Some bars are glitzy, others are over-the-top froufrou. But there’s an understated, old-world charm about Club 5. While many hotel bars are half forgettable, this cocktail lounge tucked away in Parkroyal on Beach Road is an easy crowd-pleaser. It might be easily dismissed as a business meeting kind of place – you’ve got regulars looking for afterwork drinks or suits carrying out hush hush industry talk.
While it does indeed bear resemblance to an underground NYC bar from the Mad Men era, it’s also one that pays homage to Singapore’s heritage sites. For one, their lineup of craft cocktails. They’re all purposefully created with our iconic streets in mind: Arab Street, Beach Road, and Bugis Street of Kampong Glam.
Their head bartender Richard Li, who’s completed stints in locally renowned bars like Smoke & Mirrors and beGin, joined the team a month or so ago. Over a dozen or so fresh oysters, we tried a series of Club 5’s specialty cocktails. The very first up: Paper Flames ($24) – a mix of spirits featuring Venuezalan rum, Islay scotch, a sweet vermouth, and Alpine amaro. Perhaps it was based solely on our first impressions (not 100 percent sober but still functioning), but upon a glance, we instantly knew that his drinks would be solid. As Richard said, he tumbled down the rabbit hole based on his “love for cocktails and a good drink”.
His easy faves are gin and rum: alcohol that’s spirit-forward, to deliver a punch without letting the drink be masked by fruity flavours or syrupy liquors. In fact, he wistfully recalled a time during his younger days when he’d drink on the streets with his friends:
“For Gin, it’ll have to be Ginebra, it always brings me back to a time where my friends and I used to drink on the streets, with a mix of powdered pomelo juice. A sachet of it and a bottle of Ginebra and some ice? That’s how we used to party!”
And it’s apparent when you ask for a bespoke cocktail.
Leaning towards strong, “harder” flavours myself, Richard offered a dark rum-focused cocktail that was balanced out with a splash of pineapple juice.
His reason for leaving behind other highly-acclaimed bars to join Club 5? He claims it’s because of nostalgic things – childhood memories. He had spent his childhood days in the Philippines and Taiwan, acknowledging that their culture and history in some way links to what he’s doing today. According to him, the cocktails “take inspiration from the neighbourhood” and focusing on “local stories feels like home to me”. It helps that he’s also very into travelling, as shown by his imprint tattoo of an aeroplane on his forearm.
If you had to try the one cocktail at Club 5, according to Richard, it would have to be the Jamu Rum’O ($18). As he described it, “I personally love the turmeric and galangal combo – it’s refreshing and tart, just right to kickstart your evening drinks.”
Book here.
READ MORE:
50 best bars in Singapore
The best new bars in Singapore
The best rooftop bars in Singapore