The Singapore Sling is no longer the only thing known about our cocktail scene. The emergence of speakeasy and bespoke bars, and the influx of top barmen from around the world have made the global bartending community sit up and pay some serious attention to us.

“Not only is a wider variety of spirits progressively made available, (more people are also) exposed to a wider range of creative cocktails. These efforts have made Singapore’s bar scene comparable to notable vibrant cocktail scenes abroad,” says Tom Hogan, who moved from Chicago to join the Fairmont Singapore hotel’s Anti:dote bar as head craftsman.

D. Bespoke (2 Bukit Pasoh Road) bar’s owner-head bartender, Daiki Kanetaka, who relocated from Tokyo, agrees: “Singapore has a young cocktail culture, but it is growing quickly. That’s why I felt it was the right time to move here and introduce Japanese ginza bar culture to Singapore.”

For 24 more reasons why this island excites locals, download the digital edition of The Peak here.