A passion that doesn't stop

IN 1995, 16-YEAR-OLD Colin Chia was working parttime behind the bar at Canto, a Mandopop club in the wilds of Marina South, where the only other attractions were steamboat joints, bowling alleys and open-air car parks. In those days B52s, Singapore Slings and Long Island Ice Teas were the drinks of choice, and bespoke cocktail bars were more than a decade distant.

Chia also mixed drinks in other nightclubs from those long-ago times, including Orchard Road stalwarts Fire and Sparks and live jazz bar Somerset's in the Westin Plaza. ''I really enjoyed working in the bar,'' says Chia, 43. ''I just had a passion for F&B - we didn't call it hospitality then.'' He learned early on that interaction between bartender and customer was an intrinsic part of the bargoing experience.

An extended stint at the Emerald Hill group (Que Pasa, Ice Cold Beer) fuelled his interest further and signalled the start of a steady climb up the career ladder. ''My time at Emerald Hill taught me that success is not measured in suits,'' he says.

He ended up having a front-row seat to the birth of a notion - cocktail culture in Singapore. Over the past two decades, he has trained and mentored world class bartenders, boosting the profession in the same way that celebrity chefs have turned cooking into a high-profile industry. ''I was frustrated because chefs were considered gods, while bartending was looked down upon,'' Chia says.

When he was commercial head Asia-Pacific for alcohol beverage giant Diageo, he launched bartending competition World Class South East Asia, the event that played a significant role in Singapore's rise from bit player to shining star on the global cocktail bar stage. ''I realised that I could do this stuff, and getting the bosses to invest in World Class was the best thing I did,'' Chia says.

In 2014, Chia opened Nutmeg & Clove, one of several next-gen bars that appear on annual lists of the World's Best Bars. More concepts here and abroad followed.

Earlier this year, he opened Last Word, a Japanese-style food-and-cocktail bar he describes as a vanity project. ''I don't believe a good bar needs a million-dollar design concept,'' he insists. ''It's all about the bartenders, the ingredients they use and the drinks they serve.''

When the pandemic hit, a bad situation became even worse when Chia's father passed away in January 2021. ''I'm not mad at Covid,'' he says. ''I spent all my time in Singapore with him and I'm super thankful for that.'' He adds: ''My dad played a big part in my life choices. He had a passion for F&B and was a great cook too - I have his book of Teochew/Peranakan recipes.''

During a rough period in mid-2020 while the bar was closed, Chia collaborated on a six-month pop-up at Rocketto Izakaya. The arrangement turned into a reciprocal one, and he now runs Rocketto's cocktail programme while chef Willin Low helps with the food menu at Nutmeg . ''Six months in, Roketto saved my brand,'' he says. ''Covid taught me not to put our eggs in one basket - we need to be strong in both food and beverage. I totally believe that every successful bar must have a strong food programme.''

Chia credits his father for turning him into a watch enthusiast. ''My dad was a watch lover,'' he says. ''About five years ago, I asked what I should get for my 10th wedding anniversary and he said 'buy a watch, but don't waste time buying nonsense watches'.'' Chia took the advice to heart and bought a pair of matching Rolexes.

His most prized timepiece is the one he inherited from his father: a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (ref: 16503) with blue dial. ''To me, watches are about emotion, not the price,'' says Chia, adding that he also has a vintage Omega that he and his father took turns to wear. He insists he is not the least bit brand conscious. ''I don't believe in expensive watches.'' As proof, he points to his S$300 Orient Kamasu dive watch and Tissot PRX.

Still, there are some classic names in his collection - like the Ball Engineer Master II Aviator, IWC Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth and Hublot Classic Fusion. Meanwhile, the first watch he ever owned - a Swatch gifted to him by classmates from hospitality school Shatec - serves as a mounted and framed memento at home. ''It's a Swiss watch also,'' he says.

Referencing the tagline of perhaps the most iconic watch brand campaign ever ('You never actually own a Patek Philippe, you merely look after it for the next generation'), Chia cites the notoriously long waiting list for a chance to own one. ''Wait until the next generation also cannot get,'' he quips.

''Old school watches are not obsolete,'' says Chia. ''Just like bartending, it's all about craftsmanship. Everybody can have a watch collection; you work hard, save money, it means more to you. That's the value I share with my kids: in life, work hard, work right.'' He adds: ''I still consider myself a bartender - and like a good watch, I cannot see myself stopping.''