At Bar Spectre, a drink may be stronger than you think – and you can be, too

THE journey to Bar Spectre is tricky – find a stairwell in an alleyway behind shophouses, or locate a tiny lift lobby off Tanjong Pagar Road and head to the second floor – but what awaits is a shot of cocktail-based therapy.

At this mental-wellness-focused bar, tipplers are greeted not by the menu, but by a cleansing ritual with fire. They are encouraged to write down something they would like to get off their chests, set it aflame and – thanks to the nature of magician’s flash paper – watch it vanish in the air.

“We are ‘restarting’ them,” said founder Andrew Pang “It’s like a physical reset so that they arrive mentally together.”

Bar Spectre’s decor evokes kintsugi – the Japanese art of fixing broken porcelain with gold – in its floor print, while medicine cabinets behind the bar embody its menu’s vintage apothecary theme. There are 12 cocktails, grouped by flavour profile: herbal, umami, citrus and spices.

These four aromas are presented in a tiny traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cabinet, delivered to each table. Customers can open its drawers to get a whiff of an ingredient representing each group, such as burnt peanuts for umami.

The herbal section includes Bonseki, named for the Japanese art of miniature sand landscapes. A teapot and cup are served on a tray with a pristine surface of sand – and a tiny rake.

“This is like your tactile therapy or sand therapy, where guests will break the sand first, and then we serve a warm cocktail,” said Pang.

Similar to a hot toddy, the drink has “healing power” thanks to its TCM-inspired recipe, comprising mezcal, snake soup, chicken broth, ginger beer, orange juice, rosemary and honey.

Another herbal creation is Retrospect, a variation of the classic Bamboo cocktail that uses rice vodka to bring out the nutty flavour of sherry.

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It incorporates a simple version of the positive affirmations used in conception therapy. The drink is served in a box with a mirror, with the waiter telling the guest: “Just like you, the drink is stronger than you think.”

“Retrospect” was Pang’s original idea for the bar’s name, as he wanted it to be a safe space where guests can slow down and look back. But he eventually settled on “spectre”, inspired by Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s concept of a shadow self.

“Everyone carries a shadow and we interpret that as our mental state, something usually unseen,” he said. “So we want to create a safe space, not so much to fix anyone, but for guests to be comfortable and befriend their ‘shadows’.”

Pang also believes a good cocktail should create talking points that allow tipplers to express themselves, whether to friends or bartenders.

One cocktail in the spice section, Question, aims to do just that. It features both whisky and floral brandy with green anise, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. But the real spice comes once it is served, when Pang or the bartender guides the guest through a light-hearted questionnaire that might shed light on their unconscious minds.

“I share my own answers with each table that I host, so that they feel more connected with me in the bar, and they might feel a sense of community too,” said Pang.

He plans to turn Bar Spectre into a platform where people can talk about mental health and build communities. For instance, “happy hour” will offer not the usual cut-price drinks, but workshops such as art jamming, paired with wine or whiskey tasting.

Retrospect

45ml sherry blend 45ml house vermouth 20ml Haku Vodka Dash of Angostura bitters Garnished with edible gold leaf