The Best Cocktail Bars in Singapore

While less well-known on the international cocktail scene, Tess Bar and Kitchen has a strong following in Singapore, helmed by recently-appointed head bartender Jing Heng, an alum of Jigger & Pony and the most recent winner of Diageo World Class Singapore. The modern cocktail lounge and restaurant, in a shophouse opposite the Raffles Hotel, is an ideal spot for a clever, approachable cocktail like the “Old Saint,” with Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, housemade blueberry shrub, and peach and Angostura bitters; or The Godfather, with Monkey Shoulder blended Scotch, spiced amaretto, and chocolate bitters. tessbar.com

From the team behind Jigger & Pony, Sugarhall is all about the rum. There’s a formidable list of the sugar-based spirit, broken down by national style; rum cocktails, and punch bowls, for days; a reggae and ska soundtrack to set the mood; and an excellent menu of grilled meats to keep imbibers satiated. Rum-soaked drinks range from the straightforward (a classic Dark & Stormy, albeit with house-fermented ginger beer) to the adventurous — Sugarhall’s house daiquiri, a must at any rum bar, starts with an exclusive 1997 cask from the now-defunct Caroni Distillery in Trinidad; that 17-year rum is shaken with lime and a fermented banana syrup, garnished with dehydrated banana topped with lumpfish caviar. sugarhall.sg

Inspired by New York bars including Mother’s Ruin and Holiday Cocktail Lounge, Skinny’s Lounge aims to be an unpretentious, welcoming joint where the cocktails are spot-on, but shot-and-beer combos are on the menu, too. That laid-back approach has helped it win the hearts of Singapore bartenders — it’s an industry bar where you’ll find plenty of mixologists, post-shift — and while Skinny’s Lounge's own staff are there for a good time, they’re all professionals, many in fact vets of the most respected cocktail bars in the city (including many on this list). If you’re after a cocktail, there’s a version of the modern classic Penicillin, the mezcal-rum-Aperol-pineapple “Bad Hombre,” and a Jägerita, essentially a margarita with Jägermeister swapping in for the tequila. Says managing director Nick Haas, “It’s one of those drinks you want to not enjoy, but can’t help wanting more.”

Another actively experimental venue, Tippling Club opened in 2008, relocated in 2014, and in 2016 brought on head bartender Joe Schofield, from the American Bar at The Savoy. Together with chef-owner Ryan Clift, he creates cocktails with attention to creativity and technique. Their “Sonic Negroni,” for instance, “recreates the flavor of a year’s aging process in a matter of minutes,” according to Schofield, “without any inconsistencies or variables in flavor that typically come with barrel-aging.” It’s an anchor of their current Sensorium menu, which emphasizes “scent over spirit,”  with drinks such as “Campfire,” “Leather,” and “Caramel,” each evoking these highly specific aromas in the context of sophisticated craft cocktails. tipplingclub.com

Some cocktail bars have something for everyone; others aspire to groundbreaking creativity and mold-breaking experimentation. Operation Dagger, opened in 2014 by Luke Whearty and Aki Nishikura, is one of the latter. Eschewing major spirit brands — “We look to distill and ferment basically everything in house,” says Whearty — drinks on their menus are listed by prominent flavors, rather than base spirit or ingredients. “This way, people choose their drink based on flavors they like, rather than preconceived bias towards certain spirits.” The bar also aims to be a leader in sustainability, growing herbs from a rooftop garden and repurposing ingredients as much as possible. Their former bestseller “Hot & Cold” exemplifies Operation Dagger’s style: loosely based on a piña colada, it stars from a base of blanco tequila, infused sous vide with pineapple and lavender, shaken up with fresh pineapple, lime and agave — then garnished with a hot white chocolate and coconut foam. “The customer drinks through the hot foam to get the chilled drink underneath.” operationdagger.com

The breathlessly elegant Manhattan within the Regent Singapore, ranked the best bar on the continent by “World's 50 Best Bars Asia,” presents cocktails inspired by the city of New York. Most recently, on the “Eras of New York” menu, each drink is created with a particular moment of Manhattan history in mind — from the bittersweet “Royalist,” inspired by the divided loyalties of Revolution-era New Yorkers, to the “12 Mile Out,” a rendition of the Prohibition favorite Twelve Mile Limit. While the drinks are always compelling, the seductive, masculine vibe, all dark wood and leather, is just as much of a draw. regenthotels.com

One of the pioneers of the modern Singapore cocktail scene, Jigger & Pony is a sleek but approachable cocktail den that’s only grown more respected over its five years in operation. While their much-loved punch bowls are ideal for big groups — who could resist a ladle of the “Hammer Down,” with vodka, lemon, maraschino, and sparkling wine? — Jigger & Pony has always emphasized the classics, if with a twist. Under the direction of Yishu Long and Aki Eguchi, creative libations include the “Corpse Reviver #101,” with vodka, St Germain, jasmine sweet vermouth, lemon, and an absinthe jelly. What sets the bar apart is its approach to hospitality, says co-owner Indra Kantono; “Cheerful bartenders with no attitude for those new to cocktails, with exacting classic cocktails for the well-versed.” jiggerandpony.com

Another standout from the Jigger & Pony group, Gibson is the most ambitious of the bunch. While cocktail development is led by award-winning bartender Aki Eguchi, he isn’t the sole force behind the current lists; the “World Collaboration Menu” includes contributions from bartenders, brewers, chefs, even artists. Take the signature Gibson itself — the drink combines Tanqueray 10 with custom vermouth made from ginjo sake at the Umenoyado Brewery, its botanicals both Japanese-inspired (yuzu peel, hinoki oak, wasabi) and Singaporean (pineapple skin). The garnish so integral to a Gibson is in three parts: a house-pickled onion, smoked quail's egg, and pickled ginger made by acclaimed sushi master Taku Ashino. gibsonbar.sg

“Opulent” doesn’t begin to describe this lavish new bar, on the ground floor of Singapore’s grand office building Parkview Square, fashioned after the iconic Art Deco-style hotel lobbies of decades past. All light and gold, the bar is anchored by a soaring gin tower, housing more than a thousand bottles of the spirit, from 1910 London Dry gins to modern craft brands from around the world. Beneath the bar you’ll find the Champagne Room, with one of Asia’s best lists of bubbly at more than 250 labels. Head bartender Roman Foltán, formerly of London’s Artesian at the Langham, is behind the cocktails — it’s hard to argue with a crisp “Luis Buñuel Martini” in this setting, with London dry gin, dry vermouth, and Atlas’s own bitters blend; other, more elaborate drinks hew to the Art Deco theme. atlasbar.sg

Another of Singapore’s old-guard cocktail dens, 28 Hongkong is set behind a nondescript façade that hides a sexy, dimly-lit barroom featuring American-style craft cocktails. In its close-to-six years in operation, it’s hosted guest bartenders from across the globe, alongside their own award-winning mixologists. With an extensive, gorgeous back bar, their stock of 650 artisanal spirits (including over 50 bourbons and ryes from America) is one of the finest in Asia. Drinks range from the classically-inspired to the experimental; many of their greatest are thoughtful but streamlined, like Joe Alessandroni’s “Stone Fence,” with Appleton 12-year Jamaican rum, spiced pear liqueur, lemon, and La Chouette cider.

Just opened in December, Native is a bar with an ambitious agenda — pouring only Asian spirits, creating a real sense of place. It’s a theme that’s echoed in their use of regional produce, many foraged ingredients, and local music and decor. Founder Vijay Mudaliar points to the Pineapple Arrack as a personal favorite cocktail, using every part of the coconut, from the main spirit arrack (distilled from coconut flower sap) to coconut sugar, water, meat, oil and husk. But the bar earned immediate notoriety with their Antz cocktail, “which really is our story in a nutshell,” says Mudaliar — a drink of Thai rum, coconut yogurt, soursop, Singaporean weaver ants, and salt-baked tapioca, topped with a basil leaf cradling a meringue and a cluster of crunchy ants that Vijay forages for in Thailand. tribenative.com

The first international offshoot of the legendary Manhattan bar, a groundbreaker in the New York cocktail world, Employees Only brings much of its spirit and energy to its Singapore bar — with drinks that fans of the original will recognize, like the EO Gimlet (with a house lime cordial), the Ginger Smash (muddled ginger and pineapple, with rum, maraschino, and lime), and the Ready, Fire, Aim (mezcal, lime, honey-pineapple syrup, Hellfire bitters). The dimly-lit room and high-energy crowd also recall the bar’s West Village home, as does one of its most revered traditions — cups of chicken soup passed around just before last call. employeesonlysg.com