notes from singapura 2

in which a non-drinker talks about his experience in bars also writing is very scuffed on this one idk why

readers of this blog (and those who know me) will know that I’m not much of a drinker. Since I found my limits in college, I’ve learned that I’m only one shot away from an embarrassing beet red, and only 45 minutes away from a pounding headache. 

But what’s the point of having physical limitations restrict you from life? In a heroic (and non-alcoholic) effort, I have visited 5-6 bars here in Singapore with the help and guidance of my good friend and esteemed subscriber Keith Chia

After trying a few different jobs — from corporate to working at a bakery — Keith took an opportunity with his childhood friend to work at his bar. No investor money, purely bootstrapped from the ground up. From there Keith moved from just a part-timer bar hand to being a bar hand, the lead bar manager and of course a cocktail competition winner.

So there we were on Sunday evening, watching Keith clean up the bar and mop the floors from their final party the evening before. I watched as the cute little bar dishwasher machine was ripped open and slammed shut, its insides churning as Keith demonstrated his workflow a bit for me. A few of the other employees on staff rolled in and out, some taking the time to help mop, others just grabbing some final snapshots of one of Singapore’s most up and coming bars.

A mini bar crawl ensued — first to visit their downstairs neighbors at Idle Hands, then across the street through an eager crowd gathered around a busker, into the basement of the coup. Serving mainly draft beers, I’m told it’s somewhat of a bartenders bar.

If that wasn’t enough, we found ourselves ending the night at Bar Bon Funk, a year old cocktail establishment with a rather large and elaborate cocktail setup and where a few of Keith’s friends work. While Keith and I order drinks (bartenders Colin and Fahad make wonderful mocktails too!), we watch as another of Keith’s friends, Sarang, prepares her drink and presentation for tomorrow’s cocktail competition.

Tomorrow she would be graded on a few scales including sustainability (?), technicality, her presentation of the drink as well as the taste of her drink. These competitions are occasionally hosted by various liquor companies (this one by the Japanese iichiko), so when we walked in to Chinatown’s Cat Bite Bar we were greeted by several tall bottles of iichiko shochu, all ready for the bartenders to use in their drinks.

We watched as the competitors presented their drinks. Some presentations were better than their drinks. Some drinks sounded better than their presentations. As time went on, the three judges seated as the bar shifted in their seats, with some drinks bringing them up out of their seats, and others evoking a polite smile and nod.

And as the last one in the line up, Bar Bon Funk’s Sarang brought the energy back. Cracking jokes with a smile, we watched as Sarang razzled and dazzled the crowd of bartenders with stories of her grandmother and explaining how her drink incorporates nurungi, the Korean name for burnt rice. And when the dust cleared and the results were announced: she had won!!!

And she’s not the only winner I know (insane segueway lol). I first caught wind of this concept when Keith got second place at a cocktail competition hosted by bourbon maker Woodford Reserve. With only six months of bartending experience, Keith decided to go out on a limb and try it out. That runner up was followed by two straight victories!

It’s been great seeing the guy who was serving me whiskey and coke on our dorm room floor go on to be a rising force in the Singaporean bar scene. From those days in college to seeing him discuss the tasting notes of various liquors with his colleagues, it makes me proud how far he has come.

Back to the present, we hurried back to Bar Bon Funk to celebrate. Since I was getting cherry red from an iichiko highball i had at Cat Bite, I was blessed with a shot of seedlip while the rest of the gang cheered to their comrade’s victory.

It was a wild but awesome two days getting a sneak peak into the bartending world!! The bartenders are all tight — despite being scattered amongst a variety of bars, the network is still pretty small. Advice is exchanged, hands are shaken, and hugs are hugged. It’s clear they they’re all in it for the love of the game.

bars I visited and some short summaries

Please note that I not a serious bar person by any means. I’m a mocktail merchant and I will stand by it.

Bar Bon Funk: super cool cocktail bar with an immaculate audio setup. The bartenders are super cool and keep the yap going for hours. Little expensive though 😭  But great place to yap!

Idle Hands: just a floor below NOST, cute little speakeasy type with cool red lighting. Didn’t get a drink but was cool

the coup: most of the bars listed are cocktail bars. This is a beer bar. That’s all the info I have! Lol

Atlas: listed as one of Singapore’s best with a crazy roaring 20s aesthetic. just walked thru it was p cool tho

Jigger and Pony: listed as one of the best bars in the world. Great mocktails and cool tapioca chip snacks. Loud music, which is great for people who don’t have a lot of brain damage 😂

Cat Bite Bar: also a pretty well known bar it seems. I didn’t drink any actual drinks just went there for the cocktail competition. But it was cool!

notes

• this is the only trip where i’ve been reliably assumed as if i was a local. that’s pretty funny
• i did got profiled as a chinese tourist by one of the museums but we take those dubs

See you all next time for a more standard trip summary!