PUBLISHED September 27th, 2012 10:05 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:34 pm
Wow moments..don’t you just love them? Well I promise you, there are plenty to be had at the Catalunya bar. Yes we already shared many a ‘wow’ moment when we recently covered their tapas here – but so impressed were we with their extensive cocktail list, that well…we just had to give some special love to their cocktails alone. And how we love a bit of cocktail-love over at City Nomads.
The cocktail menu at the Catalunya bar sure is a feast for the eyes…with so many interesting options it’s hard to choose. Each cocktail not only comes with a description, but also its own individual map charting what ingredients go into it’s making; how the taste will progress as the different ingredients come into play, and the intensity with which the flavours come through. This meticulous attention to detail is something that is, for sure, carried across to the cocktails themselves.
Now this is a bold claim indeed, but I think Catalunya might have the best, most perfectly executed, across the board range of cocktails in Singapore. Gasp! There I said it! Exquisite? Oh yes.
And this is all thanks to Dario, the Head Bartender/Mixologist, a lovely, laid back chappy who makes sure his cocktails are all about the good stuff and not about the pretension.
Priced from $19 – $26 with most around the $19-$20 mark, they are a comfortable price for such fantastic cocktails. Each one so individual and you can expect intense flavour journeys that will marry up to those experienced in the food. N.B. to the fairer sex because if you make it down on their Wednesday Ladies Night, for every cocktail bought, you get a second on the house. Now THAT’S an offer that’s hard to resist.
So enough of my purrrring in delight. Let’s get down to it.
We started off with a Stairway to Heaven. Inspired by the legendary song ‘Stairway to Heaven’, it’s no wonder it won the Bacardi Legacy 2012 Spanish Cocktail of the Year because quite frankly, if you’re not in heaven from the moment you take your first sip, then perhaps you’re not alive at all!
A wonderful combination of flavours, first you’re hit with aromatic coriander, then with the savoury from the celery, passing through some smooth vanilla, pineapple and lime as the freshness gives way to a beautiful warmth from the Bacardi. Just genius!
The Good Old Fashioned Loverboy, well I have to hand over to The City Nomad, our resident Old Fashioned expert for his take on this. His verdict? Superb! Why? Because this unique and very cool variation of a standard Old Fashioned is actually made with aged tequila instead of the standard bourbon. Not even being a tequila fan he had to admit it was out-of-this-world…..And the addition of some chocolate bitters with orange zest and cinnamon made it even more special.
The Flamenco Martini – good lord this one should be X rated! The main components here are passionfruit puree and Belevedere vodka, but it’s the marriage of these with ginger and home-made cinnamon syrup which makes this altogether different from any passionfruit martinis you may have sampled in the past, leaving you with a wonderful warm afterglow. That plus the fact that it’s also got a fabulous thick yet impossibly smooth consistency to it. Mmmmmmmm.
If you’re into bitter drinks, or perhaps a fan of the Negroni, give the Drewski a shot. Made with chocolate and grapefruit bitters, Antica Formula Carpano, Aperol and Buffalo Trace Bourbon, you’ll enjoy the rich, complex yet ever so smooth nature of this number.
Time for some zing! Introducing Clockwork Orange, a fabulously zesty tipple, it beautifully combines sweet and sour with its blend of freshly squeezed orange, lime, ginger, chocolate bitters and cognac. What I love about this is the addition of home-made cinnamon syrup which gives a suprising warmth to this fresh and cheeky drink.
The Dame Sake in terms of ingredients is actually quite simple – sake, lime juice, sugar, and Chambord served up against a rim of salt, but it makes for a very interesting and refreshing tart cherry-flavoured cocktail. I could imagine it being one of those cocktails that before you know it, you’ve drunk four of them, the sake has kicked in and…. uh oh!
We were about to finish up when we got to meet the man behind the creations himself, and he let slip that he had been creating cocktails using cheese and mushrooms. SAY WHAT? My amazement and excitement was palpable. I knew in my head I had to try these, whether they were launched or not, and so with a bit of battering of my eyelids, I secured a first-taste for you Nomads out there!
My brain could not possibly fathom what these two last cocktails might taste like…I vowed to go in with an open mind (and mouth) and put trust in he who had created all sorts of amazingness for my palate before.
First up the Meditteraneo. The beauty of this one is that even before you have taken a sip, you get an incredible aroma of rosemary and smoked cheese. But how that translates in your palate is entirely different! Fresh at first, the flavour intensifies and then softens. This is one fine roller coaster experience for your taste buds or as The City Nomad put it – it’s like a football game going on in your mouth as one flavour passes to the next…and the next…Be sure to take a bit of the slice of the Idiazabal cheese sitting within and then drink to take it yet again to another level.
The Mexican Spell was smooth, akin to a mushroom soup (though of course much lighter in texture) and to my surprise fabulously sour and zingy…and then you get an ever-so-slight smokey mushroom aftertaste from of course the mushrooms, but also the mascal. I know this sounds totally bizarre but trust me it’s awesome!
I have to say I’ve had a lot of seriously good cocktails in Singapore but the cocktails at Catalunya? They blew me away. Sheer ingenuity and creativity but not for creativity’s sake. Generous portions with less ice meaning they last rather nicely. And flavour journeys quite like any other. Need I say more?
Catalunya bar is located at The Fullerton Pavilion, 82 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049327.
Cocktails and photography compliments of Catalunya