The bar, which specialises in French herb cocktails, recently launched on Duxton Road
Photos: The Lounge Bar
There’s yet another new bar just opened in the Duxton neighbourhood, and it’s a special one. The Lounge Bar, located on Duxton Road, is Singapore’s first and only bar dedicated to French craft cocktails. And they are not just experimental concoctions that make you think of France; their nature-inspired base gives you a slice of France’s magnificent mountain range, the French Alps.
Chef-owner Jérémy Gillon, who had worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant in the French Alps, launched The Lounge Bar an independent sister establishment to Restaurant JAG, which he also founded with fine-dining industry veteran Anant Tyagi. The bar takes the cosy and chic space just upstairs of the restaurant in the same newly refurbished shophouse.
Chef Gillion has selected by hand more than 40 hand-selected herbs from the Savoie mountains of the French Alps, and flew them in directly to Singapore for use in The Lounge Bar’s cocktails. The result is six signature hand-crafted, herb-inspired cocktails bursting with unique flavours. For their use of rare and exquisite herbs, the drinks are also at a superbly reasonable price of just $18 each!
Each of the signature cocktails are named after the special herb it uses. If tangy with a bitter edge sounds like a drink for you, go for Hyssop, which mixes the minty hyssop herb with infused rum, St Germaine liqueor, Peychaud’s aromatic bitters, egg-white, a dash of lime juice and syrup.
A cocktail that catches our eye is the Agastache (pictured at the top of the article). It treads on the sweet and smoky side, powered by the licorice-flavoured herb, distilled pisco, and Pierde Almas mezcal.
Another herb-centric cocktail, Sapinette gives off an amazing woodsy aroma from its pine herb, and likely gets its beautiful purplish hue from the blueberry puree. More of its fruity sweet taste comes from the maraschino syrup and Prune Eau de Vie, balanced out with infused vodka.
Those who want a break from alcohol can also savour the fresh taste of the French Alps by ordering one of the three herb-inspired mocktails ($14 each). Not so big into the herby flavours? The extensive drinks menu at The Lounge Bar also includes a selection of classic cocktails ($18 each) that also get a unique, creative spin with the addition of craft spirits. The bar’s resident alco-alchemist, Neo Yong Siang (or Y.S.), recommends that you give the strong and aptly named The Corpse Reviver No. 2, as well as the slightly bitter Sazerac, a try. Pick your poison, and pair it with one of the tantalising mains on the food menu for a hearty meal.
The bar is committed to highlighting independent, small-batch craft spirits, and to making the source of their ingredients transparent to diners. Curious about the story of a drink, or one of the small-batch spirits displayed? We’re sure Y.S. will be happy to share.
76A Duxton Road, Level 2, Singapore 089535
Contact no.: +65 9686 5440
Opening hours: 6pm to 11:30pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays. Closed on Sundays, Mondays and Public Holidays.
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