You’d be forgiven for walking right past Dirty Sips. The pocket-sized bar by the team behind Dirty Supper isn’t trying to impress you with shiny signages or loud branding. Stashed away quietly behind fabric curtains, it instead grabs your attention with what really matters: what’s in the glass.
Most of Singapore’s experimental cocktail bars are located downtown in neighbourhoods like Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar, and most recently, New Bahru in River Valley. But Dirty Sips breaks the mould by setting up shop in sleepy, residential Tiong Bahru, more known for cafés and hawker fare, not cocktails.
Past the ember glow and retro-rustic charm of the main Dirty Supper dining area, the space inside Dirty Sips leans gritty and tactile. Mosaic tiles, graffiti art by Stefan Jude and exposed pipes give it that deliberately messy aesthetic. The bar glows with coiled LED lights overhead. And despite the slick look, the energy is anything but pretentious. After all, this is the kind of place where regulars get drinks named after them (hi, All the Wei).
Bar manager Ricardo “Arjay” Abaleta is as warm and hospitable as ever, with over 13 years of experience in the industry. He most recently fronted Cote’s iconic jungle-inspired Millim Bar, but now runs Dirty Sips’ bold, low-waste cocktail programme, working together with Dirty Supper’s chef-owner Peter Smit to transform kitchen offcuts into 19 seriously good drinks.
There’s no sugar, boozy or sour spectrum here. Dirty Sips doesn’t divide its cocktails into “light”, “strong” or anything like that – it just lets the flavours speak for themselves. The menu is split into two sections: Classics, which are headlining drinks that have been around since day one; and Make it Dirty, a playground of rotating concoctions derived from whatever scraps come out of the kitchen. Presentation-wise, Arjay does away with fancy garnishes in favour of visually simple drinks that are complex in flavour.
For a first-timer, the green apple highball ($18) off the Classics section is a no-brainer. Zesty, refreshing and absolutely smashable even with Jura 12-year-old Sherry Cask whisky. Here’s another crushable one: the Big Juicy Melons ($20). This carbonated clarified milk punch is a blend of Ford’s gin, vermouth, Fino Sherry and citrus, but it’s the bright notes of discarded watermelon rinds that stand out the most.
Meanwhile, the White Boy Negroni ($20) seeks to please Campari-averse folks like Smit himself. We find out this was the drink that landed Arjay his job, and with one sip, we can see why. The crystal-clear tipple is strong enough to get your night going, yet surprisingly addictive with delicate notes of micro shiso, Vinho Verde (a white wine from Portugal) and a savoury finish from house-pickled apricots.
On the other hand, Kvass Me If You Can ($18) raises some eyebrows at the start. The low-ABV number incorporates kvass from the kitchen’s leftover sourdough trimmings with sake, ginger and soda water. Initially overly yeasty and bready for our liking, the cocktail gets more palatable over time, with a hint of sweetness reminiscent of cloudy makgeolli. For something with a bit more fire, go for Booze Your Own Adventure ($18), where you pick the base spirit and get a wildly layered pour of guava, thyme, cold brew earl grey and a surprise green chilli hit on the finish. Easily our favourite drink of the night.
The bar shakes up four zero-proof options ($12 each) as well – nothing juice or tea-based – that are crafted with equal thought and creativity as their cocktails. Let not the Dirty Cola fool you. The dark, carbonated drink looks just like what inspired it, except you get raisiny, herbaceous and even medicinal notes with each swig, thanks to infusions of pickled fig, black lime and vanilla.
Other interesting non-alcoholic picks include Lookin’ Fancy, which is essentially Booze Your Own Adventure minus the booze; a beer-like concoction of burnt corn and juniper kvass; as well as a killer caramel, brown butter and cold brew coffee combo.
Dirty Sips isn’t the place for safe orders or clean-cut classics. But for anyone craving something unexpected, the bar pulls it off with style. “With all our stuff, we always want it to be as weird and wonderful as possible,” Smit says. And here’s a final pro-tip: swing by between 3pm and 6pm and 10pm to midnight for wallet-friendly drinks at $16 each.
Read our previous review of Dirty Supper here.
Dirty Sips is located inside Dirty Supper at 78 Moh Guan Terrace, #01-19, Singapore 162078.
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