In July 2022, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation announced a partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board to highlight the culture and talent that abounds within the island nation of Singapore. To culminate this incredible partnership, we hosted a multi-day residency at Tales of the Cocktail® 2023 that showcased four remarkable bars from the Singapore bar community.
Held on-site at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, the Singapore x Tales Residency allowed Tales attendees to experience a taste of Singapore’s innovation and culture through the featured bars including Fura, Elephant Room, No Sleep Club, and Republic. Let’s take a look back at each bar, their background, and the creative cocktails served over the week.
Monday, July 24th – Fura
Fura’s concept dives deeper into a precise sector of a plant-forward cocktail bar. The co-founders Sasha and Christina are building Fura to be firmly rooted in their values: plant-forward and sustainable food and drinks. The menu is designed around highlighting ingredients that have now become prevalent and abundant due to our imbalance of the ecosystem, with their vision being to showcase an experience of how our diet could look in the future due to climate change.
FEATURED COCKTAILS
So You Bought Sad Corn? Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon / corn kernel / masa / fennel pollen / corn / husk meringue
Jellyfish Martini Hendricks Gin / jellyfish / borage leaf / gooseberry / green apple / spirulina vermouth
Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit Martell Blue Swift / tonka bean / soybean orgeat / koji-butter bean soda
100% Smash Ketel One Vodka / chamomile / green apple / lime oleo / mint leaf / fizzy
Juicy Fruit Appleton Estate / banana / pineapple / jackfruit / fizzy
Pick Me Up Johnnie Walker High Rye / egg yolk / brown butter / smoke chile / “coffee” / orange
Tuesday, July 25th – The Elephant Room
The Elephant Room’s menu of vibrant cocktails, ferments, and jellies is inspired by ingredients. Yugnes, the co-founder of Elephant Room, is a born and raised Singaporean with Indian parents who are deeply connected to the Little India neighborhood. Yugnes started in the hospitality industry as a dishwasher and worked his way up to bartending ultimately competing in several global cocktail competitions, as well as receiving awards and notoriety. Elephant Room takes an often under-documented culture and spreads it to the world with all their ingredients being freshly sourced from Tekka Market and its bar’s spirits selection, entirely sourced from India.
FEATURED COCKTAILS
Goldsmith Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey / jackfruit / rose mead / sandalwood / saline
Chai Johnnie Walker High Rye, clarified chai milk punch / pineapple tepache
Mr. Desker Martell VS Cognac / curry leaf / turmeric / aromatic bitters
Kamasutra Don Julio 1942 / aromatic spices / rose petal / sauvignon blanc / pomegranate molasses
Jothi’s Flower Shop Hendrick’s Flora Adora / fermented lime & honey / fennel / fino sherry / curry leaf
Kokum & Strawberry Campari / kokum fruit / strawberry / prosecco
Wednedsay, July 26th – No Sleep Club
The original No Sleep Club was a 4-seat bar that operated after hours in a coffee shop. The first cocktail menu was crafted around popular drinks that people often call for such as vodka sodas, beer, and gin and tonics. When they moved into a bigger spot, the vision was to create an all-day space that was approachable to anyone in the neighborhood, and they applied their knowledge of modern techniques to make those “comfort drinks” the best versions of themselves.
FEATURED COCKTAILS
Corn & Miso Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey / miso / caramelized corn / parmesan / togarashi powder
Hay & Apples Lagavulin 8 Year Old / hay cream wash / chamomile honey / fresh and fermented apples
Tom Yum & Melon Hendrick’s Flora Adora / lemongrass / coriander / kaffir leaf / galangal gomme / carbonated honeydew melon
Pornstar Martini Aviation American Gin / roasted yellow peppers / Champagne caramel wash / passionfruit vinegar / bubbles
Not a Sidecar Grand Marnier / fennel / apricot Armagnac / citrus / smoked yoghurt whey
Martell & Green Tea Martell Cordon Bleu / Hojicha caramel wash / Packham pears / fermented white peach / shio kombu
Thursday, July 27th – Republic
Republic showcases an extensive cocktail menu celebrating the 1960s, a decade when Singapore gained independence and a time when cultural and social revolution knew no borders. Global culture witnessed the rise of icons and legends as well as the emergence of international jet setting, which led to a sophisticated era for cocktails. The Republic bar concept pays homage to this era where freedom, expression, and individuality were celebrated.
FEATURED COCKTAILS
Leather Jacket Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey / peanut butter / roasted pecan / chocolate bitters/ raspberry leather
Georgette Hendrick’s Gin / lychee / Italian aperitivo / honey / hibiscus / clarified soy milk / fruit basket
Mondrian Campari / gin / clarified apple / cinnamon / citrus / egg white
Lion City Zacapa No. 23 / Kaya jam / pandan / pineapple / citrus
Glass in Bloom Martell VS Cognac / beetroot / feta cheese / rye whiskey / honey / aromatic bitters / stained glass candy
Velvet Underground Johnnie Walker High Rye / bitter apéritif / banana / cherry / aromatic bittters
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all who attended, whether it was our Tales x Singapore Residency at Tales of the Cocktail 2023, Spirited Awards Presents The SG Club, Spirited Awards Presents ATLAS, or a guest shift from world renowned bars Jigger & Pony and Nutmeg & Clove at Tales of the Cocktail 2022– thank you for joining us in our goal of furthering awareness of the vibrant bars and talents in Singapore for the global spirits industry and consumers alike. We’ve made meaningful strides towards this shared goal and look forward to continuing this meaningful work in the year ahead.
A special thanks to our Singapore x Tales Residency sponsors:
