The hills are alive, it seems. Up on Mount Elizabeth, an outpost of famed Hong Kong bar Dragonfly has opened at Vibe Hotel. Heading the bar at the new venue is Morgan Raelin Barron, who cut her teeth at big names in the US before coming to Singapore’s Jigger & Pony and 28 HongKong Street — and now, here.
Dragonfly’s interiors are a dead ringer for the original in Hong Kong’s Central district; everything is awash with turquoise, in a nod to Louis Comfort Tiffany, the first design director of Tiffany & Co. We get the sense everything’s been finely attuned for maximum Instagram-ability; there’s even a spiral staircase that leads to nowhere.
The aesthetic fussiness does sometimes encroach on the experience; our glasses threaten to topple each time we put them down, thanks to the raised metal dragonflies that sit atop the tables. We recommend a seat at the bar, where the surface is flat and you run no risk of losing a drink to a gilded insect. As a bonus, you’ll get to watch Barron and her team at work as they effortlessly glide through each order.
Opening the “Cause and Effect” menu, we’re greeted with a dizzying array of concentric circles. We take a second as our eyes adjust to the tiny font under the barely there lights; meanwhile, Barron eagerly brings us through the concept. Each set of circles represents three plays on a main spirit; the innermost ring is a classic cocktail, the one in the middle is a low-ABV drink; and the outermost ring is for bolder mixes.
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We start off light with the Bite the Blossoms ($25++) from the vodka-focused page. We’re immediately hit with citrus, buoyed by a sweetness that teeters on cloying; thankfully it’s served as a highball, so leaving it to sit dials things back a little. Floral and tea notes follow, no doubt a result of cherry blossom vodka. In totality we’re reminded of an adult play on Tang, the orange drink mix once ubiquitous in kitchen larders.
Whimsy sure seems to be the name of the game with Dragonfly’s playful reinterpretations; that philosophy continues in the rum-based Murphy’s Law ($25++), a frozen sweet treat that comes with a bottle and dropper of Szechuan pepper oil. We’ve never quite grasped the oxymoron of a solid drink, but it’s all in good fun, especially so for anyone craving dessert.
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Falling back to the classics, we find ourselves with a negroni ($25++). Even here, there’s a twist: Barron replaces half the campari with aperol, resulting in a sweeter, brighter drink. On the other extreme of the gin drinks, we have the Rose Stained ($25++), where the introduction of elderflower liqueur, Strega and rosé brings it closer to the oomph of a classic negroni, with a touch more complexity.
There’s certainly a lot to take in at Dragonfly, from the visual spectacle to the intricate menu concept. Contrasting against that is Barron’s affable, laid-back manner, which makes the experience approachable in spite of the froufrou. Ultimately, what lies at the core of Dragonfly is a focus on well-crafted, interesting cocktails that bring the classics into 2024. And that’s something worth climbing a hill for.
Dragonfly
24 Mount Elizabeth
#01-05 Vibe Hotel Singapore
Singapore 228518
Tel: +65 8088 6525
Email: [email protected]
