Singapore Vies To Be The Next Cocktail Capital; Here's Where To Drink Now

Step aside, London, Paris and New York, there’s a new cocktail capital.

Over the last few years, Singapore has slowly established itself as a contender for cocktail supremacy. This year, there are more reasons to believe the hype.

This month, Tales of the Cocktail, the annual cocktail industry conference, nominated multiple Singapore bars across a range of categories for its Spirited Awards, the industry’s version of an Oscar. (Awards will be announced later in July.)

In May, Singapore hosted the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best Awards, and later this fall, the city will host the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. In 2021, Singapore will also host the World’s 50 Best Bar awards, which up until now have been held in London.

But there’s no reason to wait until awards season to check out the multi-cultural destination. Here are a few unmissable spots to put on your Singapore checklist.

Atlas Bar

Set in a former bank building and inspired by an Art Deco-version of New York, the award-winning Atlas bar is vying to be recognized as the world’s biggest gin libraries. There are over 1,600 bottles collected to date, and more are added each month. Bartenders in white jackets linger over delicate drinks, but don’t sleep on the rare wine list. If you have money to spare, it’s the kind of place to try rare Champagnes by the glass, and end the night with exquisite cocktails in a truly glamorous location.

Native Bar

While a lot of Singapore’s buzzy bars bring a Western sensibility (and expat bar talent from the U.S., London and Australia), Native, as the name suggests, features local bartenders putting the region’s spectrum of flavors on display. In addition to inventive and photo-ready drinks, there is a small laboratory upstairs that shows the public how the staff creates their syrups and other concoctions.

Drinks recently on the menu included a clarified punch made with jackfruit rum, goat’s milk, candlenut and gula melaka.

The dedication to the craft landed Native on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2018, and is likely to make that same list in 2019.

28HKS

This is the bar that to Westerners (say, New Yorkers or Londoners) may feel most like home. Expect hip hop playing during service, and drinks named with nods to classic beats such as the “93 Til Infinity,” the “Fernet About Dre” and the very clever “Cashew Everything Around Me.” The service is top-notch and the atmosphere is lively and sexy.

It may be hard to get into at times, as this is the favored bar of locals and expats, but 28HKS should rank high on any Singapore visit.

The Old Man

Newly opened in Singapore, this bar is an offshoot of a sister bar with the same name in Hong Kong (also a longtime award-winner). The bar, which takes its names and concept from Ernest Hemingway, is dark, moody and sexy, with elegant drinks to match. From a deconstructed gin and tonic to riffs on daiquiris and other rum drinks, this is a place to get lost for a few hours.

The Long Bar, Raffles Hotel

It’s easy to dismiss the Long Bar at the tony Raffles Hotel as a tourist gimmick. But the storied bar (which, yes, is always packed with more tourists than locals) takes its drinks seriously, and has history on its side.

In 1913, bartender Ngiam Tong Boon created the Singapore Sling at the Long Bar, and the bar has been churning them out since. Hundreds are made per day, and probably that number will jump when the bar, currently undergoing renovation re-launches in August 2019.

The Mandarin Oriental bar

The recently-opened bar at the Mandarin Oriental boasts scenic views, a refined atmosphere and doting service. Drinks are inventive and innovative, such as a drink that features sparkling pineapple tepache and vermouth jelly. Another drink, made with social media in mind, features an illustration of a dragon as the garnish, built on edible rice paper.