Singapore’s bar scene may be relatively young, but it is vibrant and increasingly more discerning. It has also made its mark at some of the highest levels.

We have some of the best bars in the world such as 28 Hongkong Street, which earned the No 10 spot on The World’s 50 Best Bars list for two years in a row (2013/14). On its website, World’s Best Bars includes popular favourites such as Loof, Lantern and Kyo among their pick for the best watering holes in Singapore.

It is not too much of a surprise then, that we also have some of the region’s best bartenders, consistently taking top places in regional and international meets. Fittingly, Peter Chua of 28 Hongkong Street, one of the five finalists to represent the nation at the Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition this year, also made history by becoming the first Singaporean to make the final six at last year’s Diageo Reserve World Class Global Finals.

Speaking of the latter, Steve Leong of Tess Bar And Kitchen recently tied with Malaysia’s Shawn Cheong at this year’s finals of the South-east Asia leg of the competition. He won the right to represent Singapore at this year’s global finals while team Singapore — made up of Leong and bartenders from Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall (Sam Wong), Jigger & Pony (Boo Jing Heng) and Tippling Club (Yugnes Susela) — was crowned best in the region for the second year running.

But Leong downplayed their achievements. “I wouldn’t say Singapore bartenders are the best in the region, but I would say we have greater exposure — there are more consumers who appreciate cocktails in Singapore compared with the other South-east Asian countries, and they are well-travelled,” he said, adding that there are more opportunities in Singapore to grow and improve because there is an increasingly discerning audience here.

Aubrey Sim, reserve capability manager, South-east Asia, for Diageo Reserve agreed, saying that currently, the local scene is one of the most developed in South-east Asia. And that pushes bartenders to really up their game.

“We know labour is scarce in Singapore and labour cost is higher than in some other countries in the region. It just means one person has to be more effective and efficient on the job, especially when dealing with customers. Singapore bartenders do not have the luxury of having as big a team as some of the bartenders (from) other countries,” she said.

That means bartenders here have little help to do the prep work, whether it is in making their own mixes and syrups or coming in earlier to cut their own ice.

“It’s not so much (about) ability, but I think Singapore bartenders are feeling (the pressure) the most,” Sim added.

HOME ADVANTAGE

Of course, this pressure has also helped raise the bar for quality and creativity among bartenders here.

“Trends are ever-changing … In recent years the local bartending scene saw the rise and fall of molecular cocktails, and the birth of mixologists creating bespoke cocktails (that are) common today,” said Michael Cheng, president of the Association of Bars and Sommeliers, Singapore.

Together with the International Bartenders Association, it co-organises the annual Elite Bartender Course, which is sponsored by Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore and aimed at improving the skillset, knowledge and quality of bartenders, not only from Singapore, but across 10 countries.

“Mixologists fuse the traditional skills of classic bartending with bespoke elements, such as unique ingredients, for a different cocktail experience,” said Cheng. “In Singapore, bartenders are innovative in bringing in local kitchen ingredients for a local twist on classic cocktails — for instance, using pandan leaves instead of basil.”

Bartenders, such as Leong, have taken advantage of this natural inclination to incorporate a local twist.

“I’m not the most technical bartender, but I think all our bartenders have good skills and technique,” he said, adding that thinking outside the box helped him win at the Diageo South-east Asian finals.

That said, not many would think to make a chicken rice-flavoured gin martini and have the skill to pull it off. Christened the Tender 10, the drink is made with Tanqueray 10, vermouth and some “homemade chicken rice liquor” — essentially ginger liquor, pandan leaves, garlic, parsley and some sesame oil — which Leong chose to serve in a bowl with a chicken drumstick on the side.

“As a Singaporean, I’m very proud to be using Asian flavours in my cocktail creations. And the trend is definitely picking up. But (so is an appreciation for) classic cocktails. Cocktail culture does not belong to Singapore but it has been growing over the past decade,” Leong shared, stressing how consumers have grown more adventurous and willing to try new flavours such as bak kut teh in a herbal, savoury and peppery gin-based concoction he had made as a variation of The Last Word, a prohibition-era cocktail.

LOCAL CLASSICS

Like fashion, drink trends come and go, and some come back again. While consumers here are aware of new bar trends, Cheng said, many still stick to their usual poisons.

“The likely situation in a group of 10, is that five or six will order beer, some wine, and others cocktails,” he explained, adding that the nature of the bespoke beverage means that it is hard to say if consumers will order the same drink again. “And because of this, good bartenders still hone their skills in bartending foundations.

“Besides the mixologist/bespoke cocktail trend, we also see bartenders revisiting classics, but breathing in new life by recreating it with different ingredients — for instance, reviving the Sazerac, a granddaddy of cocktails.”

Leong said this trend is part of a cycle. “There was a time for classics, followed by a thing for more creative drinks, followed by molecular techniques and now we are back to rediscovering and reinterpreting the classics.”

This might even be the case with spirits, shared Richard Gillam, brand ambassador for Remy Martin, who reasoned that the recent boom in boutique products such as gins, tequilas, rums and whisky has seen cognac — which has a long history stretching as far back as the 1900s — take a back seat as bartenders explore new products.

“However, bartenders always have enormous respect for the classics, so (they) often return to cognac as a reference,” he said.

Gillam also noted the popularity of ingredients such as pandan, kaya, lemongrass, oolong teas, tropical herbs and spices, and even locally foraged ingredients in the cocktails of today.

“By sourcing local and seasonal food, our menus will constantly evolve and change reflecting our surroundings, and also change regularly which keeps us behind the scenes engaged and our guests happy and entertained,” he said.

But it is not only local ingredients that find their way into the drinks, Gillam continued. “Cocktails now are also about the experience and the story behind them. You can see the influence of local culture in the vessels themselves: Old school tin cups are used for nostalgic effect along with cocktails hung in kopi tiam takeaway bags for a uniquely Singapore style.

“I have served a laksa-inspired cocktail using coconut noodles, laksa leaves and even served it in a chicken rice bowl converted into a quirky martini-style glass.”

Some techniques, though, such as those behind the increasingly popular aged cocktails, are harder to discern, but involve innovative processes. Take Tippling Club’s aged Negroni which is prepared using a Sonicprep, a machine that uses sound waves to age the cocktail. This is achieved in four minutes as opposed to barrel-ageing the drink for four hours, said Susela.

But Sim said that because styles and trends vary from bar to bar, one word that would encompass what is happening now is functionality.

“More than ever, bartenders — even chefs — are asking if a method or a garnish has a purpose or adds to the final experience,” she said. “We are moving away from when we were experimenting with techniques and flavours for the sake of it.”

Sim is confident that bartenders are a lot more practical and want to make sure what they do adds value. “It is a good sign, that we have reached a stage where we understand what really drives people’s interests and enjoyment.”

Click to eat

For more delish deals and news on what’s hot on the scene, download the 8 Days Eat App at

http://www16.mediacorp.sg/8days/8daysapp2.html