Staying in with Sunday Punch

WHAT'S a barfly to do in this time of shuttered bars and staying in? If your personal liquor cabinet isn't well-stocked enough or you lack mixology skills, fret not. Many well-loved bars are now offering bottled cocktails for delivery or takeaway - a vast step up from commercial pre-mixed drinks.

One player that was way ahead of the game is Sunday Punch, which has been producing small-batch bottled cocktails since late-2014. "My partner and I started Sunday Punch when we first moved in together and started hosting people at home," says co-founder Mark Tay. "We really enjoyed having people around but at the end of the night, the sink would be full of glasses or other things we've used in our attempts to make cocktails."

Ahead of Christmas, they went to some friends in the bar scene and ordered bottled cocktails that could be easily served at home. The rest is history. Today, Sunday Punch has a catalogue of concoctions at www.drinksundaypunch.com, available for island-wide delivery or pick-up at selected locations.

"We tend to use ingredients that can keep well, so no fresh juices or dairy," says Mr Tay. "Everything else is totally up to your imagination."

Their current selection includes the refreshing #88, which mixes London Dry Gin with pineapples, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and extra dry vermouth; the Asian-inspired WWGT, with whisky, osmanthus, white grape, and green tea; and the Citrus & Herb, which lives up to its name with vodka, grapefruit, and rosemary.

Says Mr Tay: "We've learnt a lot about flavour extraction and how to combine ingredients so you get well-balanced and tasty drinks."

One popular signature is the Pandan Gimlet, putting a spin on the classic Gimlet - two parts gin, one part lime - by introducing house-made pandan syrup to the mix. "It's extremely refreshing with a familiar flavour that our customers love."

Sunday Punch has also worked on custom orders and collaborations, with their latest tie-up involving Plain Vanilla Bakery at Tiong Bahru. "People really love Plain Vanilla Bakery's cakes and we thought it would be a fun idea to mix a cocktail that was inspired by their newly launched Raspberry Rose cupcake," explains Mr Tay. "So we created Summer Thyme that is a blend of raspberry, dry vermouth and thyme-infused vodka. Very bright and summery. Great for daytime drinking."

Summer Thyme is available on Sunday Punch's website, or for pick-up at Plain Vanilla itself. Like Sunday Punch's other cocktails, a 250ml bottle yields three to four serves, and a 500ml bottle, six to eight serves.

When the long hibernation is over and barflies can emerge again, Sunday Punch's cocktails are also available by the serve at Artichoke or the bar at The Projector.

Pandan Gimlet

2 parts London Dry Gin 2 parts home-made pandan syrup 1 part lime syrup