Manhattan

Some of these cocktails have been waiting months for you. Dress accordingly.

Manhattan deserves a whole evening rather than a stop on an Orchard bar crawl, ideally with someone curious about what months in oak do to a drink. Order a classic you know, then its barrel-aged version, and taste the difference. Dress for it: the code is smart casual, with closed-toe shoes for men.

The rickhouse

On Level II of what is now Conrad Singapore Orchard, the bar borrows its look from Golden Age New York: plush seating, polished brass and a big menu of classic and forgotten cocktails. Its real point of difference is out of sight. The bar runs what it calls the world's first in-hotel rickhouse, a store for ageing spirits and cocktails in oak, holding more than 100 American oak barrels from Minnesota.

That is where the house signatures come from. The namesake Barrel-Aged Manhattan rests in wood, and the Solera-Aged Negroni uses the sherry-cellar method of topping up older stock with new. The rickhouse also supplies house-made ingredients for the wider menu, so a rickhouse drink is the way to see the hand-cut ice and house bitters at work. The staff are used to explaining what time in wood does to a drink, so ask.

The changing list

Around that fixed core, the menus keep changing. For its tenth year in 2024 the bar staged Broadway Spirited: 34 drinks, including eight versions of the Manhattan, and a debut list from new head bartender Zana Möhlmann, formerly of Amsterdam's Super Lyan. In 2025 came Seasons of Manhattan, with barrel-aged drinks themed on New York's seasons, and the list that followed, Circle of Celebration, is built around American festivals, sporting events and nights out.

Through the Friends of Manhattan series, bartenders from bars around the world take over for a night, and some create their own aged expressions for the barrels; the guest-shift calendar is published separately. East47, a bar-in-a-bar cocktail studio with an Andy Warhol feel, is there for a more experimental round.

Food and timing

Food is bar food done properly rather than a full dinner. The menu has included the Manhattan Lobster Taco, truffle mac 'n' cheese and cheesecake. On weekdays from 5pm to 7pm, a Golden Hour menu pairs cocktails with American-inspired plates, which is the gentler way in. For a group, The Rockefeller private room seats 16 to 20. Early-week evenings are the calmer choice, and the barrels aren't going anywhere. Orchard Boulevard is the nearest MRT.

Good to know Level II, Conrad Singapore Orchard, 1 Cuscaden Road, a short walk from Orchard Boulevard MRT. The official site listed 5pm–midnight (to 1am Fri–Sat), smart casual dress with closed-toe shoes for men, and bookings via SevenRooms; check the guest-shift calendar separately.

Another bar worth a whole evening: our bars for conversation.

Manhattan | Level 2, Conrad Singapore Orchard | Nearest MRT: Orchard