Bar menus often take themselves too seriously. Known for its interpretation of classic cocktails through a distinctly local lens, Singaporean Bar Nutmeg & Clove leans into humour, familiarity, and the everyday language Singaporeans use without thinking twice in its new menu. Across twelve new cocktails, presented through short comic-style stories, the bar turns Singlish—the colloquial blend of English, Malay, Chinese dialects, and local expressions—into both narrative and flavour, treating the national vernacular not as a gimmick, but as cultural shorthand.
Launched in January 2026, the menu joins Nutmeg & Clove’s Hall of Fame classics and reinforces a simple idea: a Singaporean bar doesn’t need to dilute its identity to speak to the world. Sometimes, leaning further into it says more.
For founder and creative lead Colin Chia, the shift wasn’t about novelty. It was about honesty. “Bar menus often lean towards the serious, so we felt it was time to change the mood.”
Rather than dense tasting notes, the menu unfolds through illustrated panels and familiar phrases — populated by characters inspired by friends, bartenders, and collaborators from around the world. The tone is casual and welcoming, reflective of the close-knit community Nutmeg & Clove has always cultivated.
A Point of View, First
When shaping the menu, flavour and technique followed something more fundamental: point of view.
Singlish became the starting point — not as slang dressed up for export, but as a living language that captures how Singapore jokes, complains, celebrates, and connects. Each cocktail anchors itself to a phrase locals instinctively understand, allowing flavour to carry the story.
Atas is one such expression. Framed around polish and aspiration, the drink leans into refinement without tipping into excess. Aromatic and composed, it reflects a version of luxury that feels distinctly Singaporean — confident, but never loud. Like the phrase itself, it plays with perception, inviting guests to reconsider what sophistication looks and tastes like through a local lens.
“We wanted the cocktails to carry the story.” The approach leaves room for discovery. Locals feel immediate recognition; international guests experience the mood first, meaning later.
Drinks You Feel, Not Just Taste
Working through the menu reaffirmed something Colin has long believed: a drink should be felt as much as it’s tasted.
Storytelling has always shaped his approach, but seeing the team translate phrases into comics — then into glassware — clarified how collaborative the process has become. Ideas move collectively, refined through discussion, testing, and shared memory. “Seeing the team bring ideas to life reinforced how central storytelling is to what we do.”
That sensibility shows up in the drinks themselves. Can Lah reads as reassurance in liquid form — easygoing, familiar, comforting. Alamak, by contrast, leans into surprise and contrast, mirroring the exclamation itself: reactive, expressive, and slightly mischievous. The drinks don’t chase spectacle; they aim for recognition.
Finding the Rhythm
If there’s a cocktail that best captures the pace Nutmeg & Clove is choosing right now, it’s Bo Ta Bo Lampa.
The drink was born from play — a spirited exchange of favourite shots as guest bartenders from around the world shared their go-tos behind the bar. What began with colourful fruit shots from Korean bartenders quickly snowballed into laughter, friendly competition, and a rousing chant of “BTBLP!” that stuck.
That energy carries through to the glass. Served tall with a mini bottle, Bo Ta Bo Lampa is a bright, fizz-forward highball blending whisky with Drambuie, crisp apple cider, and a vivid beetroot-carrot mix. Lively and unapologetically colourful, it feels less like a statement and more like a shared moment.
Within the menu, it reflects a bar comfortable with spontaneity — grounded in its identity, open to global influence, and unafraid to keep things light.
Reading Between the Panels
When guests sit with the menu, Colin hopes familiarity comes first — the spark that comes from seeing everyday life reflected back.
Each cocktail is built around a Singlish phrase, a linguistic snapshot of how people speak when they’re comfortable. Turned into comic-style stories, these expressions become moments of humour, nostalgia, or shared experience. “We’re not just serving cocktails — we’re celebrating what it means to be Singaporean.”
There’s pride here, but never stiffness. Nutmeg & Clove’s identity has always been about reinterpreting classics through a local lens — thoughtful, playful, and culturally grounded. This menu continues that philosophy with confidence.
A Loop Set in Motion
Beyond the launch, Colin hopes the menu sets something lasting in motion. By grounding each drink in everyday language, the team is encouraged to keep finding meaning in the ordinary — daily conversations, shared jokes, familiar rituals. It’s a mindset that reinforces why Nutmeg & Clove exists in the first place.
At the same time, the menu signals continuity. Long recognised globally for its distinctly Singaporean point of view, the bar isn’t pivoting away from that identity — it’s deepening it.
Ultimately, the aim is simple: that curiosity becomes habit, cultural pride fuels creativity, and each idea leads naturally to the next. Quietly, confidently, and very much on its own terms.
Nutmeg & Clove
8 Purvis St, Singapore 188587
