When an old soul embraces modern twists
28 HongKong Street’s latest menu draws inspiration from tattoo designs
28 HONGKONG Street might be one of Singapore’s oldest craft cocktail bars, but it has no shortage of new blood – and its latest tattoo-inspired menu aims to capture their youthful vibe.
“We wanted to do something that was different and more relatable to the new generation of young bartenders that we have been working with currently,” said head bartender Tamaryn Cooper.
“And the idea of tattoos came up, because all of us have tattoos,” she laughed.
Named after its shophouse address, the bar is perhaps Singapore’s least secret speakeasy despite the lack of signage and non-descript door, as a regular on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list.
Still, the interior retains its signature speakeasy style, with dim lighting and a beer menu scrawled on a chalkboard behind the bar.
The bar’s original concept is that of an American speakeasy in a laid-back neighbourhood, and tattoo art is part of that subculture, said Cooper.
The new DR-INK! menu pays homage to that culture, but from a local perspective. The bar asked four local artists to each design three tattoos, depicting their impressions of the bar itself, their own identity, and what Singapore means to them.
The bar team then drew inspiration from these tattoos for 12 new creations, most of them variations on classic cocktails.
The new tattoo-inspired selection sits alongside 28 HongKong Street’s longstanding range of 10 classic serves, as well as 10 new twists on those classics.
“We are an old soul,” said Cooper. This can be seen, for instance, in how the bar has both modern techniques and traditional methods in cocktail-making.
One example is Femme Fatality, a martini-style cocktail with gin, chrysanthemum, absinthe, Benedictine and honey vermouth, adorned with a homemade lollipop. Instead of relying on modern machinery to create the honey vermouth, the team spends 48 hours fermenting the ingredients and strain the final product out.
The tattoo design behind Femme Fatality portrays a tattooed, sword-wielding woman – inspired by the female bartenders who make up the majority of the bar’s team.
One of the Singapore-inspired tattoo designs was that of an otter, which led to the creation of the River City Paloma. It combines the savoury tomato flavours of the Bloody Mary and the mezcal base of the Paloma, with the addition of Calvados.
The tomato shrub, or drinking vinegar, is made in-house with culinary techniques. Said Cooper: “We actually make the shrub the same way chefs make a clear tomato soup.”
The cocktail has a hint of saline – evoking an otter’s seafood supper – which is enhanced by a black bread crostini with a dab of cocktail sauce and furikake garnish.
Another Singapore-inspired tattoo design is of the batik burung, a bird motif used in the traditional dyeing craft. Its cocktail interpretation is the Burung Bathikan, a twist on the classic Pisco Sour. This features a house-made rambutan shrub, elderflower liqueur and sakura vermouth, topped with a pandan leaf that echoes the bird’s tail.
Burung Bathikan
35 ml Aba pisco
7.5 ml St Germain elderflower liqueur
7.5 ml Mancino Sakura vermouth
15 ml homemade rambutan syrup
20 ml fresh lemon juice
Garnished with two pandan leaves
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