Male drinkers will be pleased to know that the new menu offers a Tongkat Ali-infused cocktail
Regular imbibers of Nutmeg & Clove would know the bar is one to embrace Singapore's heritage through its array of invigorating cocktails. From drinks that reflect the nation's colourful eras to festive specials, such as the orangey Huat Ah!, offered during this year's Lunar New Year, the bar may perhaps be the watering hole version of say, CBD's Lau Pa Sat - something undeniably Singaporean.
So what's new this time around?
Giving a nod to the country's alias of Garden City, the bar has churned out 12 new cocktails that embody the natural biodiversity of Singapore. The inspiration came to Founder Colin Chia when he browsed through William Farquhar’s pictorial book Natural History Drawings: The Complete William Farquhar Collection: Malay Peninsula 1803-1818, which depicts beautifully drawn illustrations of Singapore’s flora and fauna.
Segregating into four sections of Herbs, Fruits, Spice, and Flowers, the cocktails presented are reinterpretations of some classics, where a single Singaporean ingredient champions every pour.
Here we tried out four pairs of Nutmeg & Clover's concocted classics and its renditions and gave our verdict:
Fruit: Gin Fizz($18) & You’re One in a Melon ($22)
A New Orleans specialty, the Gin Fizz is straightforward with its blend of Bankes London Dry Gin and carbonated water. The watermelon rendition of the classic, on the other hand, left more of an impression with its fruity twist that attributes to its glowing reviews at the bar. Laced with butterfly pea flower infused Hendrick’s Gin, the drink’s key ingredient is the clarified watermelon juice (from blended watermelons no less) that boasts a tang from the squeeze of a lemon. But what we loved the most was the garnish of a single pickled watermelon rind in brine. It tasted kind of like achar, but sweeter. We asked for seconds (of the rind).
Winner: You’re One in a Melon
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