Make the weekend count with spirit-lifting cocktails at Baia and Writers Bar

Baia

The lowdown: Opening tomorrow at the Esplanade Mall, Baia is a sophisticated rooftop dining and lounge bar by Beppe De Vito of the ilLido Group. Spanning the entire 465-sqm rooftop, this is a chic lifestyle destination replete with live DJs, comfortable outdoor seating and panoramic views of the city. We expect plenty of tourists, Instagram boyfriends and people-watching.

What to order: Drinks are curated by Proof & Co, a beverage consultancy renowned for shaping cocktail culture across Asia, while the food menu features a selection of small plates and big flavours. Dig into dishes like Seared Bluefin Tuna with Oscietra Caviar and Truffle Fonduta Pizza, as you sip on refreshing aperitivos like the Singapolitan, made with Brass Lion Singapore Dry Gin, plum wine, salted strawberry and prosecco.

Baia
8 Raffles Avenue,
Esplanade Mall, Level 4
Singapore 039802
Tel: +65 9173 8182

Writers Bar

The low-down: Founded as tribute to the many literary greats who have stayed at Raffles Hotel Singapore, Writers Bar is a sophisticated space with a curated trove of inventive cocktails. The drinks experience changes accordingly to the work of the writer-in-residence, who is currently Madeleine Lee, the first Singaporean writer (and poet) to be appointed one under the Raffles’ Writer’s Residency Programme.

What to order: The menu ranges from cocktails inspired by How to Build a Lux Hotel, a new book of poems by Lee, to a variety of highballs and the Million Dollar Cocktail, a pineapple-based gin sour invented by Ngiam Tong Boon, the Raffles bartender who also invented the Singapore Sling. There’s also a special two-day collaboration happening this weekend with The Curator, an award-winning bar from the Philippines. Co-founder David Ong and head bartender Sciemon Sober will be around to showcase four signature cocktails, including the Pandesal, a Filipino bread roll-inspired drink made with Bruichladdich, pandesal, espresso, cream, bitters, nutmeg and salt.

Writers Bar
Raffles Singapore,
1 Beach Road,
Singapore 189673
Tel: +65 6412 1816