Growing thirst for artisanal alcohol

MOVE aside, wine, whisky or even sake bars. Singapore’s drinks scene is welcoming a slew of new bars that specialise in niche alcoholic drinks like craft umeshu, artisanal makgeolli and rare Armagnac.

Made mostly in small batches, these tipples are mostly brought in by passionate entrepreneurs who personally source the products to ensure exclusivity. They also create cosy spaces where they offer their customers the finer points of these libations.

BTLifestyle checks out these new drinks, which set out to be cool enough for connoisseurs, but are still approachable for novice drinkers. We visit fresh entrants such as makgeolli bar Odem, which offers a range of Korean makgeolli and takju from small producers in its cosy premises in New Bahru; speakeasy bar Ume Maru, which serves grape and pear umeshu cocktails in a manga setting; and SyZyGy, Singapore’s first Armagnac-centric bar focusing on this unique brandy.

In Friday’s edition of BTLifestyle, we also visit a few new bars in town, but if your tastes lean towards sustainability rather than booze, head to Green-House 2024, a weekend festival featuring 80 Singapore brands that focus on green products.

For jewellery lovers, Asian Civilisations Museum debuts #SGJEWELLERYNOW, its first display of contemporary Singapore jewellery featuring notable jewellers such as Edmond Chin.

In Dining, how far will you travel for a meal? If distance doesn’t bother you, then head out to Jurong, where Korean chef Corey Lee has opened his first South-east Asian outpost in Hyundai’s Innovation Centre. We find out if the food is worth the trek.

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For all this and more, don’t miss Friday’s edition of BT.