Make the weekend count with spirit-lifting cocktails at The Warehouse Lobby Bar, Nutmeg & Clove and Ida’s

The Warehouse Lobby Bar

The low-down: Once home to the seedy underbelly of Singapore, The Warehouse Lobby Bar is now a cocktail haven and gateway to our city’s culture. Led by food and beverage director Joseph Haywood, the bar combines its rich history as a hidden distillery with creativity, with a menu inspired by the region’s vibrant spice routes and trades.

What to order: Cocktails are categorised into four different flavour profiles: herbaceous, fruity, spiced and bold. Must-haves include the Watermelon Fizz (fruity), inspired by the classic Gin Fizz and migration of the fruit from Africa to Southeast Asia, and made with cold-pressed watermelon juice, coconut, gin and sherry. We also recommend the White Horse (herbaceous), which gets its name from the sons of Singapore’s elite benefitting from favouritism during national service. Made with the milk punch technique, an age-old craft that dates back to 1711, this is a deliciously smooth and creamy rendition of rum, sherry, pandan, coconut, oolong and lemon, that may end up a favourite.

The Warehouse Lobby Bar
320 Havelock Rd,
Singapore 169628
Tel: +65 6828 0000

Nutmeg & Clove

The low-down: Situated below its sister bar, The Last Word, Nutmeg & Clove is the patriotic sibling committed to taking guests down the city’s memory lane, peddling its different bits of history through food and drink. It is one of Singapore’s best cocktail bars, and the 28th on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, if you care for that.

What to order: The menu’s truly Singaporean, peppered with Singlish and colloquial lingo along the way. There’s Stylo Milo, a wise choice if you like the idea of bourbon and Scotch with shochu and hojicha cream; and Yam Seng, a delightful shaken cocktail that finds strength in mezcal and flavours like lemongrass, pandan, taro and lemon.

Nutmeg & Clove
8 Purvis Street,
Singapore 188587
Tel: +65 9389 9301

Ida’s

The low-down: Tucked away inside Gillman Barracks, a contemporary arts cluster near Labrador Park, Ida’s serves as a destination for those who seek an oasis of calm and elegance in lush surroundings. Home to a bar, restaurant and in-house floral studio Charlotte Puxley Flowers, the space features Mediterranean-style dishes by Aiman Hanoi of Pollen and Binomio fame, and botanical cocktails developed in partnership with the folks behind Cat Bite Club.

What to order: Led by ex-Manhattan bartender Nikki Lacsamana, cocktails range from classics such as your Penicillin, New York Sour and Paloma, to signatures like Minted Passion (mezcal, vermouth, Aperol, passion fruit, mint), and Café Nanas (coffee liqueur, rum, Cointreau, nutmeg). Complete the Ida’s experience with some Lamb Croquettes and Octopus, sous-vide for five hours and grilled to a T.

Ida’s
9 Lock Road,
02-21 Gillman Barracks,
Singapore 108937
Tel: +65 8809 2752