Meet Casper, your shape-shifting cocktail bar

[SINGAPORE] One might easily walk right past Casper, one of the newest additions to Duxton Hill, without giving a second glance.

Tucked inconspicuously between a Korean fusion cafe and a salon, the ground-floor shophouse unit bears no signboard, and black-tinted windows conceal its interior. It could be mistaken for vacant, if not for a ghost-shaped door handle that suggests the hidden premises within.

Inside, the dimly lit industrial interior, with its jagged cave-like walls, conjures up the sensation of being underground. Cove lighting bathes corners in an otherworldly tangerine glow, while whimsical ghost lamps perch atop small tables.

A space with no limits

Like a shape-shifting ghost, Casper wants to be flexible in its identity; co-founder Lee Rosli sees this spirit of adaptability as essential to survival in Singapore’s cut-throat food and beverage (F&B) landscape.

“We want to be anything and everything,” he said. “A ghost can take many forms: the Malays have pontianaks, while the Chinese have hopping vampires. That’s why we are what we are; we do not want to define ourselves.”

Lee envisions the bar as a multifunctional space that can host different events and community-centric experiences.

Since opening in July, the bar has already been the venue for a flea market with booths, live busking as well as tattoo and piercing artists.

The bar has seated and standing areas that can fit about 45 guests. Thoughtful built-in design elements support various spatial reconfigurations.

For example, Casper’s stainless steel bar counter is wide enough to be converted into a chef’s table or accommodate DJ sets. Fittings attached to the counter can be easily removed to open up the space and allow guests to mingle behind the bar.

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Retractable glass-panelled windows near the entrance can be folded up to create a “mini alfresco dining area”, noted Lee.

This would support a pivot into a full-fledged restaurant concept, should the bar ever choose to take that direction. The small open kitchen also allows the space to be used as an F&B pop-up.

Function aside, the interior also features statement art pieces. On the ceiling, light bulbs are attached to graffiti-streaked surveillance cameras – a pointed reminder that “Big Brother is always watching”, Lee quipped.

Then there is a wall installation comprising rows of 120 electric sockets; just one works.

The idea, Lee explained, is to nudge guests to unplug from their digital devices. “People are always asking us, ‘Can you help me charge my phone?’ Sure, go ahead and charge – if you can find the right socket.”

Straightforward flavours

Unlike the use of its space, Casper’s cocktail menu is more straightforward, comprising 19 drinks named after their central flavours. Garnishes are used sparingly, if at all, so guests can focus squarely on the taste, said Lee.

Those seeking a savoury kick can head for Tomato or Mushroom, two drinks that live up to their names – though the simple monikers obscure a “tricky” creation process.

Built on a tequila and mezcal base infused with fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, the clarified Tomato drinks like a light, chilled tomato soup.

Mushroom is a fat-washed blend of three spirits – rye, mezcal and bourbon – featuring distinct beef and mushroom notes, with the latter drawn from its central ingredient, Chinese shiitake.

A crowd favourite is Apples, Casper’s fruity twist on a whisky highball. Here, Kujira Kyojin Japanese whisky is layered with the bright notes of apple and mango to produce a tipple reminiscent of a fizzy Snapple.

For sweet-toothed guests, there are dessert-style drinks, including the signature Sesame.

The milkshake-like concoction brings together house-made black sesame distillate, coffee liqueur and Seara vodka from Okinawa. For textural contrast, the drink is topped with warm ube cream cheese foam.

One can have their cake and sip it, too, with citrus-forward Cake. At its base is a fruit sponge cake that has been macerated and cooked in vodka and syrup, then run through a centrifuge machine.

Separately, Casper offers rotating picklebacks – two-shot drinks comprising a shot of liquor followed by a shot of pickle juice. Lee said the brine used depends on which vegetables or fruits are harvested for the month.

The menu also includes a selection of natural wines and spirits, Guinness on tap and highballs; classic cocktails can be made to order.

Food offerings range from small bar bites to heartier options, such as stacked sandwiches and macaroni and cheese.

On Thursdays and Saturdays, the bar cooks up a big batch of a local comfort food, dubbed “staff meals”. Past dishes include beef rendang, bak kut teh and ayam masak lemak cili api.

Sesame

• 30ml Seara vodka
• 30ml Mr Black coffee liqueur
• 20ml black sesame distillate
• Garnished with foam made from ube cream liqueur and cream cheese