PUBLISHED July 24th, 2020 06:00 am | UPDATED August 1st, 2020 01:39 pm
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but The Old Man Singapore sure has many up its sleeves. The first overseas branch of Hong Kong‘s famed experimental bar made a serious splash when it hit our shores early last year, and post-circuit breaker, it hasn’t slowed down any. Its latest ‘v2’ menu overhaul sees an inventive library of 16 drinks priced at S$20++ – each, as always, named after Hemingway novels or short stories.
Taking pride of place behind the bar, The Old Man’s behemoth rotovap and centrifuge machine tucked away in the back have whipped up more mad scientists’ magic for us. If you loved the funky The Sun Also Rises from the ‘v1’ lineup, it’s still having its moment in the sun; you’ll find Islands in the Stream, Death in the Afternoon, and Clear Old Fashioned back on the menu as well. But while the previous cast nicely covered the ABV spectrum, the ‘v2’ menu gets a tad more polarizing – there’re many concoctions you’ll either love or hate here.
Case in point: Winner Takes Nothing, the peculiar lovechild of a gin fizz and carrot juice. This vivid orange drink marries rotovap pink guava gin with baby carrot-infused Suze and blackened carrot bug. While you might expect carrot sweetness, what unfolds is surprisingly earthy, with tarragon cordial amping up its herbaceous depth. Is it enough to convert the anti-carrot camp? We think so.
Another unorthodox pour, In Our Time is a creamy mix of salted Espolón tequila, clarified banana ghee and celery, and spiced banana skin tincture. It’s innocently buttery on the nose, but then the strangeness of it hits your throat – ripe, ketchup-savoury, and spicy thanks to a dot of chili oil.
If you like your savoury cocktails, A Moveable Feast is your poison. Rotovap seawater, salts, and fresh clams capture the taste of ocean brine, with seasoned cherry tomatoes adding a tangy dimension. Infused in cheesewax and garnished with an oyster leaf, it’s an umami bomb.
There’s a sweet side to the menu, of course. To Have and Have Not, for one, is a rum-and-coke elevated to pure creamy comfort. A blend of burnt oat rum, rectified coca-cola, and vanilla lather, it’s deliciously reminiscent of an ice-cream float. Meanwhile, For Whom The Bell Tolls shakes up cocoa nibs-infused Batavia Arrack with tart strawberries and burnt butter rum. A juicy pop of sourness gives way to earthy cocoa notes – we were put in mind of chocolate-covered strawberries.
While most of the tipples are carbon copies of The Old Man Hong Kong’s OG selection, you’ll find a handful of Singapore specials. This includes The Undefeated (S$14), an amber lager born of a colla-brew-ation with local microbrewery The 1925 Brewing Co. Inspired by an Old Fashioned, it’s brewed with oak infused with Wild Turkey bourbon, resulting in a caramel-forward beer overlaid with citrus.
It’s certainly not a show-stealer from the cocktails, though – especially since amber lagers are pretty passé in the world of craft beer too. Another Wild Turkey bourbon-infused number, The Torrents of Spring gets seductively bittersweet with glutinous rice cooked mezcal, amaro nonino, and clarified william pear. To dial up the mezcal’s smokiness, there’s a clever smear of activated charcoal on one side of the glass – just be sure not to get it all over your fingers.
To wine down, no better option than Hills Like White Elephants – a silky medley of honey mead Riesling and bamboo shoot-infused Americano Bianco. Well-balanced with salted fino sherry, it’s an elegantly floral nightcap. With Phase 2 restrictions, you’ll need to wind down at 10.30pm – but if you want to carry on your funky-good evening, take home some of their cocktails in bottled form.
The Old Man Singapore is located at 55 Keong Saik Road, #01-04, Singapore 089158, p. +65 6909 5505. Open Mon-Sat 5pm–10.30pm. Closed Sun.