The Cufflink Club, located in the ever-hip Keong Saik neighbourhood, was founded by British mixologist Joel Fraser. Home to Singapore’s best bartending talents, the Cufflink Club has built itself quite a reputation as a cocktail institution.
Other than its marvellous cocktails, the Cufflink Club is also known for its amazing service and yummy pizzas that go at $10 (usually $18) after 2am. It is quite the bargain considering the quality of the pizza; perfect for drunken nights.
Furthermore, there is no dress code. It is no wonder that people love coming to this casual cocktail bar, so much so that it celebrated its fourth anniversary (2016) of being in Singapore’s local bar scene.
To kick off the celebrations, here are eight cocktails that might entice fellow alcoholic purveyors:
1. Milk Punch ($25)
The Milk Punch was invented by a close friend of Joel, Davide Segat, who is currently based in London. It was our favourite cocktail amongst the six that were added to the new menu and we’re hoping it will stay on the menu. Having had about 4 of this, I safely can say that I can die happy now.
A beautiful concoction of Banks 7 Golden Age rum, arrack, apple brandy, cognac, green tea, pineapple, citrus, a selection of spices such as cinnamon, and milk, this cocktail goes down so smoothly like green tea despite its thick viscosity like that of milk. You couldn’t really taste the alcohol which is what we loved about it (which also makes the experience all the more dangerous too, my colleague and I would know!).
2. Picante Negroni ($22)
Made by Joel Fraser himself, the Picante Negroni isn’t like any other classic negroni in Singapore. With a mixture of capsicum sous vide sipsmith gin, campari Italian bitter, cogghi vermouth di torino and lemon oils, this negroni will whet your appetite like no other. The slight spiciness from the capsicum sous vide sipsmith really gets your tummy rolling.
In acknowledgement of all the food that goes to waste in F&B establishments, every $2 from an order of Picante Negroni is also donated to food banks in Singapore.
3. Cusco Puta ($22)
The Cusco Puta is also another cocktail that will whet your appetite. Although slightly sweeter than the Picante Negroni because of some strawberry-infused pisco, the Cusco Puta is a very balanced cocktail made by Joel’s business partner, Christian Hartmann.
It is balanced in the sense that the sweetness is countered by hand-pressed sour citrus and spiced up with some red pepper and chilli bitters.
4. Sting like a Beet ($23)
Inspired by the late Mohammed Ali, Sting like a Beet is made using strong Mighters American whisky, in-house made beet root grenadine, lemon, fresh orange juice, egg white and sassafras sprinkles. The drink was really refreshing, like a splash of water that punches you out of your bed in the morning.
5. Alapaca at the Disco ($22)
A drink that will make you dance with joy, this cocktail is made with fresh ginger, freshly pressed lime, homemade blueberry vinegar and some good ol’ encanto pisco. The cocktail is not as sweet as I usually prefer my cocktails but I thoroughly enjoyed the Asian kick.
6. Clearabatida ($23)
The Clearabatida was another one of my favourites at Cufflink club and a drink I found really unique. Andrew Goodall, this cocktail is made using a lot of unique fruity elements such as house mango cordial, lime oil and coconut fat-washed yagura cachaca.
The yagura cachaca is fat-washed with coconut oil and chilled so that the fat is solidified and extracted, The house mango cordial is also cooked slowly with sugar and water which extracts all the flavours from the mango into a concentrate for its tropical punch.
For all-time cocktail favourites, go for…
7. Porn Star ($28)
… the porn star! A best seller at the Cufflink Club, the cocktail is made using vanilla vodka with egg white, fresh passion fruit, pineapple, and citrus. If you find this drink a little too sweet, pour some champagne in; the cocktail comes with a shot of Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NU champagne.
8. Jiak the Ripper ($23)
If you’re looking for something truly unique (and slightly disturbing), go for Jiak the Ripper. Named after the 1888 serial killer, Jack the Ripper, the cocktail consists of London Dry Gin, blood orange, amaro, lemon and whitechapel surprise. The drink is pretty acidic and comes with a doll head that will shock your senses even more.
Expected Damage: $30 – $60 per pax
