Strike up a conversation about the best bespoke cocktail bars in Singapore, and you won’t be able to omit the mention of 28 Hong Kong Street (28HKS) – it did actually win Best Cocktail Bar in the Bar Awards this year. We dive deeper into this waterhole with a chat with Peter Chua, the award-winning local bartender from the wildly popular speakeasy. He shares his thoughts on Singapore’s growing cocktail scene, and where to go for the best drinking (and eating) experiences in the city.
What makes 28HKS special is…
its well-curated food and drinks menu, as well as top-notch hospitality that the hardworking staff offer to every customer that walks through the door. Most people tend to remember how much fun they had at the bar, rather than how balanced the Negroni was.
The local bartending scene is…
the epitome of “East meets West” – just like how Singapore is as a country. Bartenders here are constantly experimenting with local and foreign ingredients, flavour profiles, as well as traditional and modern techniques. The use of local flavours really sets us apart from bars worldwide.
For the best drinking experiences in town, go to…
Manhattan at Regent Singapore and order a Primavera, before asking head barman, Philip Bischoff, to give you a tour of its hidden rooms: an in-bar rickhouse and an impressive ingredients room. Operation Dagger for its Red Eye cocktail, and quiz head barman, Luke “Wookie” Whearty, on how they make their bottled fermented beverages, compressed fruits and drinks that come in two different temperatures. And have a chat with the multi-talented bartender, Tom Hogan, while he makes you a Blood of Dillinger at Anti:Dote.
After a long hard day’s work…
I’d go to the 24-hour kopitiam (coffee shop) at Blk 401 Hougang Avenue 10. Simply known as “401” by the residents there, it offers a wide range of local cuisines and my favourites are the chicken rice, laksa (noodles in coconut milk-based curry broth) and Hokkien mee (stir-fried prawn noodles).
If friends from out of town are here for a visit…
I’ll bring them for aSingapore-style breakfast (soft boiled eggs, kaya [coconut jam] toast and coffee) at a local coffee shop. Then, I’d take them to the zoo just because I love animals! We’ll have lunch at Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands, before sneaking in an afternoon drink while enjoying the beautiful view of the city’s skyline at CÉ LA VI. Sentosa’s next on the list: we’ll chill out by the beach and have some vodka-fuelled Miami Vices cocktails at Tanjong Beach Club. Dinner will be at Lau Pa Sat, where we’ll have more local grub to line our bellies for a night of bar-hopping around town, no doubt making a stop at 28HKS. And for supper, we’ll head to Geylang for a mandatory durian experience – whether they like it or not!
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