Over the past five years, Singapore has seen herself rising as a global cocktail city to rank behind New York and London in the World’s 50 Best Bars 2018 list. Paul Gabie has undoubtedly played a substantial role since his move to Singapore. While initially making the migration for investment opportunities, the former lawyer fell in love with Singapore’s food scene and co-founded Proof & Company, an independent spirits company.
The company opened 28 HongKong Street in 2011, one of Singapore’s first cocktail and speakeasy bars. It was the team’s first foray into the hospitality sector from their backgrounds in law and finance, and wasn’t all fun and games like many assumed. “Many people thought we were having early mid-life crises, rather than embarking on a journey that would be as rewarding as the one we’ve had with Proof & Company,” he shares.
A remarkably tight-knit global community has emerged in this Second Golden Age of fine drinking, shares Gabie. “There has never been a better time in human history to be a lover of good drink,” he fondly calls out. While he enjoys nothing more than kicking back with a glass of Old Fashioned, Instagram is his friend that keeps him on the pulse of industry trends, as with global initiatives such as World’s 50 Best Bars and Tales of the Cocktail.
While that’s great news, he admits that the bar industry is five years behind others when it comes to environmental sustainability. In fact, it’s a conversation that’s just getting started around single-use plastics, glass waste and the carbon footprint of ingredients. “We must do our part, and we must do it now,” he affirms.
