurants and even a coffee shop.
Cocktails in a kopitiam? You heard right.
With a team of bartenders, head bartender Steve Leong of Tess Bar & Kitchen will set up a standalone bar at Holland Village Food Court for one night on March 18, to create drinks inspired by local delicacies.
These include Crab Those Buns, a tequila-based cocktail stirred up with chilli crab paste and served with a mantou bun on the side. The drink will be served in a condensed milk tin.
Then there is also Seah Street Power Nasi Lemak, a gin-based drink made with pandan and coconut essence-infused barley water, served in a glass kopi mug.
In its second year now and running from March 12 to 19, Singapore Cocktail Week is getting bigger, foodier and more creative.
There are more than 200 events and 60 participating bars and restaurants – twice the number of participants last year as well as a greater diversity of collaborators.
Food pairings
1. MYSTERY TIPPLES IN THE DARK – BLIND TASTING FLIGHT OF FOUR COCKTAILS
Photo: Nox – Dine In The Dark
Where: Nox – Dine In The Dark, 269 Beach Road
When: March 13 to 17, four one-hour sessions from 6pm, with the last seating at 9pm
Admission: $50 for members of the public, 10 per cent discount for Singapore Cocktail Week wristband holders
Known for its dine-in-the-dark concept, Nox will host a special cocktail event led by head bartender Thomas Sobata.
He will serve four classic unnamed cocktails to diners who have to rely purely on their senses of touch and taste to identify the drink.
There are no prizes for right guesses, but in the end, the drinks will be revealed and their history explained.
Cocktails will change on a daily basis with no repetitions. Only 12 people can be hosted in each time slot.
2. MEZCAL APPRECIATION
Where: Super Loco, 01-13 The Quayside, 60 Robertson Quay
When: March 19, 3 to 5pm
Admission: $35 (maximum of 30 participants)
Led by The Loco Group’s executive chef Jason Jones, this workshop will explore the history and properties of tequila’s exotic cousin, mezcal.
Also sample some of Mexico’s most exceptional agave spirits, including the artisanal pechuga – which is mezcal redistilled with raw chicken breast.
The two-hour session will look into how these spirits can be used in cocktails and Mexican cooking.
Pop-up bars
3. JIO YOU COCKTAIL CLUB
Photo: Ahmad Iskandar / Time Out Singapore
Where: Holland Village Food Court, 33 Lorong Liput
When: March 18, 7 to 11pm
Admission: Free entry, drinks at $15++ (maximum capacity of 100 people at a time)
With a team of bartenders, head bartender Steve Leong of Tess Bar & Kitchen will take over Holland Village Food Court for one night to create drinks inspired by Singapore delicacies at a standalone stall. These include Crab Those Buns, a tequila-based cocktail with chilli crab paste and served with a mantou bun on the side, and Seah Street Power Nasi Lemak, a gin-based drink made with pandan and coconut essence-infused barley water.
4. ELYX HOUSE @ POTATO HEAD FOLK
Photo: Potato Head Folk
Where: Potato Head Folk, 36 Keong Saik Road
When: March 16 to 19, 6pm to midnight
Admission: Free (maximum capacity of 60 people)
Vodka brand Absolut Elyx is setting up a pop-up space at cocktail bar Studio 1939, located on the third floor of Potato Head Folk, to launch a range of bespoke Elyx cocktails in the brand’s distinct copper pineapple cups and punch bowls.
Featured cocktails, at $14++, have a tropical bent. They include Asian Spice Trade, made with pandan syrup, pineapple juice, lime juice, lemongrass and cayenne pepper, as well as Ka Ka Manis, which includes ingredients such as gula melaka and kalamansi juice, all topped with pineapple amarena foam.
Cocktail workshops
5. 50 CLASSICS FROM AN EIGHT-BOTTLE BAR
Where: Jigger & Pony, 101 Amoy Street
When: March 19, 6 to 8pm
Admission: $58 (maximum of 16 participants)
Mr Aki Eguchi, 33, Jigger & Pony’s bar programme director, describes this workshop as a “quick start guide” to setting up a basic home bar.
Participants will learn how to create 50 classic and signature cocktails, including a Manhattan, negroni and mojito, using a base of eight spirits and liqueurs – cognac, gin, rum, aperitif, orange liqueur, blended Scotch, bourbon and vermouth.
6. WHISKEY TECHNIQUES AT HOME
Photo: Meat Smith
Where: Meat Smith, 167 Telok Ayer Street
When: March 17, 6 to 7.30pm
Admission: $71 nett (maximum of 16 participants)
Catering to slightly more experienced cocktail enthusiasts, this whisky-centric workshop covers a range of techniques, such as fat-washing, the process of drawing out the salt and flavour of food such as bacon or brisket so that the tastes can be infused into a cocktail; and smoking, the process of infusing a smoky flavour into whiskey.
The class will also explore how to balance the different components of spirit, sugar and bitters to make a perfect whisky-based cocktail such as a Sazerac or an Old Fashioned.
Brunch and dinner
7. REDEFINING THE YUM CHA EXPERIENCE
Photo: Mitzo
Where: Mitzo, Level 4 Grand Park Orchard, 270 Orchard Road
When: March 12, 13 and 19, 11.30am to 2.30pm (last order)
Admission: $118++ for public, Singapore Cocktail Week pass-holders get a 10 per cent discount at $100++ (including food and free flow of selected cocktails)
Have a boozy yum cha experience at contemporary Cantonese restaurant Mitzo, which is having a buffet-style event pairing cocktails and food.
Go with an empty stomach as you can order unlimited servings of more than 40 kinds of Cantonese dishes and dim sum.
Meanwhile, six different kinds of cocktails will be available free flow from the bar, including three new concoctions with traditional Chinese medicine ingredients.
One is called Brilliant Stardust, made with a gin-infused chrysanthemum tea base, ginger syrup, lemon juice and a hint of rose water, topped with aromatic apple soda.
The more adventurous can make their own drinks at the DIY station, where there is a step-by-step guide.
8. SUGARHALL RUM DINNER FEATURING COCKTAILS BY JIM MEEHAN (PDT NY )
Where: Sugarhall, 102 Amoy Street
When: March 16, 7pm
Admission: $120++ (maximum of 16 people)
This four-course rum-inspired feast features dishes such as Kurobuta pork secreto (a “secret cut” of the pig’s best part selected by the butcher) with grilled pineapple and edamame, and grilled figs with honey and rum mascarpone.
Each course is paired with speciality cocktails by cocktail ace Jim Meehan, founder of New York’s famed PDT or Please Don’t Tell, which is often cited as one of the world’s best bars.
9. HENDRICK’S MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT
Where: The Powder Room, 19 Cecil Street
When: March 14 , 7 to 10pm
Admission: $100++ (maximum capacity of 30 people)
Solve a murder while sipping on gin-based tipples by Ms Tasha Lu, who is the brand ambassador for Hendrick’s in South-east Asia.
Guests are invited to come dressed in 1920s-style outfits and will receive an envelope at the start of the evening before a “murder” occurs. They will then mingle over cocktails and canapes to investigate who the murderer might be, all the while being fed evidence by an investigator.
Ms Lu says the cocktails are created to highlight rose and cucumber, both of which are infused in Hendrick’s gin.
A version of this story was originally published in The Straits Times on February 19, 2016. For more stories like this, head to www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle.
