Mona Lounge
Mona Lounge is the back-room cocktail lounge of ’80s glamour-themed restaurant Sum Yi Tai in Boon Tat Street. Soak in jazzy Chinese tunes as you lounge in leather seats by mahjong tables and imbibe modern Asian cocktails. Songstress (pictured right) is a twist on the old-fashioned, served in a familiar Pei Pa Koa glass bottle. The drink is a smooth amalgam of Bulleit Rye whiskey with Pei Pa Koa, a natural herb syrup, and angostura bitters, giving it a sweet herbal taste and a menthol finish reminiscent of the famous cough remedy.
Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall
With its carved wooden Chinese calligraphy signboard and its distinctly local name, Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall in Boat Quay pays tribute to Singapore’s kopitiam culture. Here, familiar local flavours are parlayed into upmarket cocktails: chendol is given an alcoholic boost, marrying the tropical flavours of gula melaka and coconut cream with rum, while there are not one, but two riffs on our childhood comfort drink of Milo. These are accompanied by bar food inspired by hawker favourites like char kway teow and oyster omelette.
NINETEEN80
Newly opened in the heart of Tanjong Pagar is NINETEEN80, a retro arcade bar that transports you back to the 1980s with its vintage interiors, popular tunes from the decade and cocktail classics such as the Vodka Ribena from your younger clubbing days. You will not be able to resist challenging your buddies on the old-school arcade game consoles featuring the likes of PacMan, Space Invaders, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.
Loof
Billing itself as “Singapore’s Quintessential Local Bar”, Loof (pictured in banner), on the roof of Odeon Towers serves up whimsy and nostalgia in spades. Drinks are inspired by South-east Asian flavours and carry cheeky monikers like Kopi Cat and Kaya Lumpur with three options for Bubble Tea cocktails which put an adult spin on our nation’s favourite drink. Take a trip down memory lane at The Mama Shop which retails a selection of retro knick-knacks and old-school snacks like orange packets of Tasty sticks, little rolls of hawthorn candy, plastic toy soldiers and pointy “Ah Beng” combs.
This quirky modern Asian restaurant bar in Duxton Hill beckons loudly with its red lanterns, retro signboard and poster-covered walls. From food to drinks, the menu features bold modern Asian flavours: think Hokkien mee elevated with smoked pancetta and wok-kissed hor fun fried with wagyu. Cocktails are inventive spins on kopitiam favourites like the creamy, potent Milo Dinosaur and rum-based Yuan Yang redolent of tea, coffee and condensed milk.
