Local flavours on tap at Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall

AMID the pandemic, bars have moved online, moved elsewhere, or both. Among them is Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall. Once nestled within the upper floor of a Boat Quay shophouse, it has reopened at Haji Lane, serving up local flavours - both hawker food and alcoholic concoctions - that are available via delivery too.

The Boat Quay lease happened to be up, explains bar manager and partner Sim Sze Wei. "It would not make logical sense to carry on the lease due to the uncertainty."

Thus the move to Haji Lane, and a new concept focusing on "fresh from the tap" cocktails, providing light and refreshing alternatives to the usual spirit-forward style. "We would like to think of this as a blessing in disguise, as it allows us to polish the rough edges of this new concept before we go into full service when this situation is over," he notes.

"The look and feel of the space will be indeed more aligned to our namesake - a cold drink stall." Its new ground-floor space, with seating spilling out into the five-foot way, retains the retro shophouse feel but adds a modern hipster touch with its floral shopfront mural.

The bar used to serve only bespoke drinks, with no menu. But late last year, it decided to "create a more distinct identity... where guests know what we are about, and also make it easier for our local or foreign guests to order a drink which is iconic to us," says Mr Sim.

One such signature, dating back to 2013, is the Tak Qiu or Milo Old Fashioned, named after the dialect slang for Milo. Recommended for post-meal drinking, like a digestif or dessert, the strong bourbon-based cocktail's malty chocolate taste often evokes nostalgia, according to Mr Sim.

Other Singaporean-styled offerings on the bar's on-site and delivery menus include the Oriental Elixir, a herbal twist on the Negroni with flavours of chrysanthemum and ginseng; and the Pandan Sling Fizz, a lighter spin on the Singapore Sling, created in collaboration with local fermented drink producer Get Fizzicle.

The latter is recommended as an accompaniment to the hearty hawker grub served at Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall, says Mr Sim: "It is bubbly and refreshing, making it a great pairing to many hawker classics, such as our hokkien mee." Other familiar favourites on the food menu are char kway teow, crispy shrimp paste chicken, carrot cake and oyster omelette, as well as dim sum from Good Luck Beerhouse just across the street.

The Pandan Sling Fizz is one of several cocktails on tap, also available via delivery. These range from the Bruichladdich Houjicha Highball, which marries smoky whisky with roasted green tea, to the Osmanthus Gin & Tonic and the Sparkles' Lychee Cosmopolitan. Whether at home or at Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall's new premises, the hope is that patrons can kick back and "forget the worries of daily life", adds Mr Sim.

Pandan Sling Fizz

3 parts pandan Botanist Islay Dry Gin

½ part Cointreau

"Good amount" of mint tepache

½ part homemade pomegranate pineapple grenadine

¼ part Benedictine D.O.M.

½ part cherry brandy

2 dash of Angostura bitters

Sufficient citrus for sweet-sour balance

Carbonated with carbon dioxide