Live Twice

You only live twice. This bar is on its second go, and the chairs are much better.

Live Twice is a date bar, or a quiet one for two or three friends who like their drinks precise and their evenings unhurried. It seats around 40, which keeps it closer to a living room than a lobby, so larger groups should check ahead rather than turn up. Book, ask for the armchairs and start with the Mizuwari.

The second life

It opened in late 2019 in the space at 20 Bukit Pasoh Road that used to be Flagship, a dive bar from the same Jigger & Pony group. Rather than tidy it up, the team reinvented it as a homage to the elegant cocktail bars that sprang up in Tokyo's post-war boom: a second life, with much better chairs.

About those chairs. Look for original 1960s Falcon armchairs by Sigurd Ressell, Eero Saarinen stools and Giancarlo Piretti's Alky chairs, set against washi-lined walls. The bar's own description goes for film-noir mood and a Ginza-in-the-sixties look, while the soundtrack is more rock than jazz, which stops it feeling like a museum. It pitches itself at everyone from salarymen to creatives to hustlers.

Four ingredients, no more

The craft borrows the Japanese idea of shokunin devotion, and the rule is strict: no cocktail uses more than four ingredients. The best-known proof is the Mizuwari, whisky and Hokkaido soft water aged in a ceramic urn that gets topped up like a master stock; since the November 2025 refresh it blends Hibiki Harmony, Chita single grain and Bowmore 15. The calling card is the Vesper, Ian Fleming's martini from Casino Royale, which suits a name lifted from Bond's You Only Live Twice; the menu nods to Nancy Sinatra's 1967 theme song.

That menu was rewritten in November 2025 for the first time since opening, by principal bartender Luca Lulli. It runs in two acts, "One Life for Yourself" for refined classics and "…And One for Your Dreams" for newer creations, including a tequila, banana and umeshu drink called Sunbeam.

Eat something

The katsu sandos are a fixture, including an ebi version, and the yōshoku menu adds croquettes and a seafood platter from the Humpback kitchen next door. The bar has also picked up Asia's 50 Best extended-list placings and a Tales of the Cocktail honour along the way.

How to do it well

Happy hour runs from 6 to 8pm daily, which is the gentler way to start; check the current prices before you go. Bookings are online or by phone. The bar points you to Exit 4 at Outram Park MRT. Take the armchair and let the room do its cinematic thing.

Good to know 20 Bukit Pasoh Road, near Outram Park MRT (Exit 4, per the bar). The official site lists opening from 6pm daily and roughly 40 seats, with bookings online or by phone; larger groups should check ahead, and confirm current hours before you go.

Planning the rest of the evening? Our dates with something to talk about.

Live Twice | 20 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089834 | Nearest MRT: Outram Park