A spirited craft

IN a Chinatown bar on a Tuesday afternoon, Richard Ames and his wife Simin retrieve a short, round bottle from their bag and tip out a shot of a Sichuan pepper-spiced gin. We are getting an exclusive preview of their new Singapore-based premium craft spirit brand, and bartenders and waitstaff cast a curious eye as they pass.

A few days later, Catarina Longman and husband Andreas Schneider hand over a sample-sized bottle of Maracatu cachaca, a brand they created with a family-run Brazilian distillery to produce just for Asian drinkers.

Never mind that neither of the couples have worked in the alcohol industry, the Ameses and the Schneiders are the latest entrants to a booming craft spirits scene here, which has attracted everyone from bar owners, wine producers and even stay-at-home fathers to launch businesses specialising in the import and distribution of unusual liquors in Asia.