SINGAPORE – With the World’s 50 Best Bars ceremony taking place at Pasir Panjang Power Station on Tuesday, local bars and alcohol brands are organising a slew of guest shifts and parties in the coming days.
This means that the world’s top mixologists will be showing off their signature creations and promoting their home bars right here in Singapore.
So, if you have ever wanted to have an international cocktail experience without leaving the island’s shores, now is your chance.
The Straits Times rounds up the most exciting events for local cocktail lovers to look out for.
1. Paradiso (Barcelona) at Origin Bar
Make your reservations quickly at Origin Bar (www.instagram.com/originbarsg) for Sunday (7 to 9pm and 9 to 11pm) or Monday (9 to 11pm), when the Shangri-La Singapore welcomes the winner of the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list through its doors.
Barcelona’s Paradiso is known for its magical and imaginative approach to craft cocktails, and should be like a natural complement to Origin Bar’s whimsical yet elegant vibe.
Where: Origin Bar, Lobby Level, Tower Wing, 22 Orange Grove Road
2. Connaught Bar (London) at Manhattan
The Connaught Bar, a renowned hotel bar in London’s posh Mayfair neighbourhood, topped the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2021, and was No. 8 on the 2022 list.
The bar team, led by Italian master mixologist Ago Perrone, will be bringing the bar’s luxurious hospitality and fine cocktails to Manhattan at Conrad Singapore Orchard (www.instagram.com/manhattan_sg) on Monday, from 4 to 6pm.
Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy sips including the iconic Connaught Martini. The bar is known for its theatrical approach to serving this classic cocktail, pouring it out from a height after mixing it in a sleek black trolley that is brought right up to the table.
Where: Manhattan, Level 2 Conrad Singapore Orchard, 1 Cuscaden Road
3. Tres Monos (Buenos Aires) at Employees Only Singapore
The team from Tres Monos, which was No. 27 among the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022, will be serving a guest shift at Employees Only Singapore in Amoy Street (www.instagram.com/employeesonlysg) on Monday from 10pm to closing.
The Buenos Aires venue is known for making its own sake and liqueurs, and for its mischievous and easygoing approach to serving customers.
The bar, located in the hip Palermo Soho neighbourhood of the Argentinian capital, received one of the two pre-ceremony awards for the World’s 50 Best Bars 2023 – the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, which recognises outstanding bar service.
Where: Employees Only Singapore, 112 Amoy Street
4. Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City) at Jigger & Pony
Co-founders Eric Van Beek and Rodrigo Urraca from Handshake Speakeasy, a Mexican bar that was No. 11 on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list, will be mixing drinks at Jigger & Pony on Monday from 8pm till midnight.
I had the opportunity to experience a guest shift by Van Beek and Urraca at Penicillin in Hong Kong in July, and was won over by their exuberance and creative tipples.
Here in Singapore, at the Amara Hotel watering hole, guests will have a chance to sample cocktails such as Big In Japan, which blends whisky with toasted barley and shiso.
Where: Jigger & Pony, Amara Hotel, 165 Tanjong Pagar Road
5. Double Chicken Please (New York City) at One-Ninety Bar
New York City bar Double Chicken Please is one to watch for in the 2023 rankings. It came in at No. 6 for World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 and topped the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars in 2023.
The Lower East Side venue’s co-founder Faye Chen will be participating in a special guest shift at One-Ninety Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore (www.instagram.com/oneninetybarsg) on Monday from 7pm, as part of an American Express Experiences pop-up.
That same evening, the pop-up will also feature other renowned bartenders, including Alex Francis of Little Red Door in Paris, which was No. 5 on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list.
Where: One-Ninety Bar, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, 190 Orchard Boulevard
6. Maybe Sammy (Sydney) at Stay Gold Flamingo
If you missed out on Maybe Sammy’s appearance at the Singapore Cocktail Festival in May, it will be back at Stay Gold Flamingo in Amoy Street on Sunday from 9pm to midnight.
The Sydney bar was No. 29 on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list, and takes inspiration from the Hollywood Rat Pack aesthetic of the 1950s.
But if you have other plans that evening, you can drop by Stay Gold Flamingo (www.instagram.com/staygoldflamingo) – a coffee bar by day – from 11am to 3pm, for a takeover by Sammy Junior, a coffee and cocktail bar founded by the same team behind Maybe Sammy and also located in the Aussie city.
Where: Stay Gold Flamingo, 69 Amoy Street
7. Africa Takeover at Sugarhall
Rum bar Sugarhall (www.instagram.com/sugarhallsg) will be hosting an Africa Takeover night on Monday from 8pm till midnight, featuring three bars from across the African continent.
They are Hero Bar from Nairobi (No. 62 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2023), Sin + Tax from Johannesburg (No. 94) and Front/Back from the Ghanaian capital of Accra.
Bartenders from these bars will be serving up some very intriguing drinks at the Cecil Street drinking joint, such as the Ayoba ($26++), which mixes whisky, burnt butter and rooibos.
Where: Sugarhall, Level 2, 19 Cecil Street
8. Hong Kong All-Stars at 1880
The Foundry Asia x 1880 event on Monday from 8pm to 2am promises to showcase the best of Hong Kong’s vibrant bar scene.
Jay Khan, owner of Coa – which topped Asia’s 50 Best Bars for the third year in a row in July – will be serving up his Mole Negroni ($25++), while Antonio Lai of Quinary (No. 31, Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023) will be mixing up his signature Earl Grey Martini ($25++).
I tried the drink at the Asia’s 50 Best Bars ceremony reception in Hong Kong, and its inventive use of Earl Grey-infused “caviar” pearls and foam was a highlight.
Though 1880 is a members’ club, the event is also open to the public. Make bookings at str.sg/ipN4
Where: 1880, Level 3 InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay, 1 Nanson Road
9. Barstars Festival at Plume
Singapore-based premium craft spirits brand The Orientalist Spirits is throwing a three-day Barstars bash to celebrate the best of Asian bartending talent. It will be held at Plume at Pan Pacific Singapore from Sunday to Tuesday.
The first two days will showcase mixologists from across the region – such as Holly Graham of the newly opened Tokyo Confidential in Japan, as well as Terry Kim of Seoul’s Alice and Ezra Star of Hong Kong’s Mostly Harmless, which were No. 28 and No. 33 respectively on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 list.
On Tuesday evening, join the World’s 50 Best festivities with a viewing party of the awards ceremony taking place at Pasir Panjang Power Station.
Book the event via WhatsApp on 9459-7165 or e-mail plume.ppsin@panpacific.com
Where: Plume, Pan Pacific Singapore, Marina Square, 7 Raffles Boulevard
