Nothing could have prepared Singapore’s restaurant and bar industry better for the destructive wave that is the COVID-19 crisis. Period. But while many industries are slowly picking up the pieces and coming out of the rut, our F&B industry still remains one of the hardest-hit—ever since more people started cooking at home and opting not to order takeaway cocktails from bars for its lack of “ambience”. A silver lining through these dark times though comes in the form of an initiative by Singapore’s bars themselves—the SCBA.
Singapore Cocktail Bar Association (SCBA) is a non-profit organisation, founded by a band of Singapore’s cocktail bar heavyweights. They seek to champion Singapore’s craft cocktail culture and help garner support for it, especially during these turbulent times.
Singapore Cocktail Bar Association (SCBA)’s Purpose
SCBA aims to establish itself as an active voice for the cocktail community; while working with its members to identify opportunities for industry growth and education. The immediate purpose is to acquire corporate donations and funding that will be distributed as a means of support for the cocktail community as well as that harder hit by the pandemic. Additional aid comes in the form of industry initiatives and education.
Established in May 2020, SCBA was initiated by Gan Guoyi, co-owner of the Jigger & Pony Group in Singapore as a grassroots effort to support Singapore’s bar industry. Guo is also the Founding President of the association.
SCBA’s Board Members
She is further supported by four other Founding Board Members, Andrew Yap, the Association’s Treasurer and Co-Owner of The Old Man Singapore; Vivian Pei, the Association’s Vice President and Academy Chair for Asia’s 50 Best Bars; Paul Gabie, Founding Board Member and Director of 28 HongKong Street; and Ivy Woo, Founding Board Member, Owner of Food News Integrated Marketing and Co-Founder of Singapore Cocktail Festival.
SCBA’s Committee Members
Aside from its founding board members, to ensure strict governance and further participation from the industry, SCBA has also appointed six Committee Members, consisting of:
- Bai Jiawei from Employees Only
- Charmaine Thio from William Grant & Sons
- Colin Chia from Nutmeg & Clove
- David Nguyen-Luu from Manhattan
- Jesse Vida from Atlas
- Jess “Hutch” Hutchinson from No Sleep Club
Committee members will work with board members to ensure that the association’s initiatives are always conducted in transparency, fairness and with the industry’s interest as a foremost priority.
The first order of business for the SCBA is to secure corporate donations to distribute among those in need within Singapore’s bar community; activating initiatives to raise funds and devise recovery programmes to help cocktail bars recover in a post-pandemic world.
Members of SCBA can expect a roll-out of initiatives aimed at raising funds to support the cocktail community during this time and recovery programmes designed to help bars/bartenders get on a faster track to recovery. More information on these initiatives will be announced in June 2020.
How Bars Can Become Members?
Members must meet a pre-set list of criteria before admission. Membership fees will be waived for the first two years of SCBA’s operation; with operational costs of the Association sponsored by Jigger & Pony Group, Proof & Company and Singapore Cocktail Festival during this time.
To apply, or if you belong to a particular organisation who would like to lend your support to upcoming initiatives, feel free to reach out via the following email addresses:
- guoyi@jiggerandpony.com [Gan Guoyi, President]
- paul.gabie@proofandcompany.com [Paul Gabie, Founding Board Member]
Read our guide to Singapore’s nightlife.
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