The best new cocktail menus for 2025

Tatler Asia

27-05-2025

Jigger & Pony
165 Tanjong Pagar Road, Amara Hotel, S(088539) Cat Bite Club
Above Cat Bite Club's Liver Let Die features chicken pâté-washed mezcal alongside tarragon and sherry (Photo: Allyson Chin)
Time for some mezcal mischief as classics get claws at this agave sanctuary. Expect sharpened classics alongside their agave alter ego in this latest collection, where the championing spirit of agave and rice spirits stays true to their mission. Take the Alaska, where the spirited classic is enhanced by a melon-infused gin, while the riff, Liver Let Die, features chicken pâté-washed mezcal alongside tarragon and sherry.
Harry Craddock's Rattlesnake is respectfully reinterpreted with Scotch whisky, maple, cinnamon, citrus, and a splash of Worcestershire, while the contrasting tribute, 24 Karrot, boldly blends Korean soju and moutai in a riff that fleshes out flavours of carrot and pecan. Meanwhile, house favourites have expanded, and the irreverent Meow Now Brown Cow remains, pleasing regulars with an update of banana, coffee and vanilla.
In case you missed it: Sips, not shots: How tequila is becoming popular in Asia for all the right reasons Cat Bite Club
75 Duxton Road, Singapore 089534 Manhattan
Above Midnight Kiss from the Winter season (Photo: Manhattan)
The New York state of mind is an ever-changing cocktail calendar of seasons at the iconic Manhattan. Masterminded by head bartender Zana Möhlmann, a string of 31 cocktails, each representing the Big Apple's culture, climate, and hallmark moments, is a literal calendar you can drink. Headliners include spring's Where the Boys Are, a clever tequila-mezcal union lifted by citrus, berries, and a dehydrated plum; summer's It's Gettin' Hot in Here arrives at precisely 70 degrees Celsius in a teacup atop concrete, a nod to the sun-soaked streets of New York; autumn's Tatami Shot is a defying act of combining Japanese whisky, baijiu, and a lemon-mushroom oleo that reminds of an espresso martini.
Don't sleep on the rickhouse either, where new additions of barrel-aged expressions lie alongside cocktail collaborations from Melbourne's Millie Tang and London's Connaught Bar. Nutmeg & Clove
Above The Pin Cushion is a sexy bergamot and patchouli-laced martini (Photo: Nutmeg & Clove)
Another year, another toast! Nutmeg & Clove turns 11 and drops the latest liquid menu inspired by 12 iconic local businesses that have shaped Lion City's rich heritage. What feels like a heartfelt tribute to the local community, where every drink is a history lesson you would gladly stay back for, standouts include the Pin Cushion, a sexy bergamot and patchouli-laced martini dedicated to C. Armani Tailors in Far East Plaza; Ripple 75, a toothsome twist of a raspberry ripple-inspired French 75; and the Pasar Punch, a clarified milk punch that balances tropical passionfruit with cucumbers and peppercorns.
Of course, always arrive hungry as the modern Asian plates like the crispy rojak brussel sprouts and har cheong pork collar bites do enough to warrant a second serve.
Read more: Veteran bartender Colin Chia reflects on Nutmeg & Clove's most memorable stories ahead of its 10th anniversary Nutmeg & Clove
8 Purvis Street, S(188587) Fura
Above Fura's New New Yuck is a bright yet savoury gin sour that headlines with seaweed (Photo: Kahying)
Only more provocative pours at Fura as part two of the Journal of Future Foods drops. Transforming environmental necessity into a sensorial affair, expect boundary pushing tipples such as the New New Yuck, a bright yet savoury gin sour that headlines with seaweed, alongside shio kombu and a warm lime leaf coconut white chocolate foam; and A Quail Walks Into a Martini, essentially combining cell-cultured quail-infused gin, dry vermouth, and caramelised fennel puree, to deliver a rather dystopian dry martini. Otherwise, hallmarks from the debuting menu like jellyfish martini, mealworm margarita, and a black garlic caviar-themed number, remain expertly balanced so much so that you'll forget you're sipping tomorrow's survival manual. Fura
74A Amoy Street, Singapore 069893 Moga
Above The Dirty Sake-tini is a savoury riff with sake, shochu, and pickling brine (Photo: Moga)
Drawing inspiration from Japan's vibrant, convention-defying modan gāru icons, Moga celebrates culinary heritage, unrestrained by tradition, thanks to new bar manager Gavin Teverasan (formerly of 28 HongKong and Nutmeg & Clove). Dive into two distinct sections: eight Izakaya-inspired cocktails, designed to be unfussy and crushable, paying homage to Japan's diverse flavours; and eight modern cocktails, bold reimaginings of classics with Japanese twists.
Highlights include The Frozen Drink, an alcoholic take on matcha anmitsu with ice-blended whisky and matcha, a calamansi-laced Gimlet, and the adventurous Dirty Sake-tini, a savoury riff with sake, shochu, and pickling brine. For the peckish, consider modern Asian or Japanese plates, from spicy fat clams and crispy pepper squid to fresh sashimi and sushi rolls.
Moga
Address: 1 Hill Street, Pullman Singapore Hill Street, S(179949) White Shades
Above Street Corn Canvas is featured in level two of White Shades (Photo: White Shades)
Multi-concept booze den White Shades debuts a bar-hopping experience within its four-storey heritage shophouse. From rejuvenated Japanese izakaya-themed eats at the ground-floor highball bar, refreshing tapped and sparkling cocktails on the laid-back rooftop bar, to a spanking new cocktail and food menu on the sophisticated second-storey cocktail, White Shades is the cocktail fan's ultimate playground. Fancy a fuss-free bar hop? Guests who opt for the Hopping through the Shades experience can enjoy a cocktail from each level, which unlocks access to a secret speakeasy where the owner tailors a tea-inspired nightcap just for you. White Shades
25 Boon Tat Street, S(069622)