5 Cocktail Bars to Check Out This Summer

Sparked from the idea of an afternoon coffee or tea, the Eph518 Cocktail Bar brings forth cocktails infused with coffee and tea — perfect if you want to take a breather while trying to get through the day. Stir Me Wide Awake is a concoction that infuses whisky with Pu’er tea and black sesame, while also including coffee beans, rum and chocolate bitters. The Golden Guk Bo is the spirited version of the popular kopitiam Chinese tea. These cocktails will definitely get you buzzing with energy that you never knew you had, while letting you experience a fresh spin on what we know to be “traditional”. 

Get your caffeine fix at d’Good Café, 273 Holland Avenue, 278992. Open from 4pm to 11pm daily, up to 12am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Gibson Bar is known for capturing scenic imagery in the form of a drink. Their Always Summer cocktail will definitely transport you to a Hawaiian beach while spicing up the idea of coconut-sipping. Served with sake, the coconut gin sorbet will inject the sentiment of vacationing at the beach or a touch of golden sand at your feet that you’ve been dreaming about. If what you're longing for is a little time off to recharge, you can get it with “nectar of the Gods” — aka the Honey PX — made with Trigona bee honey, Nikka Coffey Vodka and lemon, which gives an uplifting sweetness with a just little sting at the end. 

Grab these delicious pick-me-ups at 20 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089834, Level 2. Open from 6pm to 1am from Monday to Thursday, and from 6pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday.

Intermezzo Bar has introduced 12 new signature craft cocktails that celebrate the tropics and spices. A little history lesson: in the 19th century, a cash crop plantation sat on Orchard Road, yielding produce such as nutmeg, pineapple and gambier. Intermezzo Bar drew on this history nugget to curate a menu with concoctions such as Pandan or Pepper, which pay tribute to their botanical and citrus aspects. Pandan brings a burst of flavours through pandan-infused vodka, citrus cordial and East Imperial Mombasa Ginger Beer to fizz the stress away. On the other hand, Pepper serves up St. George Botanivore and Green Chartreuse which bring out a botanical-based flavour and rubs off as sophisticated yet refreshing. 

Have a fix of these cocktails to take off some midday shade at Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Road Singapore, 238879. Open from 10am to 1am daily.

The cocktail menu at Nutmeg & Clove brings forth the history of Singapore’s existing summer state, leading guests through time with fruits, flora, fauna, nuts, herbs and spices — all of which point to a refreshing cumulation down a road of sentiment. Instead of simply trying to refresh and quench, Nutmeg & Clove brings in a tasteful depiction of beachwear. Conjuring images of chilling in a floral printed shirt with a jasmine flower tucked over your ear, Oh My Jasmine! gives hints of umami from salted jasmine foam that marries well with the citrus and smoky notes of the cocktail. A little time for sentiment and reflection could just be what you need to slow down in the time being.

Recall fun times at the beach and plan for more at 10A Ann Siang Hill, Singapore 069789. Open from 6pm to 1am from Monday to Thursday, and from 6am to 2am on Friday and Saturday.

The scenic river-bay view atop a Singapore heritage building can only mean one thing: an intimate setting for hot summer dates. It only gets better with 1919 Waterboat House & Rooftop Bar's specially curated cocktail menu that marries the Singapore's landmarks with the summer season. Orchard is a vodka-based singnature that bursts with fruitiness — apples and apricots doused in cinnamon and lemon — capturing the tiki feeling at a beach party with a tropical country twist. There's also the Merlion Punch, which mixes passion fruit, white peach and pineapple, giving a mini mouthful of summer.

Get a taste at #03-01, 3 Fullerton Road, The Waterboathouse, Singapore 049215. Open from 5pm to 12am from Monday to Thursday, and from 5pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday. Closed on Sundays.