Since its opening in 2011, 28 Hongkong Street has been a quiet favourite among drink lovers in Singapore. Its speakeasy vibe, complete with a nondescript exterior — nary a nameplate or signboard to be seen — makes this one of the few gems we can say is actually hidden.
Heading the bar at 28 Hongkong Street is Bali-born Tamaryn Cooper. The spry 24-year-old has already racked up an impressive resume, with stints at Bangkok’s Belga Rooftop Bar & Brasserie, Teens of Thailand and its sister bar Asia of Today.
Cooper was previously an aspiring tattoo artist, an unsurprising fact considering the impressive gallery that covers her skin. She’s now put that inky inspiration into a new cocktail menu, cheekily titled “DR-INK”. Within, you’ll find 12 drinks as the result of a collaboration with four local tattoo studios, as well as 20 classics and classic twists.
We kick off with the Galactic Booze Cruise ($26++), a coconut milk punch inspired by a design from Ocean Tattoo. The smell of coconut comes right through in this easy, low-ABV drink, balanced with the flavours of gin, elderflower liqueur and apple juice. A lightly brushed, delicate rice paper chip adds a playful textural contrast to the silky smoothness of the punch.
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The pisco sour is reimagined as the Burung Bathikan ($26++), which has an East-meets-West vibe, thanks to a house-made rambutan shrub and elderflower liqueur, both of which really sing in the finished drink. It’s refreshing, though we wish for just a tad more of an acidic bite.
Among the stronger drinks on the menu is the Femme Fatality ($28++). Chrysanthemum is the main flavour in this spin on a martini, complemented by notes of honey and a whiff of absinthe. The garnish, a lollipop made from rose and edible flowers, is more than just a sweet treat, too; letting it sit in the drink to dissolve means the flavours change and grow with every sip.
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We end off with the 28 Energy Ultra Fuel ($27++), a mix of vodka, Galliano L’Autentico, pisco, jasmine and pandan topped with a foam made with Monster energy drink. The latter, we’re told, is the 28 Hongkong Street team’s beverage of choice to power through busy nights. Here, it makes for an exciting, different topper to this highball.
Thirteen years in, 28 Hongkong Street is showing it’s still young at heart. “DR-INK” may have its roots in artsy inspiration, but we like that the menu doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s playful and experimental, while staying perfectly accessible. The ink, unlike our glasses, certainly isn’t dry on this chapter.
28 Hongkong Street
28 Hongkong Street
Singapore 059667
Tel: +65 8318 0328
Email: [email protected]
Opening hours: Daily, 6pm – 12am
