Jigger & Pony has been one of Singapore’s top bars for years. Ranking among one of Asia’s Best Bars quite definitively settled debate on its high quality- if it was even in question at all.
Whether at its first location on Amoy Street, or at the spacious new premises at Amara Hotel, one would have to try very hard indeed to find a bad drink.
With great accomplishments come great pressure, however. Reaching the pinnacle might be tough, but staying on top might be harder. Staying still isn’t an option either; one keeps running, or one is overtaken.
All in all, changing the menu brings with it risks- and also opportunities. We take a quick look at its latest incarnation and see if, like a certain Thunder God, it is still worthy.
Something Old
When we last took a serious look at Jigger’s menu, they had just moved in. At the time, we already found the menu to be excellent. The Dry Rob Roy and the Tokyo-Hi were drinks we could drink every day. The latter returns to the menu, as does a good chunk of the last menu’s hits.
Oh, and this.
The Crystal Ramos Gin Fizz is a clear-“coloured” take on the classic Ramos Gin Fizz. After a long hiatus (too long) from sister bar Gibson, it finally made a triumphant return at Jigger.
We’ve said a lot about this drink, but we’ll give you the simple version here. The paradox of combining silky mouthfeel and clean texture, and balancing the original cocktail’s floral, sweet and creamy elements was achieved in this drink. It’s great and you’re quite possibly missing out if you haven’t tried it.
Something New
Old favourites returning to the fold are well and good, but there’s some interesting new stuff on the menu, too.
Out of the 27-drink menu, we found a chapter that explores unique base spirits. Now, that’s quite a claim, perhaps slightly exaggerated, but the spirits are definitely not something that one finds on the typical menu.
We started with the Williams Cooler ($23++), a highball made from Vedrenne Poire Williams, Capovilla Pere Williams, jasmine orris liqueur, lime and soda.
We were immediately drawn to the drink’s choice of ingredients. Eau-de-vie is the distilled form of fruit wine, a way of extracting the flavours of fruit and concentrating it into a delicious elixir. Think of it as unaged brandy- in this case, mostly pear brandy. Criminally underused.
As a highball style drink, we expected it to be refreshing and light- and indeed, it was. The crisp aromas and flavours of fresh pears emanated from the drink, all mellow sweetness and honeyed green fruit. Combined with the floral liqueur, the overall dryness then came as a bit of a surprise- but a pleasant one. We closed our eyes and saw ourselves sipping drinks on a cool day at an orchard.
The Barley Manhattan ($23++) was also enjoyable. Tsukushi Kuro Barley Shochu, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Cocchi Torino are used in this twist on the Manhattan.
A typical Manhattan immediately assaults the senses with the spiciness of a rye. This rendition, however, started with a soft fermented rice flavour, in all its sweet-sour glory. It then segued smoothly into the sweet chocolate, red berries, bourbon and cream. An umami element gave echoes of a salted caramel chocolate. A symphony of flavours rich and subdued, working together in harmony. Really good.
And Something Totally Unexpected
The Mango Hazelnut Daiquiri ($23++) also proved quite pleasant. The ingredient list read quite strangely to us. We had doubts that Clairin Communal Rhum (an agricole), mango, hazelnut, lime and cream should even be found on the same shelf together, but somehow, putting them together in the right ratios worked!
The Clairin rum’s grassy, phenolic flavour complemented the mango, both cutting and laying bare the intense nectar-sweetness. The almond notes in the rum also synergised with the hazelnut, adding much needed dimension and gravity to the otherwise saccharine fruit. Lime was then used to round off the sweetness, and cream for a satisfying milkshake-like consistency.
Thoroughly delicious, and far more balanced than a drink made with mango would suggest!
Summing it all up
Wow. What a ride. Normally, we’d find quite a bit to critique on the cocktails, but all the drinks we tried just work. More than that, they’re creative, takes on classic cocktails that somehow feel fresh. We have no trouble recommending them.
Now, while we didn’t taste all twenty-seven drinks on the menu, but between the returning favourites, and the excellent new drinks we did try, we feel that there’s already plenty to like. We would be happy to head down to Jigger & Pony again, and soon.
Yes, it is worthy.
