In what feels like the blink of an eye, homegrown bar Nutmeg & Clove has turned 10. For Colin Chia, who founded the popular watering hole a decade ago, it has been a journey of “many high points”.
Most recently, the bar clinched sixth position on this year’s list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, one up from its placing in 2023. Chia tells Options that his goal at the outset was not to collect awards, but the nods in rankings such as Asia’s 50 Best have been “heartening”. “It’s a testament of the team’s hard work, which I feel really proud of,” he adds.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the bar earlier this year launched the aptly named “TEN”, a menu that reflects on “Singapore’s top moments, as well as Nutmeg & Clove’s past decade” through a series of locally inspired cocktails.
The menu’s theme is certainly not unfamiliar for the bar; in fact, celebrating Singapore has been a core tenet of its identity since 2014. “Through the concept of Nutmeg & Clove, I want to share the rich stories and vibrant culture of Singapore while serving exceptional cocktails,” Chia explains.
Before starting his entrepreneurial journey, Chia worked in Diageo, the British multinational specialising in alcoholic beverages, for over a decade. That experience allowed him to hone his expertise in both the product and service ends of things, with certifications such as those from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust; it also gave him opportunities to develop training programmes for Diageo, with one even supporting some 4,700 hospitality and F&B workers.
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Chia started Nutmeg & Clove in 2014, at its original location in Ann Siang Hill. The bar shuttered during the pandemic, reopening in 2021 at its current home in Purvis Street. Its string of accolades hardly skipped a beat, though, as it quickly regained a place in Asia’s 50 Best in 2022, as well as its then-highest ranking of 74th in the World’s 50 Best Bars list that year.
Growth and diversification
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As Nutmeg & Clove’s success grew over the years, Chia sought to expand with more concepts. He thus started the Nutmeg Collective, which now counts Last Word and an outpost of Taiwan’s Draft Land in its portfolio. “I believe that the hospitality industry has much more to offer apart from just good service,” says Chia. “I hope to deliver my take on hospitality through Nutmeg Collective.”
The variety of concepts under the collective’s belt has allowed it to thrive despite an increasingly competitive bar scene in Singapore. In the world of cocktail bars, specifically, Chia notes that there is growing demand for experiences and aesthetics, not just a solid product. “Consumers now have higher exposure to interesting concepts in the F&B scene, bringing about higher expectations,” he reasons. These higher expectations, he adds, apply not just to the food and drinks, but more importantly to the overall experience.
Chia has thus had to fashion the Nutmeg Collective’s bars to suit a variety of tastes. “For instance,” he says, “Nutmeg & Clove and Tess Bar focus on lively concepts that elevate consumers’ experience … We also have bespoke services at Last Word for classic cocktail lovers, and a casual and high-energy bar, Draft Land, serving quality cocktails on tap, catering to the younger crowd.”
But Chia notes that having strong concepts alone is not enough to make it, especially as the face of Singapore’s food and beverage scene continues to evolve. “Innovation, tip-top service and genuine hospitality remain at the heart of everything we do,” he says. “We’re constantly exploring new ways to provide the best experiences for our guests.”
‘More than just a celebration’
Shelley Tai, whom Chia recruited from Hong Kong in 2020 to serve as bar manager at Nutmeg & Clove, is among those who have been working on evolving the group’s offerings. Before moving to Singapore, Tai — who is now also director at the Nutmeg Collective — had a stint at the iconic Quinary, and won the Bartender of the Year award for Hong Kong and Macau in the 2019 Diageo World Class competition.
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Speaking on Nutmeg & Clove’s 10th anniversary, Tai tells Options that preparations began way in advance, back in July 2023. “We started brainstorming and conceptualising the menu then as it was the first glimpse into our 10th anniversary celebrations,” she says, adding that there were “so many milestones for [the team] to tell a story with.”
The “TEN” menu comprises 25 cocktails crafted by Tai and her team. Asked about her favourites, she expectedly says it’s “hard to choose just one”, though she finds herself partial to the Slinging Lion and the Golden Jubilee. The former, she explains, is the bar’s take on the Singapore Sling with a unique presentation, being served on a tricycle basket. The Golden Jubilee, meanwhile, is a “more complex and boozy option”, she adds. “They both capture the spirit of Singapore in a delicious way!”
Beyond the refreshed menu, Tai also worked on other aspects of the anniversary celebrations. “The whole process was in tandem with a rebrand to rejuvenate the look of Nutmeg & Clove as it has remained the same since its opening,” she says. “This time, we also included other elements to the brand, such as merchandise.”
This included the development of a signature fragrance with custom perfume company Maison21G. “Instead of focusing on within the bar, we wanted to incorporate lifestyle aspects of the hospitality industry as well,” Tai explains. “Scent was something that came to mind when we thought of elements that could represent us.” The resulting Nutmeg and Cloves eau de parfum is a “blend of warm and cold spices, intertwined with vibrant woody notes of cashmere wood and leather”.
Nutmeg & Clove also ran a week-long birthday bash in May. The Nutmeg Cocktail Fiesta, says Tai, was “more than just a celebration”. The goal, she adds, was to have something of a cocktail festival. To this end, bartenders from around the world — including Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone and Marian Beke of London’s The Gibson — were invited to conduct guest shifts at the bar.
Asked about what is in the works for Nutmeg & Clove and the Nutmeg Collective, Tai remains tight-lipped. “While we have some exciting surprises in the works, we can share that we’re actively planning new events and exploring potential expansions,” she teases.
Challenges and adaptations
Chia, who now focuses his energy on the business side of things at the Nutmeg Collective, is looking to ensure that the bars under his wing, including Nutmeg & Collective, continue to thrive in spite of an increasingly difficult market.
“Challenges in the hospitality industry are inevitable,” says Chia. Chief among these challenges is a lack of manpower, he adds. “Primarily, there is a shortage of Singaporeans entering this field, leading to a heavy reliance on foreign professionals. However, hiring foreign talent comes with its own set of challenges, given the stringent government controls on work passes.”
Inspiring locals to work in bars is one way in which Chia is hoping to bring in new homegrown talent. “Our aim is to reshape the perception of young individuals by establishing high-quality bars and delivering exceptional service,” he says, adding that the crux is to emphasise the potential for a “promising career path”, despite the challenges one might face in the industry.
The F&B scene has also been hit by a number of high-profile closures in recent months, amid rising rents, inflation and a shrinking willingness of consumers to spend. “To cope with rising operational costs, we are proactively sourcing ingredients from suppliers who are more affordable and we try to reduce wastage during operations,” says Chia.
Ultimately, Chia credits his success today to the success of his initial venture. He counts the 10th anniversary of Nutmeg & Clove as the “first and foremost” achievement in his mind. He also points to the guest shifts conducted during the Nutmeg Cocktail Fiesta as one moment in particular that has inspired him amid the celebrations. “This could never have been possible without the success of Nutmeg & Clove,” he says.
“Ten years is no easy feat,” Chia concludes. “Commemorating 10 years has made me look back on this fruitful journey; I’m overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment.”
