Sugarhall

Unfortunately good things come to an end, but at least we ended it on a sweet note at @sugarhallsg. They have two cocktails that could be considered to be dessert-like, especially the Dirty Chocolatini. All cocktails are $26++ which is about the market average price for a cocktail, but these concoctions are far from average.⠀⠀
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The Dirty Chocolatini is a concoction built on a base of Monkey Shoulder Whisky, Merlet Amerisse, a bitter blackcurrant aperitif, chocolate, white cocoa, raspberry and lime. I already knew that chocolate & whisky were quite a good pairing, but I didn’t realise just how good it could be. The Dirty Chocolatini tastes & feels like a melted down chocolate gelato, and then the Merlet Amerisse & raspberry pop in to turn this cocktail into a crazily chocolatey black forest cake. The amalgamation of fantastic flavours conceal the whisky well, and it’s definitely a dangerous dessert cocktail. Especially when you’re already a few cocktails deep.⠀
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The Souffle Espresso Martini is less of a dessert cocktail and more in line with the post meal espresso. Santa Teresa Rum and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur are complemented by the addition of cold brew coffee & macadamia, right before the espresso elixir gets topped with dalgona foam. The sweetness and smoothness of the rum & coffee liqueur neutralise the acidity of the cold brew coffee and make it even smoother. However, I couldn’t really pick out any extra nuttiness from the macadamia, but the simultaneous alcohol & caffeine punch was more than enough to satisfy. Mixing booze & espresso might leave you with the Forrest Whittaker, but it will definitely give you enough of a jolt to stumble out of Sugarhall.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @sugarhallsg!

While the Peach Smash & the Passionfruit Daiquiri from @sugarhallsg were equally exceptional, we finally have a winner that just managed to edge it over the previous duo. Honestly we may have done the second cocktail a disservice though, as it is still a charming cocktail, it just had the misfortune of getting ordered alongside the winner.⠀
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The Melon Rum Sour (all single serve cocktails are $26++) reminded me of the melon ramune drink, thanks to the honeydew & Charentais melon which is a type of cantaloupe. Besides the sweet melons, Havana Club 3 year old rum, absinthe, lemon & thyme are mixed into this fruit forward cocktail, and the booze hits pretty hard here thanks to the absinthe. However, the melon flavours in the Melon Rum Sour did taste a little artificial, especially on the aftertaste.⠀
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And now for the what was arguably the winning cocktail of the night, the brilliant Banana Highball. The use of discarded Banana Peel Rum was a 300 IQ move by Sugarhall’s mixologists, and the pleasant banana flavours held up robustly against the Amontillado sherry, green apple & black walnut bitters. At first sniff, it smells like delicious banana bread, and then notes of caramel start to arise. The flavour, on the other hand, was nearly purely caramel. It strongly reminded me of a Werther’s Original caramel sweet with the velvety caramel notes, with just a hint of banana at the end of every sip. Incredibly delicious, and the Banana Highball has us going bananas.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @sugarhallsg!

We started off fairly well at @sugarhallsg with the noteworthy opening cocktails, but the next pair were a couple of levels above. The Passionfruit Daiquiri and the Peach Smash (both $26++) were fabulously fruity & flavourful cocktails that concealed a potent punch. I’d call it a dead tie between both, as I absolutely adore the uniquely delicious quirks of each.⠀
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The Passionfruit Daiquiri is a mix of 4 year old Bacardi rum, green tea, passionfruit and lime, and garnished with a gummy bear couple. Despite the rum being the sole spirit here, the daiquiri is still pretty powerful, although the green tea quells most of the alcoholic burn from the young rum. The sweetness of the passionfruit juice is kept in check by the spritz of lime, and is then evenly mixed into the green tea & rum concoction. The daiquiri is smooth, sweet and somehow tremendously thirst quenching, and the urge to just chug it all down is nigh unbearable. As for the little gummy bear couple that I eventually ate…I’m sorry, little ones.⠀
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The Peach Smash was a truly smashing cocktail and is another single spirit drink, comprised of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, peach, rhubarb & lemon. This isn’t quite as quaff-able as the Daiquiri, but it’s definitely a stellar sipper. The velvety rich sweetness of the bourbon composes most of the drink’s weighty body, and it adds a delightful oak & smoke aroma to the cocktail. The peach is ripe & sweet, but kept in check by the sourness of the lemon & rhubarb. I can’t place my finger on why, but I am fairly certain that I tasted pear in there.⠀
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Sugarhall’s cocktails are all sublime, but when it comes to the Passionfruit Daiquiri & the Peach Smash, I’d be like the Hulk and passionately smash, smash, suh-MASH! Thank you so much for the hospitality, @sugarhallsg!

Even if you can’t make it onto a sunny summer beach, you can still feel like you’re relaxing on one with a charming cocktail in hand at @sugarhallsg . A mojito is usually the first cocktail that comes to mind when anyone says “beach bar”, so naturally Sugarhall’s version had to be our first drink.⠀
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The Iced Mojito ($26 before 10% service charge) is Sugarhall hitting the upgrade button on the standard mojito. Diplomático Planas Rum is muddled with mint and lime, but the usual soda water & simple syrup is substituted for crème de menthe & sugarcane ice. That’s right, Sugarhall froze sugarcane juice & turned it into ice! The mint from the crème de menthe and the muddled mint should be incredibly overpowering, but the sweetness from the crème and the sugarcane ice negated the pungency of the mint. The result is an extraordinarily easy to guzzle drink that’s satisfyingly sweet and refreshing, and it’s the ideal standard of a beach cocktail.⠀
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The blue one is unsurprisingly named the Blue Lagoon (also $26+service charge), and the ingredient list on this one makes for interesting reading. Chardonnay vodka from @discardedspirits is mixed with coconut blue curaçao, cachaça and homemade lemonade, making for a mildly zesty drink that leaves an intriguing aftertaste of bubblegum. One thing I particularly enjoyed about both cocktails is how they manage to be tastefully sweet & delicious, but never cloying. Definitely a dangerous cocktail, but I do enjoy living on the edge from time to time.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, Sugarhall!

After a 4-year hiatus, Sugarhall, a home-grown Rum-focused cocktail pub returned earlier this March, and is currently located above their sibling restaurant Rosemead. Locate the back door right behind Rosemead and the flight of stairs will lead you up to this dimmed chic space.

While most of us in the group felt like their drinks were a little off-track and too strongly flavored, there were some bar snacks that we thought were not bad instead, despite the limited food menu. This chicken liver toast caught our attention as it boasts of creamy chicken liver pâté that’s not overly animalic but taste well complemented by the slather of some sweet caramelised onion on top. However, the toast could have been served warmer and crispier.

This is a classic - just perfect simplicty!

Cheesecake is light and fluffy with that amazing crumbly base, whipped cream and topped with mixed berries.

Definitely baked and with the right amount of citrus, needing no fancy twist.

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Rating: 7.5/10
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Will i return: Yes
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Price: S$12
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Date of visit: 9 January 2018, Drinks