Here in Singapore, cocktails may be associated with the high life, but that doesn’t mean we should be shying away from them entirely. After a hard day’s work, there’s nothing like sipping on a few fancy concoctions with your pals and taking boomerangs or IG stories to add some glam to your ‘gram.
From slurping up a popsicle cocktail by the poolside to ordering from an edible gummy bear cocktail menu, we found 5 places with unique cocktail experiences that’ll have you wanting to take Insta-stories all night long:
Anti:dote oozes the vibes of a classy speakeasy bar, except with an wacky twist in their cocktails.
This fabric-sack lookalike is called Rabbit Hole ($23). It’s actually a concoction of gin, sweet vermouth and elderflower liqueur with lemon and carrot juice. The pineapple and mint leaves add a refreshing touch, making it the perfect evening cocktail if you’re not ready to sip on alcohols with darker notes just yet.
Behold, under its unassuming white ceramic exterior there lies… a baby carrot. Props to Anti:dote for this quirky little touch because it had us wanting to take all sorts of super extra boomerang shots, like such:
Exhibit A: melodramatically pulling the baby carrot out with a #shookt expression on our faces
Part of Anti:dote’s selection of mellow cocktails, the light alcoholic notes of Rabbit Hole make for a good pairing with seafood tapas. Their savoury Hokkaido Scallop Tartare ($26) with sea urchin and caviar, is served with crispy homemade scallop and seaweed crackers – for the perfect balance of cream and crunch.
If you’re looking to visit with friends, The Out-Of-Towner ($105) is a new addition to the punch menu that you can try. It serves up to 8 people and comes in this whimsical ferris wheel, unlike your typical punches which come in big serving bowls:
This one’s boomerang-worthy too:
Exhibit B: Spinnin’ the wheel as we smile and look amused
The lemon slices and peppermint leaves in the accompanying glasses add some zest to the smooth violet liqueur and white tea concoction.
Address: Level 1, Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Rd, Singapore 189560
Opening hours:
Bar
Sun – Thu: 5PM – 1AM | Fri – Sat: 5PM – 2AM
Tapas
Mon – Wed, Sat – Sun and PH: 6PM – 11.30PM
Thu – Fri and Eve of PH: 6PM – 11.30PM
Contact: 6431 5315
Website
Image credit: @hippokathy88
Platform 1094 could very well be every Singaporean Potterhead’s dream – chock full of food and magic. This dramatic, fiery concoction is aptly known as the Goblet of Fire ($15).
A wooden tray set-up will be presented to you with all the wizardry tools you’ll need to ignite some sparks. It includes a beaker with Bacardi rum, the ‘goblet’ with Blue Curacao liqueur in it, and a shaker with some mAgiC piXiE dUsT – okay we kid, it’s cinnamon powder.
Image credit: @singaporeliciouz
Add the Bacardi to the blue liqueur to start the flame and top it off with a few dashes of cinnamon powder. All that’s left is the swish of a wand (provided in the cafe) and a resounding “Incendio” before the sparks start to rise in hypnotising swirls.
The cocktail itself is sweet with citrusy notes from the Curacao, and the cinnamon powder adds a hint of spice to it – definitely fit for sweet tooths who are apprehensive about potent cocktails.
Address: 1094 Serangoon Rd, Singapore 328192
Opening hours: Tue – Fri: 11AM – 10PM | Sat – Sun: 10AM – 11PM (Closed on Mondays)
Contact: 6204 6003
Website
Image credit: @monica.travels
Tippling Club’s interactive edible cocktail menu pretty much fulfills the Dreams and Desires of every cocktail connoisseur. Their classic cocktails are $24++ each, and you can taste the different flavours by nomming on gummy bears served in a candy bag before deciding which to order.
Here’s, quite literally, how ‘Happiness’ tastes like – yuzu, lemon, orange, honey and a shot of tequila for that extra kick.
Image credit: @laurenmote
If you’re up for trying boozier cocktails, opt for their more potent brews like ‘Revenge’ that allegedly has blood in it, or ‘SuperCar’ that supposedly has petrol thrown into the mixture.
Image credit: @thefoodinsta
Fun fact: if you order the accompanying drink of the pastel pink gummy bear ‘Baby’, you’ll get a milky blend of vanilla, apricot, honey, citrus and gin, served in this little milk bottle. And yes, you’ll have to drink it just as it is.
Address: 38 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088461
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 12PM – 12AM | Sat: 6PM – 12AM
Contact: 6475 2217
Website
Bar Canary’s signature Boozy Pop cocktails with refreshing popsicles dipped into alcohol
Image credit: @zhengningng
Bar Canary is perched on the the fourth floor of Grand Park Orchard and it’s the epitome of a summertime poolside vacay. Their signature Boozy Pop cocktails ($24 – $28) come in zesty, refreshing flavours like Blood Orange Acerola ($28) – a mixture of champagne and Angostura bitters that’ll leave a tangy aftertaste in your mouth.
The Acai Pomegranate Boozy Pop ($28) is another crowd favourite – it comes with a chocolate popsicle dipped into a brew of spiced rum, apricot brandy and lime juice.
Bar Canary is an outdoor bar and you can even have a splash in their swimming pool
Image credit: @wearetfwb
There’s no need to dress to impress here; it’s all about livin’ the barefoot, chillax life. This means you can practically show up in lounge clothes or even beachwear and have a blast, minus the formalities. So though their cocktails may be on the pricier side, I’d say the whole ambience of the place and the poolside experience makes up for it.
Address: 270 Orchard Road, Grand Park Orchard, Singapore 238857
Opening hours: Sun – Thurs: 12PM – 1AM | Sat – Sun: 12PM – 2AM
Contact: 6603 8855
Website
Image credit: @alexischeong
Things are about to get pretty darn serious here. Unlike their demure Chinese cuisine counterpart, Kuvo Elixir Bar serves up some over the top cocktails that’ll have you going “Woah, calm down pls” when the bartender presents it to you.
Image credit: @carlzeno
This theatrical concoction is the Anubis Potion ($26), overflowing with dry ice for that mysterious, foreboding effect. It’s made with coffee liqueur, triple blend scotch whisky, chocolate bitters and…the ashes of God? We’re as curious as you are.
The bar’s menu is designed such that for every drink, there will be a few ‘secret ingredients’ indicated in the menu like unicorn blood, fire of Prometheus, drooling of ants… go figure.
Play detective as you and your friends attempt to suss out these secret ingredients, then flip the menu over to check the ‘answer sheet’!
Address: 321 Orchard Rd, #02-01 Orchard Shopping Centre, 238866
Opening hours: Sun – Thu: 5PM – 1AM | Fri – Sat and Eve of PH: 5PM – 2AM
Contact: 6733 8272
Website
Sippin’ on a cocktail ain’t just an act, it’s an experience. More and more bars in Singapore are moving away from fancy but rather static looking cocktails and focusing on the whole experience instead.
From selecting your cocktails, to creating interactive drinks, and even the features in the bar – each of these places are bound to give you and your friends something new to talk about.
Every booze deserves a bite – that’s where tapas comes in. As a general rule, Anti:dote’s head chef Tryson Quek suggests mellower cocktails to be paired with light and fresh seafood, while stronger drinks complement more pronounced flavours from meats.
A new edition to the menu – Philoso’Me
Another new cocktail – Su Jung Gwa
These 2 cocktails are new creations by Bannie Kang, the head craftsman. Alcohol noobs, beware. Philoso’Me ($25) is a potent blend of not just one or two, but three alcohols like rum, sherry and campari. If the smoky and bitter aftertaste is a tad bit overwhelming, counter it with a nibble of the sweet milk chocolate that sits on top.
Su Jung Gwa ($25) on the other hand, has strong hints of Bannie’s Korean background, combining the earthy flavour of red dates with VSOP cognac and angostura bitters. A chilled slab of jelly sits in the middle to keep the drink cool, topped off with flakes of 24k gold for that extra pizzazz.
These cocktails go perfectly with one of their signature tapas, the Crispy Veal Cheek ($22), glazed with port wine and topped with garlic, shiso and himalayan salt. It’s presented over a heavy stone slab with a lit fire to keep the dish warm while you slowly savour it with your drink.
Also, try their Chicken Liver Parfait ($16), which sits prettily on a ceramic bird nest. It has foie gras and quail egg in it, so it’s extra decadent, and the crispy breadsticks make for a good accompaniment to the otherwise strong dip.
No meal is complete without dessert. This new addition to the tapas menu serves up raspberry jelly alongside a thin tart with pistachio whip at $12 for you to end off the night on a sweet note.
For a new cocktail-tapas experience, head down to Anti:dote to try the new additions and all-time-favourites on their menu. After all, a little booze and bite never hurt nobody!
This post was brought to you by Anti:dote
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