Take the glass elevator up The NCO Club and turn the corner into Madame Fan Bar, an intimate 40-seater cocktail haven helmed by award-winning bartender Davide Boncimino. The bar might be an offshoot of the Cantonese restaurant located next to it, but don't expect cheesy Chinese-inspired cocktails that are more thematic than delicious.
Davide takes a culinary approach to his drinks, making use of high-quality ingredients such as the best strawberries and cherry tomatoes to make a sherbert from scratch. This sherbet goes into making a drink called Portofino ($24), a gin-based cocktail inspired by his Italian heritage. He also crafts his own liqueurs, which can be found in the boozy Yu Cha ($26), a take on a gin martini with shiso vermouth, peated green tea and herbal liqueur that's served in a little teapot for some extra flair. Another must-try is the bar's signature cocktail, the (Not) Classic PBJ ($28) that highlights Chinese kumquats that are caramelised into a liqueur and combined with a peanut butter fat-washed Glenfiddich 15 whisky – a sweeter, richer take on an Old Fashioned that goes down easy, especially when served with white chocolate-coated macadamia nuts made to look like morsels of dim sum.
Resident bartender June Baek is one of the finalists for Chivas Masters Week competition. Experience her Chivas cocktail creation for yourself at the Time Out Bar Hop on June 4.