Top six Asia bars to visit in 2015

Asia’s world class bar scene is led by three core cities, where cocktails are elevated to the heights of culinary art.

The cocktail scene is among some of the best in the world in Asia

Three cities in particular are leading Asia’s current bar charge. Hong Kong has always been at the forefront of Asia’s bar scene but this year has seen stiff competition coming thick and fast, both from Shanghai to the north and Singapore to the south. A recent spate of new bars in Shanghai, particularly bartender owner-operated, has reignited the scene, moving away from the Japanese whisky bar influence and onto something much fresher and more unique. Meanwhile in Singapore, one bar is taking barrel-aged cocktails to new extremes, another attempting to bring about an identity and style of bartending unique to this city immersed in cocktail culture. In the middle of the two, Hong

Kong is proving ever the artist, with attempts to elevate cocktails to culinary art, and the use of avant-garde techniques and specially designed glassware to create ever more beautiful drinks.

In our November 2014 issue we enlisted the assistance of experts across the globe to help us pick the best bars in five regions that will rise to prominence over the next 12 months. They may not be open yet, or may be stalwarts on the local bar scene, but each one is most definitely pushing the boundaries of imbibing culture.

Click through the following pages to discover our pick of the Asian Bars to Watch in 2015, as well as our Bar of the Year.

Hopscotch, Singapore

Recently opened, Hopscotch is the latest concept by event bartending company Mixes from Mars. A pop-up craft cocktail bar tucked away in the courtyard of former traffic police headquarters, Red Dot Traffic, Hopscotch brings something uniquely Singaporean to this city’s rampant bar and cocktail scene. Blending the passion for perfection in cocktails inspired by Japanese bartenders, with the hospitality of western bartenders and the uniqueness of Asian ingredients and flavours, Hopscotch is creating its own truly Singaporean bar and bartender identity. Kino Soh, rated in Singapore’s top 25 bartenders, and Joel (Jo) Ne Win take care of the drinks which are striking a chord with locals who are taken on a nostalgic journey of flavours experienced in their childhood and everyday life in Singapore.

Starling, Shanghai, China

The brainchild of three operating partners, Brian Tan, Adam Devermann, and Theo Watt, Starling brings something a little different to Shanghai’s more traditional bar scene. In contrast to the dark, masculine, serious whisky bars that Shanghai is famous for, Starling is light, fresh, colourful and fun with a much more feminine touch. The team decided to take a South East Asian colonial approach centring on rum, still a relatively unknown category for Shanghai. Think a modern refit of The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The drinks, which come in an array of different styles, from light to heavy, sour to fresh, are supposed to be accessible and much less pretentious than many out there.

Union Trading Company Shanghai, China

Creating a wider sense of community within the Shanghai bar scene is also a key focus of Lu Yao’s latest opening, Union Trading Company. “Union” refers to what he hopes the bar will become – a social centre bringing together all sorts of different people from different walks of life. Located in the French Concession, UTC is not a speakeasy, not a whisky bar, not a cigar bar, but a simple American-style cocktail bar with great food designed by partner-in-crime Austin Hu, owner of Madison and former chef at Gramacy Tavern in NYC. The menu is big with around 120 cocktails, all painstakingly dug out from old cocktail books in an attempt to educate guests on cocktail culture. All the cocktails are sourced on the menu as a salute to the forefathers of the cocktail trade by whom Yao has been inspired. Around 80% of the classics on the list you can’t find anywhere else in Shanghai.

The Envoy, Hong Kong

Partnering with fellow mixologist Amanda Wan, Hong Kong bar legend Antonio Lai has designed his latest opening as a wonderful mix of colonial East meets West.

The pair have created a menu of stunning cocktails, many of which feature tea as a main ingredient, a nod to the first British Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry Pottinger, who helped establish the city as a major trading port. Antonio’s multisensory influences coupled with drinks served in highly unusual, custom made vessels, has meant this 22-seat bar located in the new boutique Pottinger Hotel has rapidly become one of the most popular in town. Dinosaur, which features Milo powder and is served in a giant dinosaur egg, is proving a hit.

The Woods, Hong Kong

Taking cocktails to a new level of culinary experience is at the heart of the Chow sisters’ first opening on Hollywood Road in Central. The concept is to raise cocktails to the level of fine dining. There are two bars, one serving classic cocktails with a twist of house-infused spirits and homemade syrups, as well as a seasonal menu showcasing market-fresh ingredients. The second is a reservation-only, eight-seater bar that offers a four-course seasonal “prix-fixe” cocktail menu comprising of an appetiser, main course, dessert and a digestif, all matched alongside a small food pairing. The menu includes the Bacon Bourbon Luge, which is served alongside roasted bone marrow.

ASIA BAR TO WATCH: Manhattan, Singapore

If you thought barrel-aged cocktails were a fleeting, pass-by fad, think again. Inspired by the 19th century’s Golden Age of cocktails, Manhattan at Regent Singapore is reviving the grand hotel bar to new levels. Boasting the first walk-in hotel rickhouse with a solera system of 105 imported American oak barrels from a small cooperage in Minnesota, designed for the fractional blending of the finest aged cocktails, this bar is rivaling the best of them, locally and internationally.

Ricky Paiva, formerly of San Francisco’s celebrated Rickhouse, heads up proceedings working with a list of 25 Manhattan-themed seasonal cocktails, masterfully blended using the myriad of herbs, fruits, sugars, salts and spices stocked in the walk-in ingredients room. Rarities such as wildcherry bark, marshmallow root and shisandra berries are just three of a whole host of unique ingredients that Ricky has at his fingertips to create exceptional drinks.

Attention to detail is what makes Manhattan a cut above the rest. Glassware, for example, has been specially handcrafted by one of the oldest and highly renowned glass factories in the Czech Republic, a country famous for its glass production. “I place great emphasis on every detail”, says Ricky, “from quality ingredients to the prefect garnish on the ideal glass.” Their signature Manhattans are artfully prepared on a custom-made cocktail trolley, blending rare and house-finished spirits, artisanal vermouths and a unique collection of bitters to each guest’s tastes. The solera-aged Negroni comes with a block of hand-cut ice branded with the Manhattan logo. “It’s the little details that count,” Ricky believes.

If cocktails aren’t your thing, Kickerbocker, a lager made exclusively for Manhattan by an award-winning local microbrewery, is on tap, paying homage to the fact that all fine whiskies start their lives from a high quality grain mash. To accompany the drinks, Chef Nicholas Trosien serves up gourmet bar bites that reflect New York’s melting pot of cultures. If you’re lucky and hit Violet Hour, Mon-Fri between 5-7pm, you’ll get a complimentary taster of these served with a mini cocktail, another finer detail which sets Manhattan a cut above the rest.