City Nomads’ Guide to Singapore Cocktail Week
PUBLISHED February 23rd, 2015 10:00 pm | UPDATED July 1st, 2020 12:51 am
With less than two weeks to go to the Lion City’s first Cocktail Week, we reckon it’s time to start planning your boozy activities over the eight days of the festival and the 30 different bars taking part. So here are some of the major highlights and tips to help you straighten out your priorities during Singapore Cocktail Week (SGCW) – cheers!
Jersey Lightning, Tippling Club, Kamil Foltan
How it Works
In case you didn’t catch our previous feature, festival-goers should purchase a set of 8 wristbands (one for each day of Singapore Cocktail Week) that’ll entitle them to SGCW privileges like purchasing signature drinks at participating bars at $14++, a 10% discount on the lineup of cocktail workshops and cocktail tours, and entry to the opening party.
Priced at $38, festivalgoers can purchase tickets online or at participating bars from 26 February 2015.
Kicking off with a Bang
Cocktails at the beach under the setting sun? The folks at SGCW couldn’t have chosen a better place to start the celebration of our cocktail culture than Tanjong Beach Club!
Tanjong Beach Club
Held on 7 March 2015, entry is exclusive to wristband holders and attendees get a sneak peek of the signature drinks that 9 of the 30 bars will be serving during SGCW. Plus, presenting sponsor William Grant & Sons are flying the international, award-winning bartenders early so you’ll have a chance to hobnob with the best. With tipples priced at an affordable $10 nett and DJs Godwin P., Kenneth Francis, and Anand providing the soundtrack for the night, this is one party not to be missed.
Cocktail Tours
These ain’t no ordinary bar crawls, ladies and gentlemen. Led by Zachary de Git (Regional Portfolio Ambassador of William Grant & Sons) and some of the best bartenders in the world, the five cocktail tours are probably the best ways to experience the difference in styles of mixed drinks and bar vibes present in our dynamic cocktail scene.
Spring Break, The Cufflink Club, Joel Fraser
All of them sound really good but if we had to pick, we’d go with Raveen Misra (formerly of Nektar, Singapore) to La Maison du Whisky, Nutmeg & Clove, Operation Dagger, and The Spiffy Dapper on 12 March or with Nick Koumbarakis (of The Alchemist Says, South Africa) to The Library, Potato Head Folk, The Cufflink Club and L’Aiglon on 11 March.
Priced at $98 per person for all days except Wednesday ($83), your ticket includes transport between each stop, one cocktail per stop, and guide fees.
Pop-Up Bars
Sheikh on the Level, The Spiffy Dapper, Hilda Tan
Gin lovers, hotfoot over to Oxwell & Co from 9-13 March (6pm-12am) for the Hendrick’s Gin pop-up – the first 500 G&Ts are free for wristband holders! Subsequent drinks will cost $12 nett for festival-goers or $14 nett for non-ticket holders. And if you enjoy Sailor Jerry, they’ll be popping up at Bar Naked from 9-13 March (6pm-11pm) as well. Wristband holders get the first drink free while subsequent drinks go at $10 nett, or $12 nett if you don’t have tickets.
11 March sees a Vodka Pop-up Bar, featuring Titos Handmade Vodka (a small-batch distillery in Austin, Texas), at The Spiffy Dapper from 7-10pm. Take this opportunity to discover this still-indie vodka label that’s just launched outside the United States with Texan tipples like Titos Kickin’ Mule and more. Drinks are priced at $16 nett for wristband holders and $25 nett otherwise.
We don’t really have to tell you to get your tickets again, do we?
Perfect Your Craft: Workshops
David Koh, Bar Stories, Miss Joaquim
If you’ve a passion for cocktails, we’re sure more than a few of these workshops – hosted and led by participating bartenders – will appeal to you. From The Basics of Craft Bartending at Home by Bar Stories’ Head Bartender David Koh to hopping on The American Whiskey Trail at The Secret Mermaid led by Head Bartender Kevin Petrie, and even a lesson on cocktails of the Prohibition era by Kamil Foltan, Head Bartender of Tippling Club, in Lawless Cocktails.
Prices vary for each workshop so it’s best to check out all the workshops on SGCW’s website.
Other (Delicious) Events
Aki Eguchi, Jigger & Pony, Corpse Reviver 101
While the good people behind SGCW are still firming up details of events for us festivalgoers, one thing we can look forward to is the 5-course Rum Pairing Dinner ($130 nett, 10% off for wristband holders) at Sugarhall on 10 March. Featuring a curated selection of rums and rum cocktails by Aki Eguchi (Head Bartender of sister bar Jigger & Pony) with culinary pairings by Chef Polo Seah, guests can expect an evening of excellent food, drink, and company.
Top Image: B.B. King, The Powder Room
All Images except TBC: Singapore Cocktail Week
