Award-winning cocktail bar Nutmeg & Clove has set the bar high again with an exciting new menu set to enthral thirsty tipplers. Flavours & Memories Volume 6: The Cocktail Diaries features a series of imaginative cocktails inspired by a traveller’s musings and experience of visiting Singapore.
The menu features 10 new cocktails, designed to resemble a traveller’s diary, with insights and personal recounts of his experiences. The team hopes that Singaporeans have a renewed perspective of our home by drinking different cocktails, reading stories, and learning little known facts about Singapore (e.g. how chewing gum and smoking shisha are officially banned).
Garden City
We were first transported to UNESCO Heritage Site, Singapore Botanical Gardens; the only tropical garden on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Garden City ($24++) is a herbaceous tipple that pays homage to Singapore Botanical Gardens. Made with Hendrick’s Gin infused with melon musk, shiso, Empirical Spirit Ayuuk, lime and honey. Drinking it is like taking a morning stroll down the gardens’ pathways, taking in the aromas of flora and fauna. Clean, refreshing with generous botanicals and herbaceous.
Can Bubble Gum?
Can Bubble Gum? ($24++) was inspired by the traveller’s musings about Singapore’s chewing gum ban in 1992. A strong concoction made with Cordigo Mezcal, strawberry, lemon, distilled tabasco and topped with bubble gum air. It starts off as a seemingly sweet, innocent drink, revealing a tingly, tangy body with a hidden punch of flavours.
Michael Jackson’s Punch
A fan of soy milk with grass jelly, a.k.a. Michael Jackson? You’ll love this boozy rendition of the drink – Michael Jackson’s Punch ($24++). Made with Roku Gin, Fernet Branca, Braulio, and clarified soy milk. A well-balanced cocktail with bitter-sweet flavours.
K-Tea-V
A seemingly apt cocktail that makes us miss the pre-COVID days of singing karaoke with friends and family, K-Tea-V ($24++) was, of course, inspired by the good ol’ karaoke sessions back in the day.
Made with Monkey Shoulder blended Malt Scotch Whiskey infused with absinthe, green barley, matcha and creme de cacao. The combination of absinthe and whisky made it extra strong, with the distinct flavour of matcha helping to tone it down. Served with a white chocolate flower.
Apart from the exciting new craft tipples, Nutmeg & Clove also released a contemporary dining menu that continues to pay tribute to Singapore’s rich history while giving classic local dishes a fun spin.
Otak Otak
We had the Otak Otak ($16++) to start, comprising rempah and sea bass wrapped in banana leaf. Sous Chef Newein Dakota shared with us that the Otah was made without shrimp (unlike the classic recipe); and used only seabass, which gives the dish a more fluffy texture. This packs a small punch of heat and is generously seasoned to give off the spices’ rich aroma and flavour.
Assam + Batang
Assam + Batang ($28++) was the true superstar of the night – prepared with Spanish mackerel soaked in assam cream stew served with garlic toast. Creamy, although not cloying, mackerel was very tender and fresh, and we thought it could even do with a little more heat, but to each his own!
The garlic bread… Oh boy, where do we even begin? Very crispy yet not burnt on the outside; and extremely fluffy and soft on the inside, with solid garlic flavours that were a match made in heaven the with Assam cream stew. Truly *Chef’s Kiss*, you. need. to. get. this.
SG Scotch Egg
The SG Scotch Egg ($18++) was an interesting local twist on a Scotch Egg, encased within a mixture of minced kurobuta pork and lap cheong. Seasoned with soy sauce and oyster sauce, biting into this dish reminded us of distinctly Asian flavours.
Beef Skewers
Our last main for the night was the Beef Skewers ($32++), featuring grilled Tajima cubes served with nasi kuning and achar. The fragrant rice was cooked with tumeric, and the beef cubes were very tender and flavourful!
Nutmeg & Clove Ice Cream Sandwich
We were stuffed at this point, but there’s always a second stomach for dessert, so… Dessert it is! We had Nutmeg & Clove Ice Cream Sandwich ($12++), comprising a generous portion of Michter’s bourbon-soaked brownie ice-cream from Tom’s Palette; flanked by two slices of fried Hainanese toast.
The toasts were so rich and flavourful, we felt we needed even more ice-cream to balance the flavours! The bourbon in the ice cream really stood out, with a brownie that had just the right sweetness.
Nutmeg & Clove’s new menu—exciting craft tipples and creative Mod-sin dishes—is certainly worth a special trip.
P.s. If you stay till closing, the staff will serve you warm soup to warm you up before you head home! Trust us, it really hits the spot after a couple of drinks.
Check out Bar Uva and Tanoke – both are located along the same street as Nutmeg & Clove.
Address: 8 Purvis St, Singapore 188587
Opening Hours: 4pm – 10.30pm (Mon-Sun)
Nearest MRT Station: Bugis
Disclaimer: We were guests of Nutmeg & Clove, but all opinions remain our own.
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