By now, Covid has taken over much of our lives. Covid news plays out non-stop, we’re all stuck at home, and we’re all isolating ourselves from everyone else- at least physically.
Still, Covid doesn’t have to consume our lives, and we can consume stuff that isn’t Covid, about Covid, or around Covid. What would life be otherwise?
We’re talking about booze, of course.
Updated: 28/05. The Bars remain closed for the foreseeable future, and now a whole range of new options have popped up, which we’re including here.
With the temporary suspension of dine-in at restaurants in Singapore also applying to drink-in at bars, the ingenious and resourceful bar teams have followed suit and started offering take-out and home delivery options.
While you don’t get to enjoy the ambiance at the various bars, you get to have the same cocktails in the comfort of your own home. In your pajamas. While watching Netflix. The trade off doesn’t seem so bad, after all.
Without further ado: bars we can suggest taking out from:
Jigger and Pony Group
One of Singapore’s most celebrated beverage groups is offering a huge range of takeaways from their outlets (Jigger and Pony, Gibson, Live Twice, Caffe Fernet and Humback), and includes both food and drinks.
In fact, in a strange twist of fate, one can actually mix and match drinks from all their establishments in one sitting- a feat hitherto impossible. It’s probably the most complete offering we’ve seen so far.
One can get chilled vacuumed packed drinks like the Lobster Mary in our headline image or the unparalleled Vesper from Live Twice to start, follow it up with a delicious Cacio e Pepe from Caffe Fernet, wash it down with a Madame President from Jigger and finish off with a Gibson from Gibson.
Ordering and Availability: Mix and match at their webpage. Deliveries go out from 1pm to 10pm daily, with free deliveries for orders of $150 and above.
Junior
The pocket bar now offers selected drinks from its current Petite Chalet menu, an Alpine inspired lineup that you can read about here. We suggest trying out the Tyrolean Hat, Death in the Treeline and Killer Queen if you’re interested in something a little different, but delicious all the same.
Ordering and Availability: Contact the team via Instagram, SMS, WhatsApp or call at +65 8121 1462. Orders made before 6pm will enjoy same day delivery. If you miss the cutoff, Grab couriers or self-collect can still be arranged until 10 pm each night. Free delivery for spends of $130 and above.
Manhattan
Manhattan has begun offering a selection of bottled cocktails for takeaway, available for purchase and pickup at Dolcetto, Level 1 of Regent Singapore.
The selection features some favourites, including the Manhattan (350ml at $118, Chocolate Negroni (350ml at $118), Barrel Aged El Presidente (100ml at $24/ 5×100 ml at $100) and Solera Aged Negroni (100ml at $24 / 5×100 ml at $100).
A specially launched Manhattan X Marker’s Mark custom-finished Private Select Whisky is also available for $288+.
Native
Native has risen to the challenge and will be offering their drinks islandwide. If you have a taste for some local flavours and ingredients in your cocktails, you can choose from the following:
Hibiscus: with Hawthorne Distillate, Hibiscus Jun, Kithul ($68).
Forager’s Garden: Matcha Gin, Blue Pea Flowers, Calamansi, Matcha Kombucha ($68)
Peranakan: Jackfruit Rum, Laksa Leaves, Goat’s Milk, Candlenut, Gula Meleka. Delivered with Kueh Salat from Michelin Starred restaurant Candlenut. ($88)
Pineapple Arrack: Ceylon Arrack, Old Coconuts, Pineapple Skins, Sri Lankan Spices ($88)
Each order is good for 6-8 portions over ice.
Ordering and Availability: To order, send a message to Native at info@tribenative.com; Whatsapp or call +6588696520 with the following information: name, delivery address, order, and preferred delivery date and time. Payments via Paynow.
Revamp Kitchen & Bar
Boo Jing Heng (Diageo World Class 2016 Singapore Winner) crafts 2 bottled cocktails- at a very solid price.
The NO.1 consists of gin, vermouth, campari, Cointreau, citric acid, sugar, and distilled Water, while the NO.2 swaps the gin for whisky. The prices are:
150ml – $16 (at revamp)
320ml – $29 (at revamp)
150ml – $12 (retail/delivery)
320ml – $22 (retail/delivery)
Ordering and Availability: Cocktails are available for purchase at Revamp, via email (info.drinkeasy@gmail.com) or Facebook. Free delivery is available with a minimum order of 10 bottles, otherwise delivery will be $18. You can also pick them up at Revamp directly.
Shin Gi Tai
Shin Gi Tai is offering a selection of handcrafted bottled cocktails in 300ml or 500ml sizes. While the classic Manhattan, Sidecar and Negroni are available, the bar offers some of its own signatures such as the Dragon’s Daughter (Hendricks Orbium Gin, Peychard Bitters, White Wine Vinegar, Lillet Blanc, Elderflower Liquer).
In addition to the list on offer, Shin Gi Tai’s bartenders can also create bespoke cocktails upon request.
Ordering and Availability: Cocktails are available for purchase here. The deliver services are available from Monday to Saturday, 12pm – 10pm. You can call Shin Gi Tai at 94778755 or Anthony at 97684132 for enquiries.
The Old Man Singapore
One of the best bars in Singapore, will offer seven of their signatures, such as the The Sun Also Rises ($17), Papa Doble ($17) and Little Wax Puppy ($17). You can read more about the drinks themselves here.
Ordering and Availability: Orders can be placed at info@theoldmansg.com three hours in advance of the preferred pick-up time.
Nutmeg and Clove
The quintessential bar is offering some of their regular menu outings in bottled form.
Chrissy Negroni: Chrysanthemum Gin, Campari, Cinzano Rosso
Roses and Lychees: Hendricks, roses, lychees and clarified milk
Smoky Rum Old-Fashioned: Mount Gay Rum, Islay Whisky, smoked wood chips, Okinawa cane sugar, bitters
Symphony: Remy VSOP, Rye, Bitters, TWG Assam Black Tea, Chinese Herbs
Ordering and Availability: Contact the bar at their Facebook Page or Whatsapp Shuen at 82459262. Delivery is free for orders of two bottles or more.
ATLAS
ATLAS took the online retail one step further and offers everything from home cocktail sets, bottled cocktails and even bottles of gin, including the exclusive St. George ATLAS Orange Gin. We’d suggest trying out the ATLAS Martini and Milk Punch Palais, both going for $18++. They also offer a 3-cocktail flight if you feel you need a little more liquid courage.
For food, they offer the classics such as the arancini, beef short ribs, and madeleines for takeaway at the curbside.
Ordering and Availability: Check out the store here. Delivery hours for the onlien retail store are Monday to Friday from 12pm to 6pm, with free home delivery for orders above $100. Takeaway is available here.
Copper
Copper, as the scion of the Whisky Store, will offer 135 different mini ‘tasting bottles’ of whisky and other spirits from the Cadenhead range both online and through the bar. Each bottle is 60ml; a fairly generous pour, and of some really fantastic whiskies that are pretty hard to get anywhere else.
Copper will also offer tasting sets which come with tasting mats.
Ordering and Availability: Check out the store here. Free home delivery for orders $300 and above.
Tippling Club
Tippling Club will be offering its full list of cocktails from its current menu, A Guide to Modern Drinking, along with select food items.
For customers within 3km who opt to have their food or cocktails delivered, Head Bartender Andy Loudon will personally cycle them over and shake up any drinks made with perishables. Food will also be available for takeaway, including soups, sandwiches and sweets.
Ordering and Availability: You can make your orders here.
Lumo
The new kid on the block offers some sumptuous modern European cuisine such as the Homemade beef balls with tomato confit ($18+), Sakura pork chop ($36) and New Zealand Angus Ribeye ($32+).
The double-portioned Cocktails include the Stevie J($30+), a riff on the classic Manhattan with notes of baked apple and a savoury finish and the Patty Royale ($30+) highlights Impossible™ patty distillate in the Vesper and Dirty Martini-inspired drink.
Ordering and Availability: Takeaway and delivery services from Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 9:30pm. Minimum order of $50 with a delivery fee of $5 applies, free deliveries for orders above $80. WhatsApp your order and address to 8921 381.
Employees Only
While one might miss the raucous atmosphere at Employees Only, they currently offer some classic cocktails for takeaway or delivery, including Negronis, Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and Martinis.
Each cocktail is available in 350 ml ($80) or 700 ml ($150) bottles. Flights are also available for 3 x 350 ml cocktails ($220) or 5 x 350 ml cocktails ($350).
Ordering and Availability: Check out the store here.
Da Paolo Dempsey
While more a restaurant than a bar, Da Paolo has been a worthy longtime presence in the Italian food scene in Singapore. The Tiramisu has always been to die for, and the antipasti remains a highlight.
The drinks menu is new, but we see it as an extension of the Italian style, with Italian twists on classic drinks; we find that they fit the apertivo style fairly well, with a classic Negroni style drink (the David), a citrus-led drink (Land of Agrumi), something spicy (Caesar) and a splash of Sangria (Summer Porthole). They’re pretty good with a pizza.
Da Paolo’s delivery platform is currently running a 20% off for Da Paolo Dempsey Restaurant & Bar with a one-time code: NEW20OFF (applicable for Delivery & Takeaway), so if you’re looking for dinner and want a side of drinks as well, definitely give them a try.
You can order here.
SGCF@Home
A part spin-off, part preview of the upcoming Singapore Cocktail Festival in October. The SGCF was originally due to happen right about now, but has gone online to tide us over due to…current events.
While the pomp and ceremony (and a lot of the fun) will have to wait till late this year, participating bars have put up a signature cocktail each on the SGCF site- though delivery will be done by the establishments themselves.
While you can (and should) check out the individual bars too, the SGCF site is a pretty sizable aggregation of many of the bars in Singapore. If you’re looking for a convenient way to get to them- and enjoy signature cocktails while you’re at it, then it’s worth a look.
Take a look here.
Wheels on the Bars
Not a bar itself, but a social initiative aimed at helping out the bar industry, Wheels on the Bars lists drinks from multiple bars and helps with the order fulfillment.
The great part? You get a pretty good variety of drinks with different styles. The bars are pretty well regarded in their own right too- Operation Dagger, The Single Cask, Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall and Hopscotch among them.
The best part? All your money goes to the bars- the site gets zero commission.
Check out the site here.
L.A.B Cocktails
Not a bar at all, but a set of packaged cocktails that we think checks a lot of the boxes for good home drinking. The drinks come in 500ml portions- fairly large, but the good news is that the packs can be easily resealed; no mess, no fuss.
The drinks come in tropical flavours: Lychee Martini, Passion Teani and Lemongrass Cooler. We tried them and they’re all pretty good- refreshing and with plenty of tropical tartness. Excellent for the scorching hot days of May and June.
You can order some here.
