Booze Bonanza

When it comes to the booze, @truecostsingapore is my new true love. All of their astoundingly affordable alcoholic libations are priced so inexpensively, from their $7.50++ glasses of wine to this $11.50++ Manhattan. And no, this ain’t some cheap watered down cocktail, this comely concoction is almost as strong as Brian Shaw.⠀
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Although I’m not sure what bourbon they used, I do know they used a copious amount of it due to the cocktail being quite spirit forward and sweet. Even though there’s a more generous pour than usual, the overall balance of flavours & aromas was unbroken. The sweet vermouth added a velvety mouthfeel and extra weight to the cocktail, while the herbal bitterness of the angostura rebalanced the sweetness, and the aroma made the Manhattan even more appealing.⠀
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If you’re craving a punchy cocktail that won’t burn a hole in your pocket, True Cost is truly unbeatable.

The soft shell crab also got me hankering for a nice drink, and Konjiki Hotogisu just happens to have a very fetching Gekkeikan Nigori Cloudy Sake on standby. It’s sweet, rich and thick for a sake, and it’s definitely a capable partner to the light clam broth. More interestingly was the little sampler of special clam rice that isn’t even on the menu that they served with our sake. Honestly, if they served full portions of that stellar special clam rice, I’d gladly pay top dollar for it, and I’d be absolutely addicted to it. It’s subtly but undeniably umami, it’s unctuous, it’s fresh and it’s tremendously tasty.

Ending a great meal full of wonderful food with a dessert is pretty mainstream, so if you’re at @interconsin @thelobbyloungesg, end it with a dessert cocktail instead. Follow consulting bar manager Jesse Vida in spirit one last time to the underrated gem that is Albert Food Centre, and finish on the sweet note that is the Tjendol (Chendol) Milk Punch (also $22++).⠀
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Much like the common hawker dessert staple that is Chendol, Miss Vida’s Tjendol Milk Punch is built on coconut cream, pandan, and gula melaka for the rich, molasses-like sweetness. The punch comes via the milk washed Colombo Gin, but the alcoholic punch is discreet and very well layered by the creaminess & sweetness in the drink. It really does bring mind a nice, cold bowl of chendol at first sip, but then it somehow morphs into a traditional Malay sweet treat further into the drink.⠀
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I can’t explain it, but the Tjendol Milk Punch becomes less chendol and more Kueh Bangkit the more you drink it. For the uninitiated or the particularly forgetful, Kueh Bangkit is a classic Malay cookie made from sago or tapioca starch, coconut milk and eggs, and it’s usually over-consumed at Lunar New Year and Hari Raya Puasa. Perhaps it’s due to the fantastic fragrance of pandan that permeates the drink, or perhaps the milkiness starts to resemble the delicious, crumbly cookie. Either way, this sultrily sweet cocktail is the perfect libation to wash down any meal with.⠀
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Thank you so much for the generous hospitality @thelobbyloungesg, and thank you for the invite @accela.comms!

The Flaming Tightrope ($22++) was promising, with the inclusion of Nikka whisky, toasted rice, basil syrup, lemon juice, chili and soda water. Unfortunately, as I had discovered elsewhere with another spicy chili cocktail elsewhere years ago, spice requires salt to execute properly. Otherwise you’ll get a spicy drink that somehow just rings hollow, and that was the sad case with the Flaming Tightrope. I did enjoy the basil aromatics in the background of this fizzy, spicy cocktail though, but it definitely needs some salt around the rim, a-la margarita, and perhaps a bit more Nikka whisky as the whisky was lost in the cacophony of the cocktail.⠀
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Still, I’d definitely return to the Lobby Lounge for a (hopefully) improved version of the Flaming Tightrope, and a cocktail flight. Thank you for hosting us @thelobbyloungesg, and thanks for the invite @accela.comms!

And now we go back to @thelobbyloungesg cocktails, both of which are inspired by the elegance of @interconsin itself. First up, the Legacy Eighty ($22++) is a beautiful cocktail worthy of representing Intercontinental Singapore. The vivid hue comes courtesy of the blue pea infused white vermouth, which is mixed with Bobby’s Gin, champagne, orange bitters and tamarind for the aromatics and a little extra flavour.⠀
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As with all other champagne cocktails like the French 75 & mimosa, this dainty little thing is alluringly lethal. The Legacy Eighty is splendidly sweet, with the bitterness from the gin & vermouth helping to restrain the sugar, while the sweet & sour properties of the tamarind juice made the drink more fully fleshed out, and the orange bitters perfumed the drink with its charming citrus notes.. The effervescence of the champagne made the Legacy Eighty ravishingly refreshing, and is the perfect cocktail for a day-drinking session.⠀
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Thank you for hosting us @thelobbyloungesg, and thanks for the invite @accela.comms!

The other drink inspired by Haji Lane is the Haji Paji (also $22++). A tequila based cocktail that combines Ocho Plata tequila with absinthe, Herrencia Mezcal, cumin, grapefruit, lime and soda water, the effervescence of this bubbly cocktail mirrors the real life bustle of Haji Lane. The clean, citrusy notes of the un-aged Ocho Plata fuse seamlessly with the moderate smokiness of the mezcal, and the refreshingly sharp citrus of the grapefruit & lime are a match made in heaven for the fizziness of the soda water. The cumin rounds out the sharpness of this cocktail with its nutty & smoky qualities, making for a well balanced cocktail that’s perfect for day drinking or a bottomless boozy brunch on a weekend.⠀
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Truth be told, The Lobby Lounge aren’t capitalising on a massive opportunity here for a cocktail flight. They’ve got eight ethereal new cocktails, so why not do a cocktail flight of four or five of ‘em? They’ve already got the facilities for that, so why not do it? You’re welcome for the idea by the way, @interconsin & @thelobbyloungesg, and thanks for the invite @accela.comms!

The cocktail that got me to utter ‘happy birthday to ME’ at @interconsin @thelobbyloungesg was the super sexy Spice Lane Old Fashioned ($22++). Unlike a regular Old Fashioned which has whisky or bourbon as the base spirit, the cornerstone here is Doorly’s XO rum. The rum is muddled with angostura bitters as well as ginger & star anise cordial, and garnished with an orange peel for the final flourish.⠀
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It is a deviation from a traditional Old Fashioned, but this new fashion quickly caught on. The inherent sweetness of the rum and its thick body meant that the base was well settled, and it was all up to the angostura bitters & the spices to flavour & perfume this cocktail. The angostura bitters composed the citrusy, mildly bitter background while the ginger & star anise cordial provided the scintillating spice & ambrosial aromas. The Spice Lane Old Fashioned proves that you can teach an Old Fashioned dog new tricks, as this takes the satisfying simplicity of an Old Fashioned and improves on it with the complex spice of star anise and the heat of ginger.
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Truth be told, The Lobby Lounge aren’t capitalising on a massive opportunity here for a cocktail flight. They’ve got eight ethereal new cocktails, so why not do a cocktail flight of four or five of ‘em? They’ve already got the facilities for that, so why not do it? You’re welcome for the idea by the way, @interconsin & @thelobbyloungesg, and thanks for the invite @accela.comms!

Next, head on over in spirit to the Sultan Gate Garden with the fruity Royal Rosales ($22++). Kyro gin is fused with Nardini bitter, strawberry grapefruit, lemon, pink pepper and sea salt, and absinthe for a little extra boozy kick. The zestiness of the grapefruit and lemon are front & center, but they are restrained enough to allow the sweetness of the strawberry to share the stage along with the hear from the pink pepper. The salt makes this drink more savoury & satisfying to the tongue, and tempers the bitterness from the gin & absinthe. A fruity, slightly feisty but dangerously drinkable cocktail, this Royal Rosales is a fitting drink for my fellow kings, and for the queens out there too.⠀
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Thank you for the hospitality @thelobbyloungesg, and thank you to @accela.comms for organising!

Hotel lobby bars have a bad rep of serving overpriced alcohol, but @thelobbyloungesg is aiming to change that with their new, revitalised lineup of cocktails. All of the cocktails are meticulously crafted by consulting bar manager Jesse Vida of @catbiteclub, and she has taken inspiration from the ‘hoods around @interconsin.⠀
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Start your night off light but right with the Flower Shop Sour ($22++), inspired by the Arab Street neighbourhood and its numerous flower & spice shops. This fabulously floral Chalong Bay Spiced Rum cocktail gets its amazing aromas from the inclusion of kaffir leaf infused Ceylon arak (or arrack, a distilled spirit), clove orange cordial, chamomile honey, and lemon & orange bitters. The body of the drink gets extra rich with the inclusion of coconut cream, which makes this appealingly aromatic cocktail incredibly smooth to drink. I love how the chamomile is the predominant flavour here, accentuated by the sweetness of the honey, the spices and the floral elements. It really does smell sublime, just like a flower shop.⠀
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Thank you for the hospitality @thelobbyloungesg, and thank you to @accela.comms for organising!

The final cocktail of the night at @antidotebar.sg was a truly worthy one for the road. The El Padrino ($25++) is a Mexican inspired cocktail that sees mezcal aged in beeswax mixed with beetroot aromatised wine, smoked honey and a dash of citrus, all to be downed after ingesting a pill that I’m just gonna assume is legal. The pill is a flavour changing pill that somehow manages to make even lemon juice taste sweet, and it revolutionises this entire cocktail.⠀
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I’ve never had mezcal before, but I definitely want some more of its smoky goodness. The smokiness is lighter and less dense than the smokiness of a scotch, and it feels like a lighter drink. The mezcal is deliciously sweet thanks to the inclusion of the smoked honey & the effects of the pill, and it feels like a more refreshing & slightly sweeter whisky sour.
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Thank you so much for the hospitality @antidotebar.sg, and thanks for having me as your plus one @wobblethebui!

The paired Italian inspired cocktail, interestingly named as What Do You Want!? (insert aggressive Italian hand gestures here), was purely second fiddle to the astounding Aburi Burrata. It is a very capable cocktail in its own right, with Diplomático Planas rum mixed with milk washed elderflower suze, pear cordial, orange blossom water & sparkling sakura aromatised wine all mixed in a-la science lab style. The floral notes of the elderflower & sakura aromatised wine made for a pleasant perfume, while the citrus zest of the orange blossom water cleared your palate of the ravishing richness of the breathtaking burrata. Definitely a cocktail to complement the burrata, but some of its merits were certainly overshadowed by the awesome Aburi Burrata.⠀
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Thanks for hosting us @antidotebar.sg, and thanks for letting me tag along @wobblethebui!

Next up on @antidotebar.sg Cure:All cocktail menu is something a little closer to home, the Pandan Everywhere ($25++), inspired by head mixologist @chin_kingston home nation of Malaysia. Even though it is a cocktail with Remy Martin cognac as the foundational spirit, it smells & tastes a lot more like a dessert. And that’s a good thing, but a dangerous one, as this enthrallingly easy to drink cocktail cloaks its punch behind the sublime sweetness & aromas.⠀
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The cognac is well blended with pandan coconut fat washed Bacardi, which gives this cocktail a rich & silky body, and gula melaka which supplies most of the sweetness, and clarified milk tea which adds weight & substance to the body of the drink. It starts off reminding you of chendol at first due to all the above mentioned components, but the rose water air does give you pause as it makes you think of bandung. However, this delicious cocktail all comes together to make me think that I’ll be getting a second one.
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Anti:dote cocktails truly are the cure for a hard day’s work, and the Cure:All curation is the cure for all your work related ailments. Thanks for inviting me @wobblethebui, and thanks for the hospitality @antidotebar.sg!